Belton is transforming into a winter wonderland this holiday season with the return of its synthetic ice skating rink, part of the annual Christmas on the Chisholm Trail event. This marks the second year of the rink, which has already welcomed over 700 skaters.
Local sponsors, including Cochran Blair & Potts, the Belton Chamber of Commerce, and CGI, came together to support this festive attraction. Joseph Dyer, Belton City Parks and Rec Superintendent, emphasized the importance of community partnerships in making this event a reality.
"This is community partnership at its finest. The city could do this, but it’s not something that we would do on our own. Cochran, Blair and Potts came to us last year and said, ‘We love what you do, we want to make it bigger.’ The Chamber came to us and said, ‘We want to make it free,’" Dyer explained.
Belton Mayor David Leigh highlighted the inclusive nature of the event, stressing the importance of bringing the community together during the holidays.
"We put a lot of public dollars to do things like this downtown at Christmas and different holidays. Regardless of socio-economic background, we all participate at the same level. It really brings the community together," Leigh said.
Residents like Marla Shamblin gave the love back and and expressed their appreciation for the city's efforts to create a festive and inclusive environment. "It means the world to us, you know, with how expensive everything is these days, and for them to do this for the community, you know, it’s heartfelt. It’s a blessing," Shamblin shared.
The ice skating rink is open for free skating sessions from December 9th, with weekday hours from 6 to 9 PM and weekends from 12 to 9 PM. The event not only provides a fun and festive activity for families but also showcases the strong sense of community pride and camaraderie in Belton.
As Shamblin perfectly summed up, "Look at the families, look at the smiles, you know? This is what we need around this time of the year."
