Westmont's Gregg House Museum to host program on Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom

WESTMONT – Residents hoping to get a glimpse of days long gone will have an opportunity to relive the excitement of a Westmont carnival Sept. 27.

The Westmont Historical Society and the Gregg House Museum will host a presentation about Dispensa’s Kiddie Kingdom and Castle of Toys from 1 to 2 p.m. at the museum.

The talk will be given by John Dispensa III, great grandson of the founder of the carnival.

Dispensa grew up in and currently lives in Westmont, and is a board member with the Westmont Historical Society. He said he has “quite a collection” of carnival items, and thought it would be a good idea to put the items on display.

“It’s just a sample of our family history,” he said.

The memorabilia takes up three rooms in the Gregg House Museum, Dispensa said, including photographs, games, posters and other artifacts.

Dispensa and Sons started in 1919 when his great grandfather bought a Ferris wheel. That grew into a carnival business, and the Dispensas eventually added a merchandising company, a free-standing, independent toy store and a permanent amusement park.

At one time, Dispensa’s Toy Castle was the largest independent, free-standing toy store in the world. The carnival advertised rides for a quarter or six rides for $1.

“It just developed over the years and it grew to be a very large company,” he said.

Dispensa said his grandfather never finished third grade. He had dyslexia and a teacher assumed he was dumb, Dispensa said. His grandfather went on to invent equipment that would help the industry, including the first trailer-mounted scrambler ride.

The business was completely shut down in 1985, although portions of it closed earlier.

Dispensa said he would go to work with his dad when he was 8 years old, and he got on the carnival payroll by the time he was 12.

The presentation is scheduled to last 45 minutes to an hour. Dispensa plans to talk about the carnival and his family history. He hopes to have a chance for a question-and-answer session.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. The exhibit also is open during museum hours, which are 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays.

For information, visit www.dispensaskiddiekingdom.com.