PW Oct 09 P30-32:PW Oct 09 P30-32.qxd 28/09/2009 10:03 Page 32
Park Profile
www.parkworld-online.com
railroad. He thought that if we
Test Pilot
added a miniature golf course
Meteor
and a couple of rides
alongside the train, it might
draw people in and keep
them longer. So we opened in
1991 with extended train ride,
the miniature golf course and
the four rides.”
On the Radio
“Ninety-ninety-three was a big
year for us because we added
the Mad Mouse, Little Dipper
and Toboggan. At that time
our pitch was accidental:
some guy totally unconnected
with Little Amerricka was on
the radio, and he said that we
were the only park in Wisconsin that had a permanent rollercoaster.
Actually, the Mad Mouse isn't really permanent, but at the time there were
no such coasters in Wisconsin. We had our biggest increase that year.
“Neither Lee nor I ever saw the park becoming what it is. It just
happened. We just threw things together based on our past, what we'd
enjoyed as kids, and what we'd want to enjoy with my kids and Lee's
grandkids and great-grandkids. We'd buy a ride and place it in the park.
As a result, there's been some shifting around. Our Tilt-A-Whirl has been
moved twice.” Cars beat everything else, prior to the Meteor. Rollo Plane was the first ride
The eventual big step was to add a wooden rollercoaster. Family-style of the kids looked at and said 'I don't think I'm going to ride that.' But after a
course. Enter the Meteor, which Merrick and Klompmaker purchased and while, they might dare themselves and realise it's not that bad. But it's still
moved from Hillcrest Park near Chicago, which closed in 2003. The our 'tough' ride.”
coaster was originally built in 1957 for Kiddytown in Chicago, and in So how do you market a small park?
1967 it was moved to Hillcrest Park. “That's been our main effort, recently. When we started in 1991 we
“It's the only wood coaster that's been moved twice,” Klompmaker says spent $300 a week for marketing. That was a lot of money for us, and Lee
proudly. “We added a lot more new lumber to the coaster than we had a tough time with it, but it was ultimately worth it. We look slicker now
expected, about 75%. But it was still cheaper than buying new, and it was in our marketing. The Little Amerricka branding started in 1993 with TV
the perfect fit for our park.” commercials featuring an old train engineer, he became our park
Given the usual boost that major, wood coasters give to parks, did the character, and that's when people became familiar with us. Then we went
Meteor, however small, do the same thing for Little Amerricka? for a more nostalgic-type commercial for a couple of years, using slide
Surprisingly, no. shows and black and white photos. But the audience didn't recognise that
“I would say we were up about 10%. But we couldn't presume it was the it was Little Amerricka. So we went back to the train engineer.”
coaster that did it. Was it the new Meteor coaster, and the Wisconsin And what's next for Little Amerricka?
governor coming out for its opening? Or was it our change in advertising, “We're thinking of adding games. I used to be against games, because
which began with the opening of the coaster? Truthfully, I have to say it it tends to bring back memories of travelling carnivals. But since then, the
was weather.” park has developed more of a permanent look, not just a few flat rides
Little Dipper
“I believe the coaster is very important like when we started out. So I think we can now get some kid-oriented
to the
Caption
park,” he continues. “We spent games for maybe a dollar, and keep the prize ratio pretty high, so that
about $100,000 for it, and I'm glad we there's a pretty decent prize return for the kids. I bought a shooting gallery
did it. Lee's happy we did it. It made from a New Jersey pier, and we're going to start with that.”
25,000 trips in our 2008 season. While Darrell Klompmaker says he wants to learn all he can about the
Grandma and Grandpa can ride it with amusement industry, he's thinking that maybe his and Lee Merrick's trial-
the youngest grandchild. By comparison and-error approach may be the only way to go.
the Mad Mouse is rough, a real thrill “Shortly after we opened Little Amerricka, I went to the IAAPA trade
ride.” show in Orlando, and registered for the small park seminar. I wanted to
While Little Amerricka is, by anyone's learn all I could from the other small park owners ...not mid-sized, but
standards, a success, the actual number small like us. It turns out, they were all asking me questions! I guess Lee
of visitors elude them. “The adults don't and I will just have to keep moving ahead the way we have been.”
have to pay anything, just sit and relax. Indeed, serendipity has worked well for near-20-year-
And we're not able to determine what old Little Amerricka. There's no point in changing that
our ride numbers are, short of installing now.
turnstiles in every ride. We track Gary Kyriazi is the author of The Great American
individual tickets, of course, as well as Amusement Parks, A Pictorial History, and has been a
the pay-one-price ride bands. We do researcher and writer for the amusement industry for
know that the Mad Mouse and Bumper more than 30 years
32 OCTOBER 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48