Lake Tahoe residents got quite a sight the other day. Moments after a skating rink was set up for locals to enjoy, a black bear decided he wanted to take the first spin on the ice. This celebrity black bear is no stranger to town and has even been named Charlie by locals. Apparently, Charlie wanted to test out the ice before anyone else had the chance.
Celebrity Black Bear Takes A Spin On The Skating Rink
Getty Image
People Magazine reports that the adorable moment occurred "shortly after 10 p.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 6." Employees at Heavenly Village had just finished setting up the mall's skating rink for locals to enjoy. However, they never expected the local wildlife to enjoy it as well. It didn't take them long to realize that their beloved celebrity black bear had crawled under the roped barriers and sauntered onto the ice.
The mall decided to share this humorous moment with the world by posting photos of it on Facebook. The image clearly shows Charlie having a grand old time in the center of the skating rink. Technically, he was obeying the rules, as one of the signs in the photo read, "No shoes on the ice." Charlie is most definitely "bear" foot, so he is following the rules.
The mall also took the humorous approach by sharing the news. They started their post with "?? BREAKING NEWS: Looks like someone bearly read the 'no skating without skates' sign this morning!" From there, they had a good laugh and officially announced the skating rink was open for the season.
The Internet Reacts To The Celebrity Black Bear
The internet loved this iconic photo of Lake Tahoe's celebrity black bear enjoying the skating rink. Here are some of the comments left under the post.
"Solo ice time is very valuable."
"I mean, he can't read English, and he has no money to buy Skates, so maybe Heavenly could comp him a pair of custom-made skates."
"Super cute!!!"
While Heavenly is not planning on making Charlie any custom bear skates, they are debating making him their official mascot. Dreu Murin, a spokesperson for the shops at Heavenly Village, had this to say. "We're thinking of making 'Charlie the skating bear' T-shirts. He might just be our mascot."
