Courtesy photo/Hurricane Harbor Chicago
Thrill-seekers can finally feel that adrenaline rush they’ve been waiting for this summer as water parks begin reopening across Illinois.
Six Flags Great America’s Hurricane Harbor locations in Gurnee and Rockford and Santa’s Village water park Santa Springs will reopen Saturday.
“Memorial Weekend is always the unofficial start of summer here at Six Flags, and we’re so excited to have some splash and some fun,” said Caitlin Kepple, Six Flags’ communications and marketing manager.
This marks the first time
Hurricane Harbor Chicago in Gurnee will operate separately from the Six Flags theme park next door making it the company’s 27th park, with three in Illinois.
Christmas is coming early to East Dundee.
After being closed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa s Village Azoosment Park will reopen Saturday in a return of the suburban icon that first opened in 1959. Even with capacity currently limited to 25%, it s a breath of fresh air after a rough 2020.
The hardest thing for us last year was watching restaurants and other businesses opening, said Brian Wright, marketing director for Santa s Village. We kind of felt like we were last on the list.
Wright said that while there were furloughs over the last year, much of the staff was able to remain by working on improvements to the facility. Ownership also started an offshoot company called SV Enterprises that concentrates on landscaping, snow removal and holiday light installation.
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Randall Oaks Zoo s oldest animal dies
Updated 12/27/2020 5:09 PM
The oldest animal at Randall Oaks Zoo in West Dundee, a 20-year-old deer named Pepper, has died.
The zoo announced Pepper was euthanized on Dec. 19 after suffering from a variety of ailments in recent months, including age-related arthritis. The zoo said fallow deer in the wild live to an average age of 16.
Pepper arrived at River Oaks from the Santa s Village Azoosment Park in 2004 and shared living quarters with his favorite companion, a goat named Pumpkin.
According to the zoo, Pepper quickly became one of the most-popular animals for visitors and the staff at Randall Oaks, and was known for his friendly smile.