02/22/2026
THANK YOU POLAR VORTEX ATTENDEES!
You made this year’s convention the most memorable yet. After the long run, the Polar Vortex staff has had a chance to breathe, and the results exceeded our expectations.
We grew a lot: our first major expansion within the hotel, over 300 events, more than 600 guests, and a whole lot of laughter. It’s you who turn Polar Vortex into a vibrant, family‑friendly tabletop hub, and we’re grateful for every one of you.
CHARITY WINS
Your generosity raised more than $3,600 for the American Cancer Society, and more than $2,000 for Extra Life and the Laurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Those contributions are truly life‑changing.
We moved our Silent Auction to an online portal, and it was a great success!
Many attendees informed us that they like the new system, so we’ll be sticking with this format and you’ll be able to see next year’s items go up on our portal as we receive them.
BIG SHOUT-OUTS
A big thank you and shout out to our very first special guests, Keith and Claire Matejka of Thunderworks Games! They hosted amazing demos of their products all weekend long, were generous sponsors of this years convention, and brought pure game‑loving energy all weekend. Thank you again!
We want to thank Todd for running two Tiamat Challenges, where players battled the infamous dragon queen, for local S.E.A.L. students and to help raise money for Extra Life Chicago.
A special thanks also goes out to our photographer Cassie for capturing everyone's fun moments on Saturday.
VOLUNTEER HEROES
We owe our deep gratitude to those who help make Polar Vortex happen, and we wouldn’t be able to run the show without our dedicated volunteers and event organizers:
- Andrew for organizing our annual Bolt Action tournament
- Cheryl for bringing the grim of Trench Crusade to PV
- Graham of Fair Game for running the Star Wars Legion tournament
- Bill & Lori of Game Base 7 for helping run the board game library and Play-and-Win program
- Kathie for running our Free Form Needle Craft Table
- Sue & Derek of DaSueDragon Design for running our Local Catan Qualifier and supplying merch and judge swag
- Phil for helping out with the auction and registration
- Luke of Game Base 7 for welcoming fellow travelers of the stars and using the force yet again with Sparks
- Michael of Chicagoland Paizo Organized Play for organizing an expanding list of Pathfinder and Starfinder events
- Alicia of Your Baby Can Geek for running our family activity area encouraging young adventurers and their parents to love board games, making dice bags, and seeking to win this year's bingo
- Stephanie, and Jim for running our Paint‑and‑Take tables, letting everyone unleash their inner Picasso
- Brian & Stephanie for being an awesome big help when we needed extra hands at registration and at the auction
AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL THE GM'S WHO DONATED THEIR TIME TO SHARE THEIR PASSION FOR GAMES WITH THE COMMUNITY!
VENDORS & SPONSORS
Thank you to all vendors and sponsors for supplying your gaming goodies. Your support, and your smiles, made the convention shine.
PAINTING COMPETITION
We added a second display case after last year’s surge of entries, this year, we doubled that again and will have to get another! The judges were blown away by the art and can’t wait to see what you'll bring next year.
BE MINE VALENTINE GAME NIGHT
Another event gaining traction is Saturday’s Be Mine Valentine two‑player game night. Twice as many people joined this year, and we even had two couples come to the convention solely for this event. We’ll keep it on Saturday night for next year too. ;)
THE HEART OF THE CONVENTION
We keep hearing how much you love the friendly atmosphere at Polar Vortex. It’s the community that makes this place special. Thank you for being part of that magic.
LOOKING FORWARD
Many of you have been with us from the beginning, and we’re already planning for our 11th year... it means the world to us to be able to create a space enjoyed so much by so many. We’ll continue to keep bringing the warmth and joy of gaming and help melt away that winter chill.
We hope to see you again at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel on
Feb. 12–14, 2027 for PV 11.
As always, may your dice rolls and card draws be ever in your favor.
All the best, and may luck be with you on your adventures in the year ahead,
— The Polar Vortex Family & Staff
