Ice skating returns to Santa’s Village after 20-year absence

After a 20-year absence, visitors can once again go ice skating in the Polar Dome at Santa’s Village in East Dundee.

The amusement and water park is reopening the rink on Friday, Jan. 17, it announced Tuesday.

“We’re beyond excited to bring back the Polar Dome Ice Rink,” said Jason Sierpien, president of Santa’s Village, in a press release. “This rink holds a special place in the hearts of so many families who’ve visited over the years, and we’re proud to revive this tradition.”

He said there would be new activities, including lessons, public skating, recreational hockey and birthday parties.

The rink closed in 2005 when the park closed. When the park reopened in 2011, the Polar Dome was leased to paintball and laser tag businesses.

Also returning is the Alpine Room, a bar and restaurant area featuring two fireplaces, said park spokesman Lindsay Kosanovich.

The company announced the plan to bring back the Polar Dome in 2022 when it sought financial aid from East Dundee to renovate it and the park’s Santa’s Springs Water Park.

Construction on the rink started in October, according to Kosanovich.

“A lot of the bones (of the rink) were still there,” she said, including the rink surface and cooling equipment.

The park posted a photo on Facebook of old pucks it found during the renovation. She described the January opening as a “slow roll.”

In the future, the park intends to have the rink open from Labor Day until mid-May each year, she said.

Santa’s Village opened in 1959. The Polar Dome, originally covered by an inflated dome, opened in 1962.