Great America: Little Dipper

As regular readers of this bloggity might remember, my favorite ride at the late, much-lamented Kiddieland was the Little Dipper, the cutest little wooden roller coaster you ever did see. It was also the ride I was most worried about--as a 60-year-old wodden coaster, it wouldn't be the easiest thing to take apart and move.

Enter Great America.

When they announced that they'd bought the Little Dipper and that it would be up and running this season, I was shocked, but in the best possible way--they'd saved the one ride I feared would be destined for demolition.

How much they saved, though, is unclear. The sign certainly looks like the original, as do the cars and even some of the hardware, like the chains that convey the cars along the tracks. The ginormous levers that operated the ride are gone, however, and the wooden structure itself looks brand new. That makes sense--you really can't expect to pull apart a 60-year-old wooden roller coaster and slap it back together with all the original parts.

The ride itself feels exactly the same as before, though--short and sweet and oh so fun.

Kiddieland, Part 10

RIP Kiddieland, 1929-2009. Their last day is Sunday. 9/27. Large crowds are expected.

Kiddieland, Part 9

My favorite attraction at Kiddieland was the Little Dipper, the cutest little wooden rollercoaster you've ever seen. The ride has only 700 feet of track and lasts only a minute, but it's everything you'd want from a coaster--fast, bumpy and fun.

The ride is operated with ginormous brake levers. I mean, look at those things--they're taller than most of the riders!

The Little Dipper was also the attraction that made me the saddest about Kiddieland's closing--while most of the rides can (and will) be disassembled and sold, I can't see how anyone could take the Little Dipper down and reassemble it somewhere else. Most likely, it'll simply be demolished along with the other permanent structures of the park.

It's so difficult to create something--anything--that creates so many moments of happiness and enjoyment for decades. And so easy to tear it down.

Kiddieland, Part 8

The Kiddieland Carousel is somewhere around half a century old and features a mix of vintage horses--most of the ones on the perimeter seemed to be fiberglass (one was even missing a hoof, poor guy!), while most of the ones on the interior seemed to be wood. All of them had signs of wear and tear from years of children going round and round, round and round, never wanting the ride to stop--as all rides, unfortunately, must.

Kiddieland, Part 7

More random shots of rides and attractions at Kiddieland.

Kiddieland, Part 6

Here are some shots of some stylin' space-themed attractions at Kiddieland.

Kiddieland, Part 5

If you're at an amusement park--especially one facing imminent closure, as Kiddieland sadly is--you have to take a spin in the bumper cars. And so we did.
Tina ready to take a turn. (HI, TINA!)
Your humble correspondent, courtesy of Tina. (I'm the surly child on the right, not the one on the left.)
The hood of my ride--it was very green and sparkly.

Kiddieland, Part 4

Not far from the entrance to the park, we found the smallest Ferris wheel any of us had ever seen, with only six cars (or "cages," as Tina termed them) rising no more than 12 feet off the ground (and likely less). I guess that would be a "thrill ride" for a very small kid--but that's the whole point of a place called Kiddieland, isn't it?

Kiddieland, Part 3

A few faces from around the park: This guy is outside the men's room--reminds me of Buster Keaton, for some reason.
This clown is outside one of the other buildings--the video arcade, maybe?
The German Carousel has more than a dozen beautiful little paintings lining the top of it. My favorite? These iceskating foxes.

Kiddieland, Part 2

As Tina, Pete and stood in line just before Kiddieland opened (the line extended well behind us, snaking through the parking lot--glad we got there early), we saw a sign in the ticket booth window informing patrons that two of the park's attractions, the Polyp and Volcano Balls, were closed. Those aren't rides, I thought, Those are medical conditions. Once we were inside the park, though, we got a good look at the Poly and found it was a fish-themed ride. (I've seen versions of this called the Octopus.) The booth is charming, and the fishy faces on the cars are fun. Shame we didn't get to ride it.

Never found out what "Volcano Balls" was all about, though. Maybe I'm better off not knowing.

Kiddieland, Part 1

Kiddieland is the closest amusement park to Chicago (in the nearby suburb of Melrose Park) and one of the oldest in the country (it first opened with a pony-ride attraction in 1929), but on September 27 of this year, it closes for good, due to a family dispute. (The Chicago Tribune published an in-depth, excellent article on Kiddieland's last season and the details of the dispute. You can read it here.)

Last Sunday, I ventured out to Kiddieland (for what will likely be the last time) with my friends Tina and Pete, who happen to live within short driving distance of the park, and took dozens of pictures, many of which will pop up on this here bloggity this week. (Credit where it is due, though: the photo above, of your humble correspondent standing beneath the famous Kiddieland sign, was taken by Tina.)