Santa's Village (Images of America: Illinois) [Paperback]

Phillip L. Wenz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2007

Since 1959, Santa’s Village in Dundee has entertained millions. The park was born of a man who as a child had no real Christmas. Glenn Holland grew up in California during the Great Depression. His parents died by the time he was 18 years old, leaving him to care for his younger sister. As a father, he tried to give his own children the type of Christmas that he only knew in his dreams. In the early 1950s, struck with inspiration, Holland sat at his kitchen table one day and started to sketch his idea for a Christmas fairyland where all the magic of the holiday would come to life: Santa’s Village. Holland and general contractor Putnam Henck built

three Santa’s Villages, two in California and one in Dundee.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Phillip L. Wenz is the Dundee parkÂ’s resident Santa Claus and official historian. Besides his duties at SantaÂ’s Village, Wenz has been seen in numerous televised parades and national holiday events. Utilizing his personal collection of pictures, memorabilia, and rare park photographs, readers can once again reminisce about the fun of SantaÂ’s Village throughout the years. It is all here, the Christmas Tree Ride, the twirling Snowballs, SantaÂ’s House, and the Frozen North Pole.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (August 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738541494
• ISBN-13: 978-0738541495
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Santa's Village, October 22, 2007

By 

Karen Hagg - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Santa's Village (Images of America: Illinois) (Paperback)

While this book was excellant in bringing back fond memories of the times I visited Santa's Village in Dundee in the 60's and 70's it was extremely disappointing to find not one single photograph in color. All the brightly colored shops and rides would have been such a joy to see again in all their splendor.

5.0 out of 5 stars Santa's Village, January 16, 2012

By 

CB Girl (Western New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Santa's Village (Images of America: Illinois) (Paperback)

Very nicely done. Excellent photo selection throughout the book. The captions are very informative. Having been Santa at the park for many years, the author is an authority on Santa's Village and his expertise shines through.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but missing one thing..., October 28, 2009

By 

Nemo 52 (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Santa's Village (Images of America: Illinois) (Paperback)

I first heard about Santa's Village (near Santa Cruz) in the 1960's, from a children's magazine ("Highlights for Children"?), but - mom said it was too far too drive, so we never went there. We lived 1/2 hour from Disneyland, so of course I was (and remain) a monorail fan, and I never knew there was a Santa's Village much closer to us (Skyforest) with the same "BumbleBee" monorail ride as Scott's Valley.

Unfortunately, this book is written by people from the Santa's Village in Dundee, IL., so there are no photos - or even mention of the BumbleBee, which I never got to see or ride. Other than that, it's a refreshing look at a bygone era; a simpler time, when Disney was NOT the only one with a vision of kids and parents having fun together.