FINAL FIGURE SKATING CARNIVAL AND 2 PUBLIC SKATES IN BRACEBRIDGE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — As the clock ticks down to Saturday’s final two public skates at the Bracebridge Memorial Arena, the last figure skating carnival takes to the ice tonight.
After 75 years the Bracebridge Figure Skating Club presents its last show, which over the decades has thrilled residents, families and provided a showcase for kids barely able to skate and teens who excelled with small jumps and big spins — many of whom have even gone on to greater skills levels of competitions.
It’s also been an opportunity to see star skaters brought in as feature performers.
Wednesday night will be no different with proud parents like Kim French, who was on hand last night for the dress rehearsal.
She was easily recognizable up in the stands wearing a gorgeous black sweat shirt with pink print that boldly printed on it that read and declared ‘FIGURE SKATING MOM’ — with a skate inside a pink heart.
She’s sad to see her daughter’s last skate here, but she’s looking forward to the new rink.
“It’s a piece of history, but it’ll be nice to be in the new facility.
Christine Whyte was standing at the west door to the old ice surface — familiar to all skaters and hockey players.
She was helping other parental volunteers co-ordinate and usher the young skaters onto the ice surface for their showy performance practice — all of them bustled-up in colourful costumes.
“Keep moving,” she shouts to a group of girls on the ice, while turning to another teenage girl and asking “are you next?”
Whyte’s only been with the club for five of its famed years,
The club can move in in August with programming including CanSkate starting up again in September.
The club has 150 skaters — two for every year the club has put on shows in the venerable old ice box on James Street.
The carnival starts at 6 p.m.
It will be both exciting and historic.
Already the rink is seeing signs of dismantling, with team hockey photos removed from walls heading up to the stands where tens of thousands have climbed to watch shows and skaters like these little lads and lasses.
TWO FINAL FREE SKATES SATURDAY
Saturday’s final free skates are 10 a.m. to noon and again 1 to 3 p.m.
Join them or dig out and dust off your old skates for one more nostalgic turn around the ice that was once home to the likes of NHLers Ace Bailey, Roger Crozier and many, many minor hockey and Bracebridge Bears junior hockey teams.
Expect large crowds for both skates.
The new Muskoka Lumber arena is to open this summer.
The town is expected to either sell or tear down the old rink and some community hopes are for housing. Bracebridge has already bought and taken down the brick home to the north. It is, however, keeping the skateboard park next door on Chub Downey Lane and is believed to be preparing to build public washrooms there.
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