This is the first weekend that the people of D.C. can head over to Ward 7 and enjoy the nearly $40 million showplace that is the Fort Dupont Ice Arena.
While the multipurpose complex not only has an NHL-size hockey rink, beautiful locker rooms, and space for parties, the arena, built in the 70s, has a near and dear spot in a lot of people鈥檚 hearts.
One of those people is Haretta Hairston Pearson.
To look at this D.C. resident, you would be shocked to find out that she was only weeks away from turning 65.
Turning the clock back to when she was in middle school, Pearson watched the original area get built from an eagle eye seat. Her father was one of its security guards.
鈥淢y dad used to sit right outside in a booth,鈥� said Pearson. 鈥淗e watched over the material that they left. He would sit out here all night long in the dark.鈥�
When the rink was finished, she had saved around $5 in coins and asked her father to use the money to buy her skates.
鈥淗e came to me one day with some radial boots and with mercurial blades, and I’ve been skating on them ever since,鈥� said Pearson.
The amount of time Pearson spent at the ice arena cannot be overestimated.
鈥淚t probably saved my life,” said Pearson. 鈥淚 didn’t get caught up or be in the wrong place at the wrong time because I was always here doing the right thing, the right people and having fun.鈥�
Not only was Pearson here on the rink, her brother was also on the ice.
鈥淣eil, the gentleman who founded the Hockey League, my brother used to skate with him,鈥� said Pearson.
The hockey league is the Fort Dupont Cannons and was founded in 1978 by U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Neal Henderson.
鈥淲ell, hockey is a love that you grow into, and it’s something that I thought would be great for the area and for the kids in my neighborhood,鈥� said Henderson.
The 88-year-old, who was born in St. Croix, fell in love with hockey while his father was stationed in Canada during World War II.
While Pearson, who was at the new ice arena with her grandson and niece, looked around and saw Henderson was there, smiled and said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be back home.鈥�
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