Kiddieland in Melrose Park, Illinois...

...has just announced that this coming season will be its last. That's right, the venerable Chicago institution at the corner of First and North Avenues will be shutting its doors on September 27 of this year. Like Riverview and Bozo the Clown before it, Kiddieland will succumb to the forces of modernity. Rumor has it that a Costco will take its place, which is expected to yield higher tax revenues for the village. (Just what the world needs: more retail.)

Kiddieland, like Wrigley Field, has occupied a special place in my imagination. Not only did I go there as a kid, but I took my own sons there as soon as they were old enough. In fact, one of my earliest memories is riding to Kiddieland in a miniature open-air fire engine with a bunch of other kids on one of my brother's birthdays. I think we still have a picture of it at one of our houses. I was reintroduced to Kiddieland when my older boy was about two years old in the early 1990s. He was watching TV one day when a commercial for the park came on. "Can we go there?" he said. "It's in Melrose Park, Illinois." Kiddieland, I thought. I can't believe it's still there. "Yes, Joseph, we can."

Since 1929, Chicagoans like me have been parking their cars across the street from Maywood Park Race Track and entering Kiddieland, carefully crossing the railroad tracks that line the perimeter. Once inside, you'd pass the Merry-Go-Round--which dates back to the 1950s--and the Tilt-a-Whirl. Then came the Bumper Cars, which provided generations of chiropractors with patients. Beyond that was the Polyp, which I always thought was an odd name for a ride (why not the Tumor or the Cyst?). Further down was the Ferris Wheel, which dates back to 1940. (The oldest ride at the park is the Roto Whip, from 1938.) And don't forget the Scooters, which were antique cars that "let" you steer them while you stepped on the gas. I say "let" you steer them because there was a strip of metal in the middle of the road that would keep the cars from going off into the grass. It was always fun to ram the one in front of you and then adopt a look on your face as if to say, "Who, me?"

At the far north end of the park were some of the newer rides, like the Pipeline and the Log Jammer, which were added in the 1990s. Both involve water. The Pipeline is 40 feet high and propels you through dark, winding tunnels on an inflatable raft. It's very disorienting but fun. The Log Jammer is an open-air ride that brings you slowly up a "river" in a boat that resembles a large log. At the top is a seemingly concave waterfall that dumps you 35 feet to the bottom and a huge splash. Both are great.

But my favorite ride would have to be the Little Dipper, an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster from the 1950s that's perfect for beginners. I still enjoyed it as an adult when I took my kids. I'll always wonder how many of the current daredevils at Great America cut their teeth on the Little Dipper at Kiddieland.

Another later addition was the Volcano Playcenter, with net climbs, a ball crawl, and tube slides. Nearby was the Raft Ride, which was essentially a Tom Sawyer-type raft that you'd pull across a small pond with a rope. Not fancy, but kids loved it.

This would bring you full-circle to the seven "kiddie" rides, such as the spaceships that would allow kids to shoot with the same buzzing noise that their parents did in the 1960s. There was also the tiny Ferris-wheel-type contraption that was only about ten feet tall and consisted of metal cages instead of seats. These rides were right next to the concessions, which I always thought were clean and reasonably-priced. Even the bathrooms, with their ancient MEN and WOMEN signs were well-tended. I never ceased to be impressed with how well the place was kept up.

Kiddieland was a great amusement park and will be sorely missed. Maybe I'll stop by one last time this summer and then head over to Russell's Barbecue on Thatcher for some ribs. It's only been around since 1930. Let me know if anyone else would be game.