Sears Centre to host free holiday skate
While pitching the construction of the Sears Centre five years ago, developers told the Hoffman Estates village board that the arena could be used for community events.
Despite the pitch, events like indoor movie screenings or outdoor festivals in the parking lot never caught hold.
But about a year since the village took control of the facility, Hoffman Estates officials are hoping to start a new tradition.
The village and the Chicago Express hockey team are inviting the public on Dec. 18 for the first Holiday Open House held at the arena. A free community open skate and a showing of the movie, “The Polar Express” are featured, while video gamers could also hang and play in an Xbox game lounge.
Free skate rentals will be provided by the Hoffman Estates Park District. The rink and game lounge are open from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with the movie going from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“It gives people the opportunity to see the arena and ice skate, watch a movie and just socially bond,” said Trustee Raymond Kincaid, a member of the village's dissolved arena ad hoc committee. “It's a good thing.”
The Sears Centre already needed to prep the ice for the annual New Year's Day Notre Dame Shillelagh Hockey Tournament. That lent the opportunity to host a community skate.
Arena General Manager Ben Gibbs hosted community skates at the Orlando, Fla. arena he worked at previously, Kincaid said, adding that he hopes the open house is the first of many community events at the Sears Centre.
“It will give some groups, some artsy groups, a chance,” Kincaid said. “Maybe they could come in and put on a small play at a venue like this, maybe some high school bands could have a little battle of the bands in the building.”
Local Boy Scouts will sell popcorn and candy, which is no surprise given Mayor William McLeod history of supporting scouting. Earlier this year, the building hosted a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, the traditional event where scouts carve cars out of wood and race them.
Of course, Kincaid notes, the village would prefer to book as many concerts and sporting events as possible, but on off dates, community events would help fill the gaps.
The Express, the Sears Centre's newest tenant, plays in the ECHL, which is considered “AA” minor league hockey. They won't start playing hockey until next year, but team owner Craig Drecktrah said the event is important to build his fan base. He envisions fans walking around the arena to find their favorite seats to watch hockey.
“When you have the glass up and all the dasher boards and penalty boxes and the bench, you see a different atmosphere,” Drecktrah said.
The Express also plans to unveil the name of the team's mascot on Monday, Drecktrah added.
And don't worry, the Sears Centre has learned since melting ice caused the cancellation of the now-defunct Chicago Hounds first hockey game in 2006. The ice surface groomed for the Notre Dame hockey tournament consistently receives compliments from coaches and staff, officials say.
For more information on the open house, go to searscentre.com.