Joy-Riding on a Zamboni

Have you ever wanted to take a Zamboni out for a joy-ride? Well don't try it in downtown Boise, even if it is the middle of the night. Someone will probably turn you in. Check this out. KTVB News reports:

Two employees have been fired from the city's ice skating rink after making a midnight fast-food run -- in a pair of Zambonis.

The ice-groomer jockeys, both temporary city employees whose names and ages weren't released by Boise Parks and Recreation, had to negotiate at least one intersection with a traffic light on their late-night creep from Idaho Ice World.

An anonymous caller who alerted a telephone hot line set up by Boise Mayor Dave Bieter was gassing up his car at a nearby service station at about 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 10 when he saw the Zambonis roll through a Burger King drive-through, order food, and then return to the skating rink. The rubber-tired vehicles, whose top speed is about 5 mph, drove about 1 1/2 miles in all, said Parks Department Director Jim Hall.

Apparently this isn't the only case of reckless Zamboni behavior in the country either. The article points out an unrelated case in New Jersey:

Last year, Morristown, N.J., Zamboni operator John Peragallo was charged with drunken driving after another employee at the Mennen Sports Arena called police to report the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards. Peragallo, 63, lost his Zamboni privileges.

I think my favorite quote from the whole article is this:

Strange things can happen on a Zamboni.

I never would have guessed it, but I guess it is true, Zambonis can just do strange things to a person's mind.