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Maywood Park Racetrack Sign Finds New Home At Melrose Park Library


Thursday, October 8, 2020 || By Michael Romain || @maywoodnews 

When the Maywood Park Racetrack facility closed permanently last year to make way for new retail and commercial enterprises, Melrose Park Public Work Director Gary Marine did what he’s done for years now — figure out a way to salvage a key part of the area’s history.

“When I was told that it would be demolished, I approached the contractor and asked if I could take [the sign] since they were going to scrap it,” Marine said on Oct. 8. “I also approached the mayor [of Melrose Park, Ron Serpico] for his permission to salvage it.”

Marine said he stored the sign in a yard in Melrose Park and made some modifications, so that it would fit its new home and new purpose — greeting drivers as they entered the parking lot of the Melrose Park Public Library, 801 N. 19th Ave.

Public works employees finished installing the sign on Thursday. Marine said that workers will eventually paint the arch and install internal lighting on it, as well.

The Maywood Park racetrack welcome sign now welcomes visitors to the Melrose Park Public Library. | Courtesy Gary Marine/Melrose Park Public Works 

“It’s a landmark and I try to save things that are disappearing, because a lot of our history is going away,” Marine said.

That spirit of conservation also motivated Marine to help save the iconic neon Kiddieland sign that hangs on the exterior wall of the library that faces the parking lot.

The Kiddieland sign, which once greeted passersby on North and 1st avenues before the amusement park closed in 2009, was unveiled and rededicated by the Melrose Park Historical Society in 2012.

Workers removing the Maywood Park racetrack sign last year before the park was fully demolished. | Courtesy Gary Marine/Melrose Park Public Works 

“The Kiddieland sign was a little more difficult to put somewhere, because it had a huge base,” Marine recalls, adding that workers also made some modifications to that sign before it was attached to the library’s wall.

“We do all the work in-house, myself and public works guys,” Marine said. “We worked on it in between other projects. Anytime I can salvage a piece of Melrose Park history, I do.”

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