Growing Up in Edina: Queen Anne Kiddieland birthday party, 1950s

11/30/2011

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Remember Queen Anne Kiddieland?

If you grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, you no doubt spent some time at the small amusement park located at the southeast corner of what is today Interstate 494 and Highway 100. Although it was just over the border in Bloomington, Queen Anne Kiddieland was a popular destination for Edina youngsters with its pony rides, kiddie rides and miniature Rock Island Rocket, a children's sized train driven by popular children's TV host Casey Jones (played by actor Roger Awsumb.)

Queen Anne had a party room, which was a popular spot for children's birthday parties.

Ron Danly, who grew up on 3 Spur Road, with his brothers Rob and Todd, celebrated one of his birthdays below.
Patches the Clown, nearly as famous as Casey Jones among the elementary school crowd, made an appearance.
These photos were taken from a video donated recently by the Danly family that features riding on homemade go carts, playing in the back yard, and celebrating holidays. I wanted to show you the video, instead of the above still photo clips. And let me assure you that I spent waaaaaaay too much time trying to do just that. I successfully edited it, and can see it on my computer but I get an (deep sigh) error message when I try to upload it to the blog. Take my word for it, the movie is very fun. I will seek help and try again... because, I assume you would rather see it yourself than just take my word for it.

Note: I wrote about Queen Anne for Edina Magazine. See that story here.
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The Valleyfair of yesteryear: Queen Anne Kiddieland

03/23/2009

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Where did suburban kids go to ride ponies? Back in the 1950s-1960s, Edina kids went to Queen Anne Kiddieland, a wonderland of ponies, amusement rides and the Rock Island Rocket, a miniature 1/6 scale train now housed at the Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul. The train ride then was called the Casey Jones Flyer, in honor of popular kids' TV host Casey Jones, whose show entertained kids at lunchtime in the Twin Cities.

Visitors recall that the park seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Although it stood in the southwest corner of what is now the intersection of Highways 494 and 100, the land was still undeveloped and the southern suburbs like Edina still had working farms.

We're looking for good quality photos of Queen Anne Kiddieland from Edina residents. For a trip down memory lane, check out www.lunchwithcasey.com's photos.

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