Sadness & Loss

The first day at the Kane County Fair went well. A little rain ruined one show, but it feel about the time a break would have been taken anyway so no big deal. A bit hot and a bit humid, but otherwise, loads of fun. My little stage is right next to an adorable petting zoo and there are many kids as well as many critters running about.

However I've got a bit of depression in the background. I heard from a fellow performer at the fair that Santa's Village, a small amusement park in East Dundee, Illinois, closed its doors this year rather abruptly and unexpectedly. More importantly, it may be closed rather permanently.

The announcement came around the middle of May of this year and somehow I missed the story. However most people didn't know about this and there wee many folks who showed up at the gates on Mother's Day (the traditional opening day of the park) only to be turned away filled with sadness.

I felt bad for my friend because he and his wife had a regular booking there for many years now and they heard about the closing pretty much the same day everyone else did. What a blow to his season to lose a regular booking like that.

Santa's Village, known for the "Three Worlds of Fun" found inside, was not the largest or the most amazing amusement park around. It was, however, a mainstay of family entertainment in the Midwest for over 50 years. It had a charm and appeal to it that made for a good time. Whether you were there to enjoy a taste of what amusement parks were like "back the day" or you just wanted a more affordable place to take your kids for a day of fun, Santa's Village was always a good choice.

I went there quite a few time as a kid and even came very close to losing my life there on one occasion. That, however is a story I'll share at another time. The main reason it is of significance to me is because Santa's Village was damn near the first professional gig I ever had as an entertainer.

I had to be about 16 when I first started working there. I seem to recall being a junior in high school and working there for at least two summers. I auditioned with my little comedy & juggling act for magician & W.C. Fields impersonator, Jim Spence.

Jim was a great guy and a good friend for a young entertainer to have. Though I can't claim to have made a ton of cash working for him, I can lay claim to a lot of valuable performing knowledge as a result of my working for him. He and I got along very well and we remained friends for many years. He helped me learn bit about performing, gave me good advice, passed along some good names to me and suggested some places to send promotional materials. He even passed my name along to the Reynolds family, who owned a small circus I would eventually work for MANY times over the years (even as recently as this past April).

The shows we did were pretty lousy really. Jim was the main act and I would be a supporting act, along with other high school kids who would sing or dance or whatever. Occasionally I'd have to dress up in a giant bear costume and do some meet & greet with the kids. Good lord that suit sucked!

I do recall working with some really cute girls there and, had I the confidence, I might have asked them out. Of course, I do also recall doing some rather naughty things with other girls back stage there, so maybe I didn't need more confidence - just more time. HEH!

Apparently, the old stage where I worked still had some graffiti scrawled by me and about me (written by others) on the walls back stage. Many years worth of crazy teens wanting a job for the summer scratched some sort of messages back there. I'm sure the sound booth still had a few chunks of Martello wisdom as well.

While I haven't been there in many years and haven't given the place a second thought in some time, it is very sad to think that something so "permanent" a fixture in my life is quite possibly gone forever.

Regularly updated news about Santa's Village can be found HERE