Thursday, May 6, 2010

Remembering Kiddieland: The amusement park for kids in suburban Chicago

Kiddieland Amusement Park in Melrose Park, Ill., closed in September 2009 after 81 years in operation.
The park, located just west of Chicago, was razed to make way for a Costco.
But thanks to the Internet, memories of the park are being preserved. Theme Park Brochures, which I wrote about yesterday, has a map of Kiddieland from 2002. The Kiddieland website is still up for people to post memories of the park. Wikipedia also has an entry on Kiddieland.
Plus, a fan set up a Flickr photo page for people to contribute their snapshots to a group pool.
I was fortunate to visit Kiddieland with my two kids and my brother in May 2009, during its final season. We’ll remember the Little Dipper roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, the log flume ride, and the free soft drink fountains.

Photo: Riding the Little Dipper roller coaster at Kiddieland in Melrose Park, Ill., in May 2009.

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