Chicago Area Local News

MELROSE PARK, Ill. (CBS) ― What may be a cherished part of your childhood memories is going on the auction block.

Kiddieland's iconic rides went up for sale Tuesday morning.

A large turnout showed up for the historic bidding process, although it appeared most of the crowd was composed of spectators, rather than actual bidders.

A booklet from the Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Mich., listed the items going up for grabs, including everything from fences to ice makers, and even batteries.

Then, of course, there are the rides.

Among them are the Dumbo elephant ride, the helicopters, a mini-motorcycle, even the entire 1925 Philadelphia Toboggan Co. carousel. They could all be yours for a price.

"I came here when I was a kid with my parents," said bidder Chris Blecharczyk. "I figured it would be cool to have something I rode on in the house."

Blecharczyk said he's willing to spend a couple thousand dollars.

The bidders that are ready to open their wallets all have fond memories of Kiddieland, which turned the switch to off permanently last month after 81 years.

"I thought I'd come for the memorabilia," said bidder Randy Dispensa. "It brings back a lot of memories."

Dispensa is hoping to walk away with one of the horses from the carousel. He hopes to add it to the a couple of horses now in his house from his family's amusement park, Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom in Oakbrook Terrace, which closed in 1984. 

You had to have deep pockets to walk away with a little Kiddieland history. Starting bids for the individual horses from the Kiddieland carousel ranged from $7,000 to $25,000.

But if you're looking for something more grandiose, you can get more than just one horse.

"They're going to add up all the individual bids for horses, add 10 percent and then see if anyone wants it at that price," said Dan Hornberger with Brass Ring Entertainment.

If someone is interested, the entire carousel could rake in about $500,000.

It would be quite a purchase, if you have deep pockets, and a lot of space.

How big is Blecharczyk's lot?

"Not very," he said. "So I've got to be wise and put it in the right spot."

Vickie Perkins, with her 5-year-old daughter Sage, walked the amusement park she's loved her whole life. She brought her six children there, too.

Vickie has so many memories, she just had to have a souvenir from the Kiddieland auction.

"Just some of the decorations, I think. The smaller items," Vickie said. "I knew we wouldn't be buying rides. Even the big lion head went for $300."

That was out of her price range, and too expensive for many others who grew up going to Kiddieland.

Jim Upchurch is the president of a company puts together Haunted Houses and special events.

"There's a lot more to (the business) than you think," Upchurch said. "There's a lot of hidden costs and expenses no one thinks of."

Many of the big-ticket bidders at Kiddieland today were carnival owners and businesses that sell to carnivals and amusement parks.

"Some will use it in their own parks but most of them are going to hold on to it and resell it when the market's a little better," said Upchurch.

The Ferris wheel went for $11,000. A car ride sold for $25,000. An enormous water attraction with log cars had a $3,000 price tag. That might seem like a bargain. But Upchurch said in the long run it will be expensive.

"You have to a lot of construction and a lot of infrastructure to put in and operate this ride. And because it's a water ride there a lot of maintenance," said Upchurch.

That doesn't include sky-high moving costs. The merry go round was expected to go for a million dollars.

There is little wonder Vickie Perkins could only take one thing away from Kiddieland today.

"I think we're going home with just what we came with. Our memories."

The auction closed at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The carousel company says because it's a short auction, it's unlikely someone has already been able to raise enough money for the entire carousel. If that is the case, the bidders who wanted the individual horses should be in luck.

Kiddieland closed following a long-running feud between two factions of the same family. One branch of the family owns the land under the park, while the other owned the park itself. Both are descendants of Arthur Fritz, who founded the amusement park in 1929.

A Costco is set eventually to rise on the site.

When Kiddieland closed, the owners announced plans to sell most of the rides and the Kiddieland name to Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort in Utica. But that deal fell through.

Two Kiddieland trains that took children around the amusement park were sold last week. The trains were purchased by Bill McHenry, founder and president of Gas City, a Frankfort, Ill.-based company that owns gas stations/mini-marts/car washes in Illinois, Indiana, Arizona, and Florida.

CBS 2's Susan Carlson and Jim Williams, and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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