Tahlequah rink reopens with arrival of cooler weather

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Tahlequah's ice rink, closed last weekend due to unseasonably warm temperatures, reopened Thursday evening.

“We ended up having enough low temperatures at night to rebuild the ice to the point where we will be able to be open for our sessions tonight,” Tahlequah Mayor Jason Nichols told 2NEWS.

The sessions scheduled for 5 and 7:30 p.m. are the first sessions held since a Sunday when temperatures climbing above 70 degrees and increasing winds made futile any efforts toward keep the water in its solid state.

Nichols told 2NEWS on Monday crews can maintain the ice with temperatures as high as 65 or 70, if the air is calm, but with the mercury passing those levels, and the windy conditions, keeping the rink frozen was a losing battle.

By Monday, according to Nichols, the 62 by 120-foot rink at Norris Park had turned into standing water with “some ice.”

But with temperatures heading south again, the rink should see many more opening days.

“Of course as the weather gets continually cooler, we think we won't have any more problems keeping it operational.”

The rink is due to be open through News Year's Day, with the exception of the regularly scheduled Monday and Tuesday closings.