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| Enjoying a last ride at Kiddieland. (CBS Photo) |
Posted: Monday, 14 September 2009 7:07AM
Thousands bid goodbye to Kiddieland
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MELROSE PARK, Ill. (CBS) ― The Melrose Park amusement center has been a fixture in the Chicago area for more than eight decades.
Sunday, thousands lined up to enter the theme park for their final visit. Among them was a group from Wisconsin, with a great love for one particular Kiddieland ride. Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
The roar of the roller coaster. The sound of excitement coming from the Tilt-a-Whirl. For 81 years, both young and old have enjoyed Kiddieland in Melrose Park.
Scott Heck, with the group American Coaster Enthusiasts, is from Wisconsin. Heck drove for two hours to ride the Little Dipper for the last time.
"It's very sad to be here today to actually say goodbye to something that's been a Chicagoland staple for all these years," he said.
Heck's group was among the more than 4,000 people that came to Kiddieland Sunday. The place enjoyed by families for decades at North and 1st avenues will be closing on Sept. 27. Heck says Kiddieland has major significance in theme-park history.
"If I remember correctly, pony rides was the first thing that ever started here," he said. "And look what they've got now. It's a great place for families to go."
But now, Chicagoland's oldest amusement park, with more than 30 rides, has lost its lease. A family member who heads a trust that owns the land won't extend the lease.
"Unfortunately, when you lose your lease, you have to move on, so that's kind of where we're at right now," Kiddieland co-owner Ron Rynes said.
Kathy Fowler was getting emotional about the closure.
"Kiddieland, it's like it's been here forever," she said. "It's very, very sad just to see that they're leaving us. This is our family."
Another fan, Doris Mitchell, said, "We used to all come together, all three generations, and now with family and friends here together today, so, it's just a lot of history. You hate to see it go."
One ride, the Roto Whip, has been part of Kiddieland since 1939. Those who have been coming here for generations really hope that Kiddieland resurfaces somewhere else soon.
Kiddieland co-owner Tom Norini says he and his partner Ron Rynes are looking at land in Utica. Their hope is to move the entire amusement center there, but they will always cherish the memories created in Melrose Park.
"It is multi-generational," Norini said. "It's just the family. Our tag line has always been for years 'We're about family because we are a family.'"
The owners of Kiddieland will immediately post on their website when their new venue will open.
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Copyright MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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