Old Chicago "Memories" Archives

These are memories and stories about Old Chicago posted by visitors to my site in 2001 and 2002.

If you have a new memory you'd like to share, please add it to the regular Old Chicago thread by clicking this link.

Thank you!

Greg
8-10-2001

When the park opened, the crash of '29 was a carnival version of bumper cars.. Kinda small and open to the rest of the park on all four sides. In 1977, the ride was rebuilt into a really unique set of bumper cars. They removed the old western shooting gallery, which was along the wall to the right of the entrance ramps (see item #4 on the Lisa's ride map). They tore into the walls and place the bumper cars in this new room. This room was very large and allowed for alot of cars to be used. The room itself was decorated in early Chicago gangster decor. The Chicago skyline was painted on the walls, along with some gangsters as well as a police/gangster car chase. The room was kinda dark and dingey, and added to the atmosphere.

As a ride supervisor, I had to oversee the safety checks on the bumper cars among many other rides. Each bumper car had to be tested. What most people didn't realize that the ride had five speeds. For the public, it was run at the third speed. This was about the fastest is would go and still be safe. BUT when we tested it, we cranked it up to five and all the ride employees would test out the cars before the park opened. At this speed, bumping was out of the question, but racing wasn't, so we would have racing and speed contests. This was a great time and a good way to be sure the system was working for the public.

On Sundays, the floor of the bumper cars needed to be waxed. This process was simple and created plenty of opportunity to have more fun before the park opened. We would run a line of special wax across the track at one point. Then, to spread the wax, you had to run the cars for an hour or so. This again was done at the highest speed. With fresh wax, cars at that speed would spin around the turns and do 360's.. It was like an ice skating rink.. People coming to the park didn't realize that Sunday's were the best days to ride the Crash..

With the original bumper cars removed, that area was filled with a newly acquired ride called the Toboggan.

As a ride supervisor, I was there for the last two years of the Old C's life. I have many of stories to share and will do so on Lisa's great website.. Any one who has worked at Old Chicago, please feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail]. I'd love to hear from you..

Greg
8-16-2001

Below, I've compiled a list of entertainment I saw while working at Old Chicago. By no means is this a complete list of all the shows as it is all off of memory. The entertainers would often go on a few rides and getting autographs while working was not allowed. In a lot of cases, employees were asked to become temporary roadies and help load and unload the equipment. I often volounteered to help roll the cases and pianos off the truck and to the stage area.

They perfomed in an area called the Old Chicago Stage, which was added in 1978.. The stage was placed where the Paratrooper ride stood (next to the Haunted House).. The Paratrooper ride was not moved, but removed and sold off for some reason.


Black Oak Arkansas - (Go Jim Dandy!)
Tommy James and the Shondells
The Coasters ( Alley OOP, Charlie Brown)
Wild Cherry (Play that Funky Music)
Willie Aimes - (Eight is Enough, Charles in Charge)
Anson Williams (Potsie from Happy Days)
Freddie ‘Boom Boom’ Cannon (Palisades Park)
Chubby Checker
Chuck Berry
Peter Tork and the Monkees (He was the only touring member)
Jan and Dean (Surf City)
Jerry Lee Lewis
Little Richard
Rip Taylor - (Toupee and all)
Sha-Na-Na
The Ramones (One of the original punk bands)
Rex Smith
Gary ‘US’ Bonds
The Shirelles
Blood, Sweat and Tears
The Hudson Brothers (The Razzle Dazzle show)
Gloria Gaynor (I will Survive)
The Guess Who (American Women)
Rick Nelson
The Star Wars Robots (C3PO and R2D2)
Karl Wellenda (see below)

On one of my first days working at Old C, 20 employees were asked to help hold the guy wires for Karl Wallenda, a 70 year old famous tight rope walker. I was one of those lucky 20.

We had a two hour training class given by his sons on how to hold the wire and steady it as he approched our zone. In this class we actually got to meet Karl.

With the wire crossing inside the building from one side to the other ,he crossed the park successfully with no mishaps. It was an interesting sight to see him suspended over the log ride. Sadly, his next tight rope walk between two buildings in Michigan was not successful and he fell to his death.

It was a rather unique opportunity that I still carry with me.

Larry
8-16-2001

I have to thank God every day for Old Chicago! I worked in the games area when I met the most beautiful girl in the world! She worked in the candy store by the north entrance, it took me days to ask her out and since that day Ive been in love with her ever since. I am sorry to say Gerri has passed away since then but it's still the best time and best memories I have. I miss that old place and I have to say whenever I drive by and see that car lot I feel like I lost an old friend when they tore it down.

Thanks for making this site Lisa! I love it!

Tom
9-3-2001

As a high school kid working in the ride area any memories I could share might scare anyone who visited the park at this time. Let me just say I met the girl of my dreams also working there and have been married for 20 years.

Robin
9-4-2001

I met Tom when I was 17yr in the kiddyland both upstairs. We dated for 3 years, we were engaged to be married when the park started to close. Guess where I had the reception? Yes, Old Chicago in the beer garden. The Park had just closed down but the beer garden with the trees and lights still on them were so great. It was a very happy day for us. But I also remember looking down on the park with mixed feelings of it being closed. I met my husband there, we dated there, we had so much fun, we shared so much. And now it was leaving us but, we have been married for 20+ years. I must say he is by far the best man I have ever met. So I will always remember it with a great fondness.

Thanks.

Jody
9-6-2001

I CANT BELIEVE I FOUND THIS SIGHT!!

I SPENT THE YEARS OF 1975 THROUGH 1980 WORKING AT VARIOUS PLACES IN THE PARK. I SOLD OLD CHICAGO NOVELTY NEWSPAPERS DRESSED IN KNICKERS AND FLAT TOP HAT, WORKED AT GOOD OLD WENDY'S OLD FASHIONED HAMBURGERS, AND WAS A RIDE OPERATOR WHEN THE PARK CLOSED.

I HAD A GREAT TIME WORKING THERE AND FORMED SOME GREAT FREINDSHIPS. I STAY IN TOUCH WITH SEVERAL OF MY EX COWORKERS TO THIS DAY, AND WE OFTEN GET TOGETHER AND REMINISCE OF THE GOOD OLD DAYS AT OLD CHICAGO.

DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WORKED SOME PRETTY OUTRAGEOUS HOURS THE PARK EMPLOYEES DEVELOPED THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.

OUR EVENINGS OUT GENERALLY BEGAN AT MIDNITE AND ENDED EARLY IN THE MORNING. FAVORITE HAUNTS WERE BARONES PIZZA AND THE TIKI HUT. EVENINGS (OR MORNINGS) GENERALLY ENDED AT WHITE CASTLE FOR SOME MUCH NEEDED COFFEE.

I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPURTUNITY TO MENTION SOME OF THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE FRIENDS OF MINE DURING THAT PERIOD.

HOPEFULLY SOME OF THEM COME ACROSS YOUR WEB PAGE AND FEEL INCLINED TO DROP ME A LINE. CURENT FREINDS, TOM STEWART, ROBIN STEWART (HANSEN), WILD BILL CARLSON, AND OF COURSE MY FAMILY, TRACY OROURKE (RICE), BRIAN RICE, INGA RICE.

FREINDS I REMEMBER - TONY RODRIGUEZ, STEVE PARRISH, ANDY KEIPERT, KAREN KEIPERT (WUNDERLICH), NANCY WIND (WUNDERLICH), GREG RICE, MIKE PHILLIPS, JACK SCHAUER, GEORGE BARTOLICH, JOE BLOCK, JILL BADGER, CARA HUTCHINSON, SHARON JARVIS, VERA CONTRERAS (RODRIGUEZ), JUDY ELSNER, DEBBY BENSON, LAURA MARQUEZ, RICH FEARS, GAIL HYZNY, MIKE KURNICK, AND HUNDREDS MORE.

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT [e-mail]

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE GREAT SITE,
JODY RICE, RIDE OPERATOR

Christine
9-16-2001

It was February 1978, my friend Liz and I were supposed to go to a college party in Evanston. There was supposed to be snow, so we decided to go to Old Chicago instead. It was a Friday night so we went to the disco dance in the amusement park. About 10:30, we were sitting down, taking a break and I saw a guy looking at us. When he saw me looking, he said something and pointed at me and my friend. I guessed he was asking us to dance. We danced until the park closed and then hung out together until he had to go to work at Am. Even though I lived in Orland Park and he lived in Joliet, we started dating. We've been married 22 years now. I always wished that I could show our five children where Mom and Dad met, with this web site they can get a general idea. Thank you

Christine

P.S. One memory that I didn't see mentioned: Some scenes from the movie "The Fury" were shot at Old Chicago, in the ride area for sure. My brother-in-law was an extra.

Christine

Tim
10-8-2001

I was a very little boy when our family moved to Bolingbrook in the winter of '76; too little, in fact, to go on any rides, but I have some pretty sharp memories for a young boy about Old Chicago. We had some relatives in from the east coast in the spring of '77, and their kids and my brother and sister got dropped off at Old Chicago. I remember my dad waking me up from a nap and saying that we were going to pick everyone up. We walked into the amusement park area and I remember as clear as yesterday seeing the "Chicago Loop" set up right underneath the dome. The cobblestone floor, the old streetlights; it certainly left an idelible impression of being a seriously huge building, especially for a 3, 4 year old kid. Growing up in Bolingbrook, it was just second nature to see Old Chicago on the horizon; you always knew you were home when you saw the dome off in the distance.

When they started tearing it down, it was only then, at age 11, that I realized how much I'd taken for granted that Old Chicago would always be a part of Bolingbrook. I got so immersed in it, that I eventually made contact, through a letter, with Michelle Mauthe. Those of you who were with Old Chicago from the beginning will remember her as the girl that tap danced on the dome in the spring of '75 for a television ad. She was wonderful and very nice to me, eventually having made contact by phone! I was so thrilled! To see an auto auction lot sitting where the most beautiful sight of my childhood used to be sickens me, to say the least. It's just a sign of how things have changed, and for the worst! O.C. was way ahead of its time, and I only wished that when they tore it down that I had been old enough to have made efforts to try and rally Bolingbrook into saving it. It was a landmark, that in light of all the used car lots and strip malls and gas stations that have sprung up since then, should never been torn down.

You can buy the movie, "The Fury", featuring a few immortal minutes of O.C., on Amazon.com. I got a copy a few months ago! Trippy!

Anyone wishing to share their memories with me of Bolingbrook, Old Chicago and all those good times, please contact me at [e-mail]. Thank you for letting me share my memories, and I hope to hear from some of you soon!

Rick
10-10-2001

Hi, Thank you so much for your site on Old Chicago!!! I loved that place. I went there a lot as a little kid in the mid 70's. I have fond memories of going there with my grandma and sister and cousin. We also often went there for Halloween and trick or treated there in the mall instead of house to house. My aunt lived in Lemont at the time so when we'd go visit her we often went to Old Chicago. I didn't much care for the shops, though there was a magic shop I used to like to visit but not much else. For me, it was the rides. I had loads of fun on the all the rides. I remember riding the Log ride, the Yo Yo and the Spider and going on the dark ride (Four seasons) as well as the haunted house and kiddie area. I don't recall ever going on the roller coasters though. I remember being there the day the Eight Is Enough actor was singing. I remember my aunt taking pictures of us kids sitting on top of the lions outside of the mall.

I was very sad when they closed the ride area and knew once that happened it would be instant death for the mall because the rides were the only good thing about Old Chicago. In 1984 we moved to Bolingbrook and I went to Romeoville High. Everyday I'd pass the Old Chicago building going to and from school. One day my sister and I ditched school (we left Romeoville high during P.E.) and walked home from there back to Bolingbrook. I knew we were getting close to home when I saw the big round top of Old Chicago. My sister and I ended up actually on the parking lot of Old Chicago in the back of the building. I remember it looking pretty run-down and broken windows, many of them boarded up. That was the last time I was ever on the parking lot and that close to the building. This was sometime in 1985. A year later they started tearing the building down. It became a car lot and has been one ever since. Actually the entire area around Old Chicago is altogether different now. K-Mart, Zayre, A&P, Bolingbrook theaters all long gone too. Much history in that area is forever lost.

Rick

Erik
11-21-2001

Cool site! I grew up in Honeytree, a subdivision in Romeoville about a mile away from OC. I lived there from 1972-1985 (age 2 -13). As a kid I went to OC alot. Me and friends would walk there all the time.We would stop at McDonalds which had the roller rink across the street. When we weren't causing trouble at OC, we were across the street at the Kmart/stripmall causing trouble or sneaking into the movie theatre around the corner, in later yrs the waterpark on the other side of I55 was fun too. When OC was closed up, older high school friends of mine used to sneak in the building and play hide n seek. I had a blast growing up in that area, (speaking of blasts) anyone remember the oil refinery explosion in the early 80's? or the hot air balloon landing in a factory parking lot near OC? Thanx for letting me add my 2 cents

Erik

Pam
11-25-2001

I remember going to Old Chicago as a kid many times. I was a teen during the time it was around. We went there once on a field trip from school and also on a trip from church. I remember the shops always being closed whenever we were there. I remember a bar there and we were served drinks, even though we were only teens, so we thought that was great. Soon the place closed down. It was never crowded when I went. It sure was fun to see the Chicago Loop in your pictures. Your site is great. I loved seeing Ray Rayner again too. He was one of my favorites growing up, and of course Bozo. How we dreamed of going to see him, but the wait for tickets was like 10 years. I remember people ordering tickets after the birth of their child so they could take their kid at an appropriate age. My husband got to see Bozo with his little brother, he was older, about 10, they have a photo somewhere of him on Bozo's lap with his little brother screaming and crying. Every so often we get together and someone brings up one of these old favorites. It is good to really see them again. Does anyone remember a Christmas "cartoon" type thing on Garfield Goose called Hardrock, KoKo and Joe? I have a lot of old fun memories about these subjects, I met the guy who was Garfield Goose at a company picnic and got my picture taken with the "real" Garfield Goose. My baby son had no clue who he was, but it was pretty special to me. I still have the photo of me, my son and Garfield Goose. I treasure it.

Thanks for the memories - Pam

ShellSwan
1-8-2002

I signed the guest book already with this story, but seen that you had a memory section, and thought this story belonged in there. My girlfriends and I were at Old Chicago many years ago on one of their birthdays, and the birthday girl happend to fall head over heals in love with a midget clown named Dinky, we had taken pictues of him with her, and he followed her all around that day, she still talks about him to this day, and wonders about him, and where he may be. What a great time we had there!!! Too bad its gone.

Rich
1-24-2002

Just wanted to say THANKS! This brought back a flood of memories. Our parents used to take us around my birthday, in January, since the weather didn't affect the rides. It was the greatest. The drive was long, but as a kid, it was well worth the wait. I absolutely loved looking at all the pictures of the place. It'd be great to see more. Unfortunately, I've looked through all of my archives and apparently, we never brought a camera when we went, but everything I've seen on this site woke up a part of my brain that had been sleeping for many years. Thank you!
Rich

Steve
2-10-2002

I only have a few memories of Old Chicago. I was able to go there only a couple of times, because it was over a two-hour drive from where I lived at back then. The last visit was when I took a girlfriend there, I think in the spring of 1978. I had never seen anything like it-it sure was a unique place. I was glad to see your site, because it answered my question about what happened to the place. A few years ago I happened to be passing by Bolingbrook on I-55 and mentioned Old Chicago to my son. I knew it was gone because I couldn't see it, and I remembered it was visible from the road. Hard to believe it only lasted six years. Thanks for the blast from the past!

Steve

Linda
3-7-2002

My first job was at the Arby's in Old Chicago. Eventually I became an assistant manager in their booth in the amusement park area behind the log ride. I remember the eerie feeling I had coming in to work the day after a tightrope walker fell and died of a broken neck in the amusement park. I also remember getting Vincent Price's autograph. He had come for the opening of a new attraction. I was sad when the park closed.

Linda

Mark
3-24-2002

I worked as an assistant supervisor when Old Chicago opened in June of 1975. The rides were being cleaned and tested. I was on the Loop platform and we had just started giving rides to workers rather than sandbags. My night Loop foreman and I had just been shown how to operate the ride when my boss, the park director Bill Orr, and the chief engineer from Arrow Industries, who built the Loop, clambered into the last two seats. When the train came barreling into the station I accidentally hit the station brakes too soon, sending it around again. I then relinquished the controls to the foreman who made the same mistake that I had. The train whooshed right without stopping. Now, consecutive rides hadn't even been considered at this point, and you can imagine the sheer terror on the faces of the riders. We finally after three cycles stopped the train on the safety brakes and the riders disembarked. The engineer from Arrow told us that he was not sure if the train could've held on the track if it went through again, but we think he was kidding. Later I meekly went into Bill's office wondering if I still had a job. Bill was eating a couple of hamburgers. I asked him if I hadn't spoiled his appetite. He said, "Hell no, you gave me one."

Mark

Gerry
3-25-2002

Hi:
My now husband of 23 years and I went on our first date to Old Chicago. We went with my cousin and now husband there. All I remember is riding the roller coaster with my husband and screaming! By the way our first date was a "Blind Date." We stayed at Old Chicago until it closed that night. After we all went out for something to eat at Lum's on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn.

Jennifer
3-26-2002

The first time I went to "Old Chicago" I was 7 years old and thought it was so cool to be able to go on rides inside. My sister was only 4 yrs old and the park seemed like this huge place where we run around and not have to listen to our parents. In 1981 when it closed I was 13 yrs. and an Old Chicago veteran, and so was my little brother, who was born right after it opened in 1975. He was on rides before he could walk. Now that we have Great America, I still want Old Chicago back. It was a fantasyland for everyone who got to experience it.

Jennifer @ Chicago, IL
Thanks for the site and all the great photos

Todd
5-2-2002

I only remember going to Old Chicago once (as I was only 3 when it opened). My most vivid memory is of riding the rotor. I had no idea what the ride was as I just saw this ramp going up the side of this circular building and I decided to check it out. Then the doors open and all of us in line pile into the circular room. I noticed that other people where standing against the wall so I did the same. Then the doors closed and it started moving--slowly at first, then faster and faster until we where whipping around that circle at what felt like mach 5. Suddenly the floor drops from below us. It was a little scary for this young boy who was afraid of heights but there was nothing that could be done so I just went with it. Then some older kids across from me tried to get one of their friends to move his leg away from the wall but he wouldn't. I figured what the heck so I slowly began to pull my right leg away from the leg until I had it several inches away from the wall. Once the other kids saw what I had done, I put the leg back against the wall. Finally the floor began to rise back up to us and the ride slowed. The doors opened and I made my way out and down the ramp until some friends of mine saw me moving unsteadily--the result of spinning and spinning. After that I went somewhere to sit down for a while in order to try to get over the urge to vomit.



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