Ice skating on the baseball field at Fenway Park? Yes! How did this once-in-a-lifetime event come to be?
- Fenway Park recently hosted the National Hockey League (NHL) “Winter Classic” on January 2, a nationally broadcast hockey game between the Bruins and Penguins. Red Sox ownership decided to keep the rink operating longer for other sports teams and private events.
- As a long time Board of Directors member of nonprofit Operation Hat Trick (OHT), I was invited to attend an invitation-only skating event to honor and support wounded veterans and service members. “Feel free to ask your grandkids if they’d like to skate at Fenway,” said Dot Sheehan, OHT founder. Very nice of her. Your hands went up fast; everyone was all-in.
Bonus #1: skating at Fenway meant getting out of school early! No problem-o. After we all piled into the Explorer at Noontime, we got sandwiches from The Works and gobbled down our chow while driving South. Once in Bosotn, there was time to spare, so we checked out a multi-story Target store before walking over to our ballpark-skatepark.
Bonus #2: the hard rain that had been pelting Massachusetts and New Hampshire that day magically held off until the very end, enabling you to skate without getting wet. Awesome timing! It was a blast watching you do your thing on an official NHL rink, Fenway Park all lit up, with music blaring and a 360-degree surround-view of Fenway Park.
When it was over, we visited the fab Time Out Market where we swapped stories and enjoyed delicious food from 15 different food locations. It’s a large, pretty, open dining destination with long common tables and white lights glowing. We ate our fill until we reached food coma (the donuts put us over the edge). Everyone was beat and slept all the way home – except for yours truly, your ever vigilant GrandDude.
Bonus #3: we all helped an amazing social cause that helps people live better lives every day. So glad you could be there with me.
An epic afternoon and evening we’ll always remember.