Families flock to Emerald Hill in Clarksville for some high-speed sledding

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It doesn't happen often, but when Clarksville's Emerald Hill turns into a sheet of white, out come the screams and squeals. Families from all over find themselves scrambling up the steep embankment, owned by Austin Peay State University.

"We’re from Louisiana," said Jimmy Leonard. Leonard lives in Clarksville, but his kids and grandkids drove up from Louisiana just to enjoy the snow.

But unless you already owned one, sleds were hard to come by. "I went to Kentucky, up to Oak Grove, everything," said Leonard. "This morning we found those at Rural King and I said they’ll work."

Leonard ended up purchasing plastic bases for animal cages, that his grandchildren happily turned into makeshift sleds. And by no means were they the only creative ones. Everything from big air air mattresses to pool floaties made an appearance.

Michael Turnbaugh ended up going two for two, popping both pool floats in two successive runs. "I ripped it on the pavement as I went by," he said with a laugh.

But equipment malfunctions, wipe outs and obstacles didn't slow these families down one bit. "Haven’t seen snow for five years," said Turnbaugh. He and his family recently moved to Clarksville after being stationed at a military base in Georgia, where it rarely snows.

Because sledding as good as this doesn't happen often, but when it does, you can make a lifetime of memories. "Ahh it makes my heart happy," said Leonard.

NewsChannel 5's Chris Davis also took a turn down Emerald Hill. You can watch that here: