Rockowheel
Thursday, November 26, 2009 3:06:54 AM
Here is Little Amerrika's webpage, click "Meteor" for pics of the coaster.
http://www.littleamerricka.com/meteor.php# 
Ryan
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Thursday, November 26, 2009 6:17:15 AM
stolen from the chicago tribune

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Vikki Ortiz Healy

November 25, 2009
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In the end, the family that ran Kiddieland for decades got the last turns on its carousel.

Cathy Norini closed her eyes and held onto a golden brown horse as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her husband, Tom, held up a magazine centerpiece photo of the carousel, a final tribute. Her sister-in-law, Mary Rynes, walked from horse to horse, staring blankly at the crowd who came to buy pieces of her family's life's work, one at a time.

It was exactly the opposite of how the Norinis and Ryneses usually spent their days at the 81-year-old amusement park at North and First avenues in Melrose Park. Usually, they were the ones watching the people take turns on the Carousel, Tilt-o-Whirl and Little Dipper. Usually, everyone was smiling.

But on Tuesday, longtime Kiddieland fans, carnival collectors and savvy investors gathered at the park for a final auction of 403 park pieces, from popcorn carts to picnic tables. The auction was needed to clear the property by a deadline Monday, when owners of the property on which Kiddieland stood take control of the land for new development.

Here's a rundown of what became of four of Kiddieland's most beloved attractions.


The Scooters
Details: 20 multicolored bumper cars with a building to house them.

Why people remember it: Installed in 1962 to replace the Pony Ring. Part of major expansion to appeal to older children.

Sold for: $18,700

Where they're going: Jeff Kimble, an antiques collector and restoration specialist, has a private, 30-acre indoor park in Loganville, Ga. Kimble also bought the Roto Whip, Midget Racers and the German Carousel.


Little Dipper
Details: 1950 Philadelphia Toboggan Co. wooden roller coaster

Why people remember it: First roller-coaster experience for thousands of Chicago-area kids.

Sold for: $36,300

Where it's going:

Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, where park president Hank Salemi hopes to have it up and running in the kids area by next summer. "It's a piece of history for Chicago, and we wanted to keep it local," he said.


Carousel
Details: 1925 Philadelphia Toboggan Co. merry-go-round with 18 monogrammed horses. One of only 100 carousels in its original state in the U.S.

Why people remember it: The oldest ride at Kiddieland. Brides and grooms often brought their wedding parties to the park to take formal photographs on the ride from their childhood.

Sold for: $320,000 total in individual bids from dozens of people. But those bids were trumped when a buyer agreed to purchase the entire ride as one for $390,000.

Where it's going: Frank Zygmunt and Joe Volturo, who own a jukebox distribution company in Westmont, plan to store the ride in a warehouse and have its parts refurbished. Kiddieland owner Tom Norini hopes the new owners will keep the ride intact when the restoration is complete.


Kiddieland lighted sign
Details: Iconic digital and neon sign from the corner of North and First avenues.

Why people remember it: Candy cane pole and Popsicle-colored letters were cause for many carloads to erupt into children's cheers for generations.

Sold for: $4,950

Where it's going: Alan Kaye, a Chicago concierge who works in the film industry, plans to offer the sign to several of his celebrity clients with ties to the area. "It is a piece of history for these local people," Kaye said.


www.modernmidways.com 
"If life was fair elvis would be alive and the impersonators would be dead"-carson
42WLA
  •  42WLA
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Thursday, November 26, 2009 6:55:17 AM
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Originally posted by Pinetar

The German carousel was nice, a classic from the 60's. The Polyp had a floor also.

1925 PTC #72 Signature carousel. One of, if not the best wooden Carousel left. No doubt, this piece is worth in excess of a Million. What an incredible bargain for someone who has that kind of money to invest. It will be a real shame if the new owners sell it off piece by piece.
I have done so much,with so little,for so long,I am now qualified to do anything with nothing!
Rockowheel
Thursday, November 26, 2009 1:12:18 PM
It was mentioned in another amusement-enthusiast website today that the new owners of Kiddieland's MGR do in fact want to keep it operating in the Chicago area. They also went so far as to say they may incorporate it to an amusement venture on land they own at Rt. 55 and Cass ave. We can only hope.
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Originally posted by 42WLA

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Originally posted by Pinetar

The German carousel was nice, a classic from the 60's. The Polyp had a floor also.

1925 PTC #72 Signature carousel. One of, if not the best wooden Carousel left. No doubt, this piece is worth in excess of a Million. What an incredible bargain for someone who has that kind of money to invest. It will be a real shame if the new owners sell it off piece by piece.

42WLA
  •  42WLA
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Thursday, November 26, 2009 1:43:22 PM
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Originally posted by Rockowheel

It was mentioned in another amusement-enthusiast website today that the new owners of Kiddieland's MGR do in fact want to keep it operating in the Chicago area. They also went so far as to say they may incorporate it to an amusement venture on land they own at Rt. 55 and Cass ave. We can only hope.
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Originally posted by 42WLA

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Originally posted by Pinetar

The German carousel was nice, a classic from the 60's. The Polyp had a floor also.

1925 PTC #72 Signature carousel. One of, if not the best wooden Carousel left. No doubt, this piece is worth in excess of a Million. What an incredible bargain for someone who has that kind of money to invest. It will be a real shame if the new owners sell it off piece by piece.



Rather than embark on a huge restoration(was it really in that bad of shape) would it not be better to have it operational and restore the ponies a few at a time. The fact that it's worth so much horse for horse. I could see the 16 signature horses being worth 50 to 100 thousand each. The city really screwed up by not grabbing that peice of history. One can only hope that the new owners do the right thing.
I have done so much,with so little,for so long,I am now qualified to do anything with nothing!
2ndgencarnie
Thursday, November 26, 2009 3:46:03 PM
The PTC Carousel was not in that bad of shape. It could have used a little TLC to get it up to perfect condition but all in all it was in pretty damn good shape.....
jimb
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Thursday, November 26, 2009 7:18:31 PM
Surprising that no one has mentioned the fact that Buyers WERE NOT ALLOWED to remove ANY of their Purchases the Day of the Auction. One Buyer was even ESCORTED Off The Property for disassembling the Ride he bought and the Ride was Reassembled!
Rockowheel
Friday, November 27, 2009 3:45:03 AM
I agree, there were issues with the horses' repair and paint (one horse had his leg duct taped up, but the other elements, like the cornices, scenery, etc. looked ok. It seemed to run pretty smoothly as well. It would be cool if the new owners would in fact get it running somewhere, then refurbish as they go along.
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Originally posted by 2ndgencarnie

The PTC Carousel was not in that bad of shape. It could have used a little TLC to get it up to perfect condition but all in all it was in pretty damn good shape.....

Rockowheel
Friday, November 27, 2009 3:50:02 AM
Total insanity. Then again this whole story has been insane, like a nightmare.
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Originally posted by jimb

Surprising that no one has mentioned the fact that Buyers WERE NOT ALLOWED to remove ANY of their Purchases the Day of the Auction. One Buyer was even ESCORTED Off The Property for disassembling the Ride he bought and the Ride was Reassembled!

2ndgencarnie
Friday, November 27, 2009 9:37:36 AM
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Originally posted by jimb

Surprising that no one has mentioned the fact that Buyers WERE NOT ALLOWED to remove ANY of their Purchases the Day of the Auction. One Buyer was even ESCORTED Off The Property for disassembling the Ride he bought and the Ride was Reassembled!



Thanks for the reminder, I'm trying to forget about that...[:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]
Pinetar
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Friday, November 27, 2009 10:14:51 AM
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Originally posted by Rockowheel

Total insanity. Then again this whole story has been insane, like a nightmare.
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Originally posted by jimb

Surprising that no one has mentioned the fact that Buyers WERE NOT ALLOWED to remove ANY of their Purchases the Day of the Auction. One Buyer was even ESCORTED Off The Property for disassembling the Ride he bought and the Ride was Reassembled!





You should all wake up to the fact that there is a lot of thievery/switching during auctions.

What they did is add another level of security for the benefit of the buyers. My hat is off to them. Just a good business practice, but then, what do some of you guys know about business. The buyer who sloughed early got spanked, he was a knucklehead who had his own agenda. LOL
UserPostedImage
2ndgencarnie
Friday, November 27, 2009 10:22:36 AM
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Originally posted by Pinetar

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Originally posted by Rockowheel

Total insanity. Then again this whole story has been insane, like a nightmare.
Quote:

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Originally posted by jimb

Surprising that no one has mentioned the fact that Buyers WERE NOT ALLOWED to remove ANY of their Purchases the Day of the Auction. One Buyer was even ESCORTED Off The Property for disassembling the Ride he bought and the Ride was Reassembled!





You should all wake up to the fact that there is a lot of thievery/switching during auctions.

What they did is add another level of security for the benefit of the buyers. My hat is off to them. Just a good business practice, but then, what do some of you guys know about business. The buyer who sloughed early got spanked, he was a knucklehead who had his own agenda. LOL



And yet again, you have no idea what you are talking about.

They said at the beginning of the auction that buyers would have until 5:00pm to get items purchased out of the park. After that there would be a few hours Wednesday, after that you have until December 30th to get your stuff out. You had to have a receipt of purchase to get your items out of the gate so there should have been no issue with those who could get their stuff out doing so.

I for one would have never bought a thing had I known they weren't going to let us take stuff out that day. I have way better stuff to do than drive all over for fun....
Pinetar
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Friday, November 27, 2009 11:07:40 AM
What time was the auction over? Rooms were only $79.
UserPostedImage
FParker185
Friday, November 27, 2009 12:01:21 PM
The flyer said you could remove stuff after the completion of the auction up until 5pm. The auction didn't end til well after 5 if not after 6pm.
2ndgencarnie
Friday, November 27, 2009 6:59:43 PM
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Originally posted by Pinetar

What time was the auction over? Rooms were only $79.



Wrong again, my room was only $59.00...

I couldn't stay another day, the day before Thanksgiving is the biggest night of the year at my pizza place and there is no chance I was going to miss that....