Kiddieland Remembered

Relive the history of one of Chicago’s favorite amusement parks at Kiddieland Remembered, a virtual event hosted by the Elmhurst Public Library. During this fascinating presentation, historian Cheryl Brown will revisit the park’s history with vintage photos and videos. She’ll explain why the park was shut down and reveal where the rides are today. At McGrath Elmhurst Toyota, we appreciate all the programming the library provides to our community. We’re looking forward to this fun-filled event.

Kiddieland was a mainstay in Melrose Park for 80 years, bringing joy to thousands of Chicagoland families over the decades. Founded by Arthur E. Fritz in 1929, it set standards for the operation of a safe, clean, family-friendly amusement park. The park began by offering pony rides to kids, eventually adding over 30 rides geared toward children, including a German carousel, two miniature steam locomotives, a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, the Little Dipper roller coaster, the Galleon swinging pirate ship, and the Log Jammer water ride.

The park was still popular going into the 21st century, but an unfortunate quarrel led to its demise. In the mid-2000s, an insurance dispute sprang up between the family that owned Kiddieland and the owners of the land. A court case failed to resolve the matter, and the landowners declined to renew the park’s lease in 2009, leading to its closure. The park’s assets were auctioned off, and many of its rides found homes in other amusement parks, including Six Flags Great America.

While the park is now gone, Kiddieland Remembered offers a fun way to go back in time and re-experience this iconic part of Chicagoland’s past.

Date and Time:
Thursday, May 27, 2021, at 7 p.m.

Location:
Kiddieland Remembered is a live online event presented via Zoom.

Admission:
Free. Register at https://bit.ly/3hDoUVL to receive a Zoom link. This program is appropriate for adults and students in grades 9-12.

For More Information:
Email [email protected] or call 630-279-8696.