Miscellaneous Amusements
I have some random vintage "amusements" for you today, starting with this great 1950s shot of the entrance to Kiddie Land, which was part of the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York. It debuted in 1952. Kiddie Land had a handful of rides for children, like a boat ride and a jet plane ride. It was part of a “kiddie zoo annex” that opened in 1952 and soon after included a petting zoo. Viola Ryan and Jack Gordon were the original owners of Kiddie Land… Newspaper stories from 1952 said Gordon was an automobile salesman and Ryan was a Kodak employee.
Here's a wintry photo from online that must have been from roughly the same time as my scan.
“It’s fun and frolic for youngsters at Seneca Kiddie-Land, at the Seneca Park Zoo, featuring the world’s safest and most enjoyable rides,” read one story in a July 1953 edition of the Brockport Republic-Democrat. “A real wonderland, with such rides as the Horse ‘n Buggy Ride, Rocket-ship Ride, Boat Rides and the new Army Tank Ride with miniature Tanks and realistic sounding machine guns.”
Below is another photo, this one from August, 1963. The boy is wearing a t-shirt from his trip to Calgary, Ontario. It appears that Kiddie Land closed sometime around 1980. To read more about it, there's a great article HERE.
The next two are "mystery parks", I have no idea where they were located. This little helicopter ride seems to have been very popular, it shows up in many photos from all over the country. Like the fancier Dumbo attraction, kids had some limited control of their whirlybirds, allowing them to go up or down a few feet (notice the sign at the top of the "tower" that reads, "FLY YOURSELF - pull lap bar to fly UP, push lap bar to fly down". Whoa, this is complicated!
And finally, another typical "'round and 'round" ride that could have been anywhere - this happy kid loves his classic automobile!
1 comment:
The artwork on the Kiddy-Land entrance is quite nice, professional looking. It sounds like a place for parents with young children... and pretty much no one else. Apparently, all the rides are the same as you would see in any county fair or traveling carnival. I'm surprised the park lasted as long as it did. Although, this was sort of an annex for the zoo, so I guess the limited appeal probably wouldn't matter much.
Nothing looks sadder than carnival rides all covered up, in shiveringly cold wet weather.
No idea where the Helicopters are located, but they look new, clean, and sturdy. A nice little ride.
I wonder if the car ride had a little foot-high hill or bump on one side to add some 'excitement' to the experience?... Yeah, probably not.
It strikes me that these are the sorts of places where Walt would be sitting on a bench eating peanuts while his daughters went round-n-round... thinking that there should be a place for the whole family to enjoy together.
Thanks, Major.
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