Mentor Ice Arena’s Turkey Roll event is ‘fun night out’ – News-Herald

Teams of four bowled with turkeys on the ice at the Mentor Ice Area as part of the arena’s annual Turkey Roll on Ice event.

The event took place on the evening of Nov. 22 at 8600 Munson Road. According to Mentor Ice Arena Recreation Coordinator Michelle Walters, Turkey Roll’s beginnings date back eight years ago when a colleague came up with the idea.

“She put together a whole event plan and we’ve kind of taken it over from her since then,” Walters said. “We went from four lanes to six at some point. I wouldn’t say totally citywide, but it’s pretty well represented from the departments in the city. There’s lots of people here working. Our staff does a fantastic job.”

Teams of four bowled with turkeys on the ice at the Mentor Ice Area as part of the arena’s annual Turkey Roll on Ice event. (Marah Morrison — The News-Herald)

Turkey Roll draws in people who may have never been in the ice arena, Walters said. The event sold out quickly this year with registration starting in August and ending by the end of August.

“Team captains have to register and they put together their own team — teams of four,” Walters said. “Three hours of bowling — we get through about eight to 10 frames of bowling.”

Teams of four bowled with turkeys on the ice at the Mentor Ice Area as part of the arena’s annual Turkey Roll on Ice event. (Marah Morrison — The News-Herald)

The turkeys used for the event were donated by Move That Mountain Functional Medicine, the event’s sponsor. The turkeys will be re-donated to St. Gabriel’s Church.

With real bowling scoring in place, the teams of four each bowl just like a normal bowling game, Walters said.

“There’s prizes for the best team name, costume and the highest score,” she said. “We have 18 teams, so 72 and that’s based on how many lanes we have. It’s just a lot of fun. Last year, the bowlers all said our staff made it really fun. They bring their own drinks and we put out a little spread of food for them, and they can hang out with their friends.”

The event is always analyzed after it takes place to see if any improvements can be made, Walters said.

“We’re always trying to analyze what we can do better with each event that we do, but this is a once-a-year thing, so it’s not probably going to expand in any way because it entails a lot of what this ice normally wouldn’t be used for,” she said. “It’s just a night out really for these teams of people — all new faces for us.”

Walters said Turkey Roll is a good event to attend for those looking to have an adult night out.

“This time of year is always our busiest and a great time to try skating,” she said. “We have a lot of extra public skates during the holiday season.”