ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The town of Canton received a holiday surprise of a synthetic ice rink.
The gift was funded by the Cruso Endowment and arranged through a grant to the Canton Merchant Partnership.
The attraction has led to new experiences across mountain communities.
Carley Foster visited the rink and was one of many lacing up during the holiday break.
“It's really special,” Foster said. “There's things you can do on the ice that you just cannot do when you're walking on land.”
She has been working on her ice skating skills for over a year. However, when visiting family in Madison County, she didn’t think she’d have the opportunity to step on a rink.
“I fell in love with it, but of course when I came back to Madison County, there was no ice skating here, like it just did not exist!” Foster said. “So, I didn't do it for many years, and actually, I don't think my parents have ever seen me skate in this year that I've been working on it.”
She found out a trip down the road to Haywood County was her answer.
A new rink made of synthetic ice arrived in time for the holiday season, and it will stay open until March.
“An article came up about a skating rink in Haywood County, and I was like, ‘No way!’” Foster said. “So, at that point, I just had to check it out. I mean, the fact that it was synthetic ice and I'd never done that before just seemed very cool.”
This isn’t just any rink, it’s a free community rink. Visitors only have to pay if they need to rent equipment.
Rentals can be paid in three different forms – a $5 fee, a canned goods donation or by showing a receipt from a purchase at one of Canton’s local businesses.
This helps encourage visitors to get to know the Canton community and the businesses and crafts it has to offer.
“A lot of people bringing in canned goods and supporting their community, bringing us receipts from the local businesses that they’ve been out supporting,” Erin Perry said.
Perry volunteers with Blue Ridge Roller Derby to help run the rink’s concessions and rentals.
“It’s just like a good family activity, people that clearly haven't seen each other in a little while finding each other here,” Perry said. “It's very cute.”
Perry has seen many children experience a rink for the first time.
“Mostly people like with younger kids who have never gotten to skate before,” Perry said. “So, it's a good initial experience for a little kid to get to ice skate!”
This gift to Canton has not only spread joy across the mountains, but also brought support to the community.
The rink will be open seven days a week until March.