web1_Letter-to-the-editor1.jpg

Your view: Don’t leave taxpayers on hook for environmental cleanup

web1_jameskc-copy-copy.jpg

Helping kids gain access to a quality education

<p>Stuntman and former firefighter Ken Remer expects to ride his ATV up a take-off ramp that&#8217;s &#8220;essentially a sheet of ice&#8221; and sail through a ring of flames when he brings round 3 of the 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour to the Mohegan Sun Arena tonight. <ins>Jan. 25. </ins></p><p>But, wait. That&#8217;s not all.</p><p>&#8220;Before I drive through the ring of fire,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I make a loop around the arena fully engulfed in flames from my waist up.&#8221;</p><p>Why doesn&#8217;t Remer sound at all worried?</p><p>&#8220;I have a couple of my crew with me and Randy Bast from Special High Tech Effects, and we always have the fire company with me. We use a special flame-retardant on my jacket and right before I go we put an accelerant on top of safety gel. Randy lights me and we can only stay on fire for 22 seconds. I make my loop around the arena in 22 seconds and come back to the entry point.&#8221;</p><p>That combustible excitement highlights the half-time entertainment; the competitive part of the 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour involves athletes who race quads and bikes over ice at speeds up to 60 mph, compiling points to see who ends up on top.</p><p>&#8220;These guys are the best of the best,&#8221; Remer said, adding Daryl Rath and Jake Matya are the current world champions, defending their titles against other racers such as Jeremy Orr, who&#8217;s been leading this year in the bike division and Tyler Allen, who&#8217;s been leading on the four-wheel side.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got the best racers,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and this is the only place you&#8217;ll see motorcycle limbo.&#8221;</p><p>Audience members who arrive early for a pit party that will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. will have a chance to meet Remer and the racers and to see the razor-sharp studs that give their vehicles traction.</p><p>&#8220;On the ice, essentially, it&#8217;s like having chainsaws for tires,&#8221; Remer said, explaining there are hundreds of Kold Kutter studs in the tires of his Honda 450 two-wheel drive quad. &#8220;You get a lot of traction taking off.&#8221;</p><p>Before he started riding and jumping an ATV, Remer used to ride and jump horses. Now, when he&#8217;s not on the road with the ice racing show, he works at shoeing the large animals back home in Burlington, Wisc.</p><p>Compared to the ice stunts, is that a peaceful pastime?</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not as quiet as you might think,&#8221; Remer said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve got days when the horses stand real good and we&#8217;ve got days when they like to fight and kick.&#8221;</p><p>Remer&#8217;s resume also includes stunt work in such movies as &#8220;The Dark Knight&#8221; and &#8220;Rampage&#8221; and in NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Chicago Fire.&#8221;</p><p>An athlete who grew up playing hockey and water skiing, he started ice racing in the World Championship Ice Racing Series in 2010 and, when the previous owners decided to sell the business, he and his wife, Kristi, purchased it in 2016.</p><p>He said his 23 years of experience as a volunteer firefighter &#8220;definitely made me more prepared&#8221; for the fire stunts he brings to the tour.</p><p>&#8220;The big thing is, I would never recommend anybody doing anything they see me do unless they had a trained professional with them. You see guys on You Tube setting themselves on fire in their backyard. That&#8217;s definitely not the way to do it.&#8221; </p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ICE-RING-OF-FIRE.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Years of experience as a stuntman and as a volunteer firefighter add to Ken Remer&#8217;s confidence as he rides his Honda ATV through a ring of fire, which is part of the half-time entertainment you can expect if you attend the 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Jan. 25. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ICE-RING-OF-FIRE.jpg</photo0><caption0>Years of experience as a stuntman and as a volunteer firefighter add to Ken Remer&#8217;s confidence as he rides his Honda ATV through a ring of fire, which is part of the half-time entertainment you can expect if you attend the 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Jan. 25. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ice.racing.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Racers can reach speeds up to 60 mph as they compete on the ice-racing tour. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ice.racing.jpg</photo1><caption1>Racers can reach speeds up to 60 mph as they compete on the ice-racing tour. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ken.remer_.ice_.racing.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fiery stunts are part of the excitement of the 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour, with round 3 set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_ken.remer_.ice_.racing.jpg</photo2><caption2>Fiery stunts are part of the excitement of the 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour, with round 3 set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> 2019 Fire On Ice Evolution Tour</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25, with a pit party from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, 255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre Township</p><p><strong>Tickets: </strong>Start at $15 for adults and are half price for kids. On sale at ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000 or at the arena&#8217;s NBT Bank Box Office. Prices increase $3 day of show</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Fire On Ice,’ racing and stunts coming to Mohegan Sun Arena