They're Gone: Kiddieland Rides Get Auctioned Off

Chicago - A second bout of sadness surrounds Kiddieland, as the legendary amusement park lost a chance to be sold as a whole and will instead be auctioned Nov. 24 ride-by-ride.

"It will not operate as a park. We had a signed contract with someone who would have bought nearly all of the rides and moved the bulk of it to Utica, Ill., but the [would-be] buyer defaulted," co-owner Tom Norini said Monday.

Among the vintage rides is a carousel valued at $1 million featuring rare, hand-carved horses that bear the logo of the manufacturer, the Philadelphia Toboggan Co. Kiddieland also will auction a 1939 six-car ride called the Roto Whip. Its Ferris wheel has stood on the 17-acre grounds since 1941, and the carousel since 1948.

Kiddieland already has sold its train and five other rides to "established, known" amusement parks in New Hampshire, New Jersey and Wisconsin, Norini said.

The auction is expected to last all day as the Melrose Park amusement park puts the remaining 20 rides, as well as tools, signs, food-service equipment and other goods for sale to the highest bidder. Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Mich., which specializes in amusement parks with antique carousels, is handling the auction.

Founded by Arthur Fritz in 1929, Kiddieland closed Sept. 27 after a rift among Fritz's descendants.