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
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
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 ReverchonCrazy 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][independent source needed]
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
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.
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