Iconic Entertainment
Kiddieland was a magical attraction for generations of Birmingham children.
By Tim Hollis
Long before there was Alabama Adventure, even long before Birmingham residents braved the patchwork quilt that was I-20 and U.S. 78 to get to Six Flags Over Georgia, the Alabama State Fairgrounds proudly unveiled its own answer to the post-World War II baby boom: Kiddieland Park.
Kiddieland opened to much fanfare during the week after Memorial Day in 1948. The grand opening day was a mélange of entertainment, from a trained bear act to radio personalities Joe Rumore and Happy Wilson. Ernest Norris, president of the Southern Railway System, formally dedicated the amusement park’s miniature train as the Little Southerner.
The rides in Kiddieland became childhood icons to four generations of Birmingham kids. Besides the usual merry-go-round and Ferris wheel, for example, there was the caterpillar ride, which traveled around its undulating track until a canvas top closed over it, giving the whole thing the appearance of a giant worm. There was another ride made of wooden clowns with light bulb noses, furiously pedaling tricycles that pulled kiddie wagons. The swans and turtles ride did not do much but go around in circles, but the larger-than-life appearance of its vehicles made up for that.
Contributing in no small part to Kiddieland’s overall fairyland appearance was the handiwork of the Dixie Neon company and its founder, Ernest Langner. The entrance signs were adorned with dancing neon figures of all types, and a separate neon arch served as the entrance to each of the rides. Dixie Neon was responsible for some of the most beloved sights in the park, including the façade of the Laff in the Dark ride, with a clown face that blinked from smiling to frowning and back again.
One of the amazing things was that Kiddieland changed very little as the decades wore on. In the mid-1980s it looked basically the same as it had on opening day, with some of the same rides in operation. While this was terrific from a nostalgia standpoint, the fact is that amusement parks are not intended to be museums, so the worn-out rides and shattered neon signs did tend to give the place a somewhat shabby look. Later that decade, virtually everything in the park was either bulldozed or sold off. (Pieces of former rides continue to turn up in private collections to this day.) The only permanent structure remaining was the bumper cars pavilion.
Numerous attempts to revitalize Kiddieland in the following years were largely met with apathy from the rest of the city. Even the Alabama State Fair was no longer the major event it once was, so how could a small park like Kiddieland hope to compete with larger tourist attractions that were now within driving distance? The former Kiddieland site had long been a barren patch of grass and trees before a wholesale renovation of the fairgrounds began in early 2009. But those spinning rides and glowing neon signs live on in the memories of former kiddies who played among them.
