LRS rink downtown springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill (WAND) - Saturday was the grand opening of a synthetic ice skating rink in downtown Springfield.

As WAND has shared leading up to the opening, a group of high school seniors from across Sangamon County brought the rink to the Old State Capitol grounds.

The group is called Sangamon County CEO and it gives high school seniors hands-on experience running a business.

Lead facilitator for the program Nabih Elhajj said after the success of the ice rink they had behind Scheels last year, they wanted to find a new location.

"We thought this was a place that could bring the whole community together from all sides of the city," Elhajj said. "The backdrop of the Old State Capitol, the history that this space has, we figured it was an ideal place for us to be."

Students like Chandana Poola said this is a great opportunity to get business experience in high school.

"You get the hands-on experience of like going and meeting with people and like actually thinking about what it takes to run a business, all the logistics of it," Poola said. "Any challenges that we have we have to find solutions to."

The high schoolers oversee every aspect of the skating rink from planning the project to running it.
 
For more information or to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE