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GregVanG
Posts:899
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| 11/27/2008 9:52 AM |
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Chicago Sun Times (IL)
Copyright 2008 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
November 27, 2008
Section: News
Santa's Village may reappear
Cigi Ross
Santa's Village -- an institution in East Dundee before closing in 2006 -- may be re-created in Utica, though any opening is at least two years away.
Phillip Wenz, former Santa Claus at the theme park, and officials from Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Lodge and Resort in Utica met last week to discuss possibly building a Santa's Village at the $90 million resort located off Illinois 178.
Santa's Village operated in East Dundee from 1959 to 2006. Grizzly Jack's already owns some of the famous rides and props from the East Dundee location. Future expansion plans could include moving more of the park's buildings and displays to Utica.
Joe Hook, general managing partner of Grizzly Jack's, said the resort has been interested in partnering with Santa's Village since Grizzly Jack's inception three years ago.
"We are a family resort and we thought by potentially rebuilding Santa's Village we would create a more diverse [resort]," Hook said.
Grizzly Jack's purchased the park remnants -- like the Snow Ball ride and Convoy Trucks -- at a 2006 auction and will resurrect those next summer. Grizzly Jack's currently is in negotiations to purchase other props from the original location's owner, Sterling Bay/Griffon Associates.
"The site of the former amusement park at Illinois 72 and 25 in East Dundee is at the center of what will one day be a significant development for the village," said Sterling Bay partner Patrick O'Connor in a release.
East Dundee Village Administrator Frank Koehler said the village is still looking for another developer to take over the park's former home. Village officials have been trying to market the East Dundee location since 2006 using a tax increment finance district. Several attempts to reopen Santa's Village there have failed.
Comment at suntimes.com.
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admin
Posts:1616
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| 12/01/2008 7:26 PM |
Alert
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***UPDATE***
Santa's Village to rise again -- in Utica?
Going to Grizzly Jack's: Resort in Utica may be new home to longtime Kane amusement park
November 30, 2008
By CIGI ROSS Staff Writer
Santa's Village will be partnering with Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort in Utica in December to spread Christmas joy throughout the holiday season.
A Utica version of the park -- an institution in the northern Kane County community of East Dundee before closing in 2006 -- is in the planning stages and would not open for at least two years, officials said. But Grizzly Jack's will offer several events featuring Santa Claus this season.
Phillip Wenz, former Santa Claus at the East Dundee theme park, and officials from Grizzly Jack's met this month to discuss possibly re-creating Santa's Village at the $90 million resort, located along Route 178 just south of the Illinois River.
Santa's Village operated in East Dundee from 1959 to 2006. Grizzly Jack's already owns some of the famous rides and props from the East Dundee location. Future expansion plans could include moving more of the park's buildings and displays to Utica.
Joe Hook, general managing partner of Grizzly Jack's, said the resort has been interested in partnering with Santa's Village since Grizzly Jack's inception three years ago.
"We are a family resort, and we thought by potentially rebuilding Santa's Village we would create a more diverse (resort)," Hook said.
Grizzly Jack's purchased park remnants -- such as the Snow Ball ride and Convoy Trucks -- at a 2006 auction and will resurrect those next summer. Grizzly Jack's is in negotiations to purchase other props from the original location's owner, Sterling Bay/Griffon Associates.
East Dundee Village Administrator Frank Koehler said the village still is looking for another developer to take over the park's former home at Routes 25 and 72, north of Elgin. Village officials have been trying to market the location since 2006 using a tax increment finance district. Several attempts to reopen Santa's Village there have failed.
"The difficulty in restoring Santa's Village here in East Dundee is that so many rides and attractions have already been ... relocated," Koehler said.
There's also a "lack of ongoing maintenance, so any restoration would require significant investment," he said.
Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort in Utica owns many of the famous rides and props from the amusement park, which closed in 2006. The resort might breathe new life into this Christmas village by re-creating the park 112 miles from its original location in East Dundee.
Comment at beaconnewsonline.com
All contents of Santa's Village Amusement park went to the auction block in 2006. Desi Todd, of Algonquin, sits one last time in the snowball ride.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)
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