OREGON — After close to four years of planning, redesigns, money concerns and construction, Oregon's first indoor ice rink will officially throw wide its frosty doors Saturday.

"We're just really happy to finally get it done, get it open and let the kids start skating," said Jeff Groenier, hockey parent of two and president of the Oregon Community Sports Arena board, who donated his services as an architect to get the 42,000-square-foot building started four years ago. "It's been a long haul, and we think it's going to be a great asset to the village."

No one could agree more than the members of Oregon High School's 6-year-old varsity hockey team, who until this week had to drive to ice rinks in McFarland, Verona and Stoughton, sometimes before dawn, to practice.

"We couldn't get a full practice in because we had to drive back to school," said Cody Hans, 18, varsity team captain for the Oregon Panthers. The team has been trying out the new rink along with members of the new Oregon Youth Hockey association this week.

"I was usually late for my first class almost every day" because of the added commute, said Paul Byrne, 15, also on the varsity team.

Both said they hope to play for the National Hockey League some day and said having a NHL regulation-sized rink minutes from home will not only help them do that, but help the team improve. The growing Oregon Panthers hockey team won its regional championship competition last year.

But the new rink holds an allure for more than just long-time hockey enthusiasts.

Cindy Joyce, an Oregon resident and mother of two daughters, ages 5 and 9, said she has loved skating since she was a child and had always wanted to take her family but was never quite able to make the 20-minute drive to any of the area ice rinks.

"To have something like this in town, I think it's going to be ... a fantastic thing," she said. She recently signed her daughters up for skating lessons from the new Oregon Skating School and said she plans on taking the family to open skating times on the weekends as well.

That kind of enthusiasm is what made the project possible, Groenier said. While the board took out a $2.5 million loan with the State Bank of Cross Plains to finance much of the construction, he said the final value of the facility will be closer to $3.5 million after taking into account the value of the land, equipment, expertise and time donated by Oregon area residents and organizations.

If you go

What: Oregon Community Sports Arena grand opening

Where: 100 N. Perry Parkway, Oregon.

When: Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m.

Cost: Free, except for the car show and chili cook-off, which starts at 10 a.m. and costs $10 per person or $20 for a family. The show benefits Oregon Youth Hockey.

Note: Rink manager Larry Clemens keeps the temperature in the cavernous rink at a frigid 50 degrees. So if you plan to go, wear warm clothes.

Visit www.oregonhockey.org for more information.