feeding the duckies

Kiddieland: A Jaromin Family “Babenture!”

Kiddieland is closing.

After 81 years in operation in Melrose Park, IL, the amusement park featuring mainly rides most suited to younger children, will, as rumor has it, make way for a Costco or some-such. This place holds many fond memories for those like my wife and her siblings who grew up in this area. We simply had to take the kids there before the gates were closed for good. And so, yesterday we packed the kids in the van and along with aunt “Bethie” headed out to Kiddieland on a grand “babenture!” (ed: loosely translated from its native “annalise”: adventure).

What a day!
The weather was forecast to be rather cloudy with increasing odds of rain in the mid to late afternoon. Perfect, we thought. Not too hot and muggy to make walking around outside oppressive and yet dreary enough to keep the crowds on the thin side. The real chance of rain wasn’t until 2-3pm, which meant we’d certainly be either home or at least en-route by the time it started pouring. We got off to a slow start and didn’t arrive at the park until around 11:30, 1/2 hour past opening and the first thing we noticed was the ginormous line of folks stretching a couple hundred yards or so beyond the entrance. Gulp. Alright, so perhaps we’re not the only ones who thought this would be the perfect day to visit the park. Sean managed to sneak in a decent nap while waiting and sometime after noon we found ourselves in Kiddieland.

What a wonderful place.

My first thought was disbelief that they’re actually closing in a few weeks. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was instantly struck by how clean and well-maintained this place was, from the rides to the signage to the people. While there were certainly signs of wear — this is clearly not Disneyworld — the carousels and mid-20th-century rides were obviously well-loved. We started off slowly, taking the kids around to all of the “kiddie” rides first. Unfortunately for Nathan, only a couple were large enough to accommodate an adult with infant. First there were elephants that go round and round and up and down, then cars, stranger cars, spaceships, boats and swings. Round and round. By this time we were brave enough to take the kids on “the Little Dipper” rollercoaster. This is a small wooden coaster with a 30′ drop (if I recall the sign correctly). Based on past experience with our community pool waterslide, I was moderately concerned that at least one of the kids would be screaming to get off before it was over. Was I wrong — they both LOVED it!

Their other favorite ride was the “Log Jammer” flume. The weather held out and it turned out to be an absolutely perfect day for our visit. We had managed to ride nearly everything in the park, and taken the kids on the rollercoaster a total of three times. By the time a light rain started, it was after 6pm and we were all ready to head for home. A fabulous time was had by all. It’s rather sad this gem of a park won’t be around for a few more years.