Former Famous Illinois Ice Rink Finally Reopens After 20 Years

An ice rink in Illinois that at one time was in the Guinness Book of World Records has reopened after being gone for many years.

The Famous Polar Dome Has Returned To Illinois

One of my favorite places to go as a kid in the summertime was Santa's Village. It's a small amusement park in East Dundee that has a Christmas theme. My friends and I would go there and have a blast. I even took my daughter there when she was little.

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One thing that stands out in my memories about Santa's Village was right in the middle of the park was an ice rink. My cousin played hockey and I remember going there to watch some of his games. It was a lot of fun too.

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That ice rink was called the Polar Dome and it was a famous building in the skating industry. First of all, it was in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest air-supported dome stadium at the time.

The Polar Dome was known for being the practice center for the Chicago Blackhawks. The building also hosted the national Olympic speed skating competition which aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Unfortunately, Santa's Village shut down in 2005. The Polar Dome was also closed at that time. Starting in 2007, many different businesses rented the building for various reasons but nothing related to skating.

Polar Dome

New owners reopened Santa's Village in 2010. The Polar Dome was under a separate agreement so they didn't have control of the building. Finally, it became available last year and the park took it over. Recently, they reopened the ice rink and returned it to its glory days as an ice rink with many skating programs available for the public.