I found this historic color photograph that was taken in the year of 1960 on the internet, from the Skokie Historical Society.
During the 1950's and 60's and in some towns even earlier, the greater Chicagoland area was once the home of many seasonal family owned amusement parks. Many of these parks were small, and often resembled traveling carnivals, as they featured portable carnival style rides on the midway, wich were easilly dismantled and stored away for the winter off season period.
Almost everyday at work, I pass the intersection of Golf Road and Skokie Boulevard in north suburban Skokie Illinois. After a fellow worker or two at My bus company who had grown up in the Skokie area during the 1950's and 60's era had tipped Me off about it, I soon doscovered that the site of todays North Shore Center For The Performing Arts theatre and the adjacent Hilton Double Tree Inn Hotel on the southeast corner, was actually the former site of the Fun Fair Amusement Park in Skokie Illinois prior to 1969.
Unfortunately, not much information about the place was actually documented for history, as it is very sketchy by todays standards at best. Some local residents claim that the Fun Fair Amusement Park was in business from 1960 to 1969, while an old black and white photo of the park's train ride on the internet, states that it was taken during the 1950's.
Whatever the case or cause may be, the Fun Fair Amusement Park was reported to be a farm originally.
The Fun Fair Amusement Park, was one of several little family owned amusement parks that once lined the greater Chicagoland area, along with several now long gone outdor Drive In Movie theatres and roadside Drive In Hamburger restaurants with car hop service from the 1950's and 60's era.
The Fun Fair Amusement Park had closed for good at the end of the 1969 season, and was quickly redeveloped during the 1970's era.
Thanks.
Eddie K.
2 comments:
Eddie,
Fun Fair was open and around in the early 1950's and as early as 1954 our family went there several times each summer. the gravel parling lot led into a central main gate with rides for the smaller children, each under a rooftop voering. Some were tiny cars that were pulled on a circular track by an arm to keep them evenly spaced, small boats did operated the same way. The Wild Mouse was a later addition, as was a caged ride that guests could shift their weight and cause the cage to swing side to side in an arc that, when teenagers got on, could be made to go over the top.
The Fun Fair railroad was pattered after Milwaukee Road passenger service, originally in CMSTP&P livery and later the UP color scheme. It ran just beyond the popcorn and candy cane stand out the back portion othe property (far East side) thrus a covered bridge type of tunnel and then back along the South side. The "tunnel" doubled as the train house for storage/security. Like many other amusement park railroads I believe Fun Fair's train was 1/4 scale with diesel power in its replica EMD F-3 ABA. These were very similar to those in ATSF livery at a nearby kiddieland on Dempster near what is today the Golf Mill shopping center.
Fun Fair was by far head and shoulders the class of its generation of amusement parks. Both Riverview and later, Adventureland would usher in a new era of family entertainment, but the small parks were much more local family treasures that what the mega-parks have become - a mini-vacation (and expenseive, too!)
Hope this helps...
D. Kennedy
Fun Fair Amusement Park - Skokie, IL. (1948-1968)
See http://LivingHistoryOfIllinois.com for over 70 defunct Illinois amusement parks.
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