DelGrosso's Park

Coordinates: 40°38′09″N 78°17′46″W / 40.6358°N 78.2961°W / 40.6358; -78.2961
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DelGrosso's Park
Previously known as
  • Bland's Park (1909-2000)
  • DelGrosso's Amusement Park (2000-2019)
LocationTipton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40°38′09″N 78°17′46″W / 40.6358°N 78.2961°W / 40.6358; -78.2961
Opened1909
OwnerThe DelGrosso Family of Companies
SloganThe Home of Family Fun and Famous Food!
Area79 acres
Attractions
Total30
Roller coasters2
Water rides8
Websitehttps://www.mydelgrossopark.com/

DelGrosso's Park is a family-oriented amusement park located in Tipton, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Altoona, Pennsylvania. The park was purchased by the DelGrosso family in 1946 and was named "Bland's Park" until 2000. In 2000, the DelGrosso family decided to change its name to "DelGrosso's Amusement Park." The park hosts picnics and special music events in its pavilion/picnic area.

The park includes more than 30 rides and an adjacent Italian-themed waterpark, Laguna Splash, that opened in 1997. The park resides on both sides of Old Route 220 with Laguna Splash and parking on the southeast side of the road, while park side resides on the northwest side of the road. The two sides of the park can be easily accessed by guests via a crosswalk that was built over the road in 1989.

History[edit]

The park was opened by the Rinard brothers on the Blands' family farm in 1907 and was originally called Bland's Park. It was purchased in 1946 by Ferdinand "Fred" DelGrosso at which time the park was home to a number of rides installed by the Rinards including the current Carouselle. Since purchasing the park, the DelGrosso family has continued to invest in the park with various ride and attractions such as a waterpark addition in 1997 and expansion in 1999 and 2016. Even after the purchase of the park by the DelGrossos, the park retained the Bland's Park name until 2000 when it was finally renamed DelGrosso's Amusement Park.[1]

The park's 1924 Herschell Spillman carousel

The DelGrosso family is also the founder of DelGrosso Foods, Inc., which produces and distributes pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, pasta, and other Italian specialty items.[2]

Roller coasters[edit]

The first roller coaster to operate at the park was the Little Dipper, a steel children's coaster opened during the 1950s. In 1986, the Little Dipper was removed and replaced by the Zyklon, a larger steel coaster built by Italian manufacturer Pinfari the following season. Before being installed at the park, the Zyklon had operated at three other amusement parks between 1969 and 1986, originally opening as the "Super Italian Bobs" at the now-defunct Adventure Land in Illinois.

In 2003, the Zyklon was removed from DelGrosso's and sold to Blue Diamond Park in Delaware. A Reverchon Crazy Mouse spinning coaster was installed in its place in 2004. In the same year, a Fajume "Wacky Worm" kiddie coaster was added to the park.[3]

Libertyland's Revolution in storage

In 2006, the park purchased the "Revolution," an Arrow Dynamics loop and corkscrew coaster, from Libertyland for US$55,000 at auction. The coaster was never installed at the park and after many years of sitting in storage on site at the park, the coaster was purchased by Gloria's Fantasyland in the Philippines where it now operates as the "Zimerman".[4][third-party source needed]

Attractions[edit]

Roller coasters[edit]

Coaster Opened Manufacturer Model
Crazy Mouse 2004 Reverchon Spinning Coaster
Wacky Worm

2004 Fajume Wacky Worm

Thrill rides[edit]

Rides Opened Manufacturer Model Description
Rock Star 2015 ARM Rides Rock Star Replaced Music Express
Super Spiral 1996 Frank Hrubetz & Company Super Round Up
X-Scream Tower 2010 ARM Rides 120-foot tall Drop tower Replaced the Ferris Wheel. Purchased from Cypress Gardens[5]
Swing Buggy 2012 Bertazzon Swing Buggy Replaced the park's Chance Rides Flying Bobs
Pharaoh's Fury 2009 Chance Rides Pharaoh's Fury Replaced the park's Chance Rides Sea Dragon. Purchased from Cypress Gardens[5]

Family rides[edit]

Rides Opened Manufacturer Model Description
Scrambler 1985 Eli Bridge Company Scrambler
Tipton Creek Railroad 1988 Chance Rides (2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway
Yo-Yo 2009 Chance Rides Yo-Yo Replaced Balloon Race. Purchased from Cypress Gardens[5]
Tilt-A-Whirl 1979 Sellner Manufacturing Tilt-A-Whirl
Casino 1992 Chance Rides Trabant Originally located at Kings Island in Ohio where it was known as "Wheel of Fortune"[6]
Dodgem 1996 Majestic Rides Bumper Cars Re-built after the park's original Dodgem was destroyed during a blizzard in 1994
Carouselle 1924 Herschell Spillman Company Carousel 36 hand-carved and painted jumping horses as well as two stationary benches
Paratrooper 1987 Reverchon Paratrooper
Free Fall 2004 Moser Rides 5+5 Spring Ride 50-foot tall junior drop tower
Dizzy Dragons 2009 Chance Rides Dizzy Dragons Teacups-style ride with large dragon-shaped ride vehicles

Kids Kingdom[edit]

Rides Opened Manufacturer Model
Fire Trucks Unknown Hampton Amusements Children's fire truck ride
Corvettes 1980s Hampton Amusements Children's car ride
Boats 1957 Allan Herschell Company Boat ride
Whales Unknown Eyerly Aircraft Company Bulgy the Whale
Turtles 1990 R.E. Chambers Company Miniature Tumble Bug
Helicopters 1980s Allan Herschell Company Children's helicopter ride
Kiddie Carousel 1992 W.F. Mangels Children's carousel

Past roller coasters[edit]

Name Manufacturer Opened Closed
Little Dipper Allan Herschell Company 1950s 1986
Zyklon Pinfari 1987 2003

Past attractions[edit]

Laguna Splash Waterpark[edit]

The first phase of the waterpark opened in 1997 with the addition of Tipton Waterworks, a children's water play structure with three small water slides and a large bucket that fills with water before tipping over onto guests below. In 1999, the second phase of the waterpark, five full-size water slides named the Tipton Rapids opened.

After many years without any major additions, the waterpark received a $12.5 million expansion in 2016, which saw the addition of a lazy river, a wave pool, a children's activity pool, five new refreshment stands, and a brand new entrance plaza. Along with the expansion, the complex received a brand new Italian theme to reflect the DelGrosso family's Italian heritage, and was named Laguna Splash (previously, the waterpark as a whole had no official name).

Laguna Slides "red tower"

Attractions[edit]

Laguna Slides Formerly Tipton Rapids (1999–2016)
Name Opened Slide Tower Description
Gravity Groove 1999 Red Tower A tube slide where riders travel down a drop into an uphill section before dropping again.
Great White 1999 Red Tower A wide tube slide with a steep double-dip drop.
Midnight Express 1999 Red Tower An enclosed tube slide with many twist and turns in near darkness.
Twin Twisters 1999 Green Tower A pair of identical mirror-image slides where two riders race each other on toboggan-style mats.
Pools
Name Opened Description
Bambini Cove 2016 A children's activity pool featuring a gondola slide, a small splash pad, a scale model of the Leaning Tower of Pisa which serves as the waterpark's centerpiece.
Laguna Waterworks 1997 A water-play structure showcasing interactive water features, small water slides and a tipping-bucket painted to resemble the Roman Colosseum. Formerly Tipton Waterworks (1997–2016).
River Lazio 2016 A winding lazy river attraction that surrounds Bambini Cove.
Wave Oceano 2016 14,000 ft2 wave pool.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Our History". www.mydelgrossopark.com. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  2. ^ "Home - DelGrosso Sauces". www.delgrossofoods.com. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  3. ^ "DelGrosso's Announces Largest Park Expansion". www.ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  4. ^ "Gloria's Fantasyland (Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines)".
  5. ^ a b c "DelGrosso's Amusement Park 2009". NewsPlusNotes. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  6. ^ "Wheel of Fortune". kicentral.com. Retrieved 2023-06-14.

External links[edit]