- "Keeping the history alive"
- ―Slogan[src]
Little Dipper is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America, located in Yukon Territory. It was originally built in 1950 by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and previously operated at Kiddieland Amusement Park in Melrose Park, Illinois until the park closed in September 2009.
On November 24, 2009, Six Flags Great America purchased the ride for $33,000 at an auction. The ride was relocated and reopened on May 27, 2010, in its original configuration within the Yukon Territory section of Six Flags Great America.
History[]
Purchase by Six Flags[]
On November 24, 2009, Six Flags Great America park president Hank Salemi and his operations staff attended an auction for The Little Dipper roller coaster, following the closure of Chicago's Kiddieland Amusement Park that September. According to Salemi, the reason for Six Flags' interest in the over 50 year old coaster was its rich history in Chicago. Corporate officials at Six Flags decreed that the purchase budget for Little Dipper was $300,000, and as Salemi said, "not a dime more". Initially, corporate only wanted to let Salemi and his staff spend at most $100,000, which they thought wouldn't be enough to purchase the ride. But they ended up purchasing the Little Dipper for just $38,000[1], not counting the 10% "Buyer's Premium".[2]
On the next day, November 25, Six Flags Great America officially announced via a press release that they had purchased The Little Dipper from an auction following the closure of Kiddieland Amusement Park, which had just closed that September. They pointed out that the coaster had operated at Kiddieland for over 50 years, and that Six Flags' purchase of the ride was done to preserve the ride's legacy for generations to come.[3] In a statement about the ride's purchase, park president Hank Salemi said:
"The Little Dipper has been a fond family tradition for over 50 years. We wanted to preserve this important piece of Chicago history for families to experience for many more years to come."
Construction[]
The Little Dipper was placed in a corner of Yukon Territory, in place of where a net climb was.[4]
Opening[]
The Little Dipper opened to the public on May 27, 2010. During the ride's re-opening ceremony, former Kiddieland co-owners Cathy Norini and Ron Rynes Jr. came to the podium to present the newly re-opened Little Dipper with its Coaster Classic plaque that it had received from the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE).
Ride experience[]
The Little Dipper begins by going up a 30-foot lift hill, before going up and down a series of hills in a figure eight track.
Gallery[]
Videos
Photos[]
References[]
- ↑ Great America keeps 'history alive' with Kiddieland's Little Dipper. Chicago Tribune (June 1, 2015).
- ↑
Little Dipper at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- ↑ Kiddieland Coaster to Great America?. Coaster101 (November 24, 2009).
- ↑ Murphy, Anthony (May 27, 2010). Six Flags Great America keeps history alive with rebirth of the Little Dipper Roller Coaster. Theme Park Insider.
See also[]
External links[]
- Little Dipper | Six Flags Great America
- Little Dipper (Six Flags Great America) at Wikipedia
- Little Dipper at the Roller Coaster DataBase
