PA pasta sauce factory turned amusement park is also the US’ only Italian-themed water park

In 1946, Fred DelGrosso was looking for a new location to manufacture pasta sauce. What he found was an amusement park.

DelGrosso’s Amusement Park and Laguna Splash Water Park have been a feature of Tipton, Pennsylvania ever since. The park, originally called Blands, was bought by the DelGrosso family to manufacture the pasta sauce Fred Delgrosso’s mother-in-law, Marianna Pulcino, brought over from Italy in 1911. Over its 76 years in business, the pasta sauce factory-amusement park combo has expanded to include nearly 30 rides and a water park, along with countless food stands featuring DelGrosso products and family recipes.

Carl Crider Jr., the park’s president, was raised in the building that now serves as the park office and has spent his life in and around the park. For the first several years of the DelGrosso’s ownership, all 11 members lived in the small house, including Fred, his wife Mafalada, their seven children (one of which was Carl’s mother), Carl and his father.

“I crawled through the rides, we played in the creek in the back of the park,” Crider Jr. said. “We got chased out of every food stand because we were bugging our parents while they were working. So really, it’s been amazing, we’ve been blessed.”

Crider Jr. said the park has changed gradually over the years, adding rides and attractions to what was originally there. Although the DelGrosso family has owned the park since 1946, they kept its original name of Bland Park until 2000.

One of the park’s most beloved rides is the 99-year-old carousel. Built in 1924, it served as the centerpiece for Bland Park when the DelGrosso family bought it.

In 1976, the family built a factory across the street from the park, moving all DelGrosso sauce operations outside of the park. In February, the company opened a second factory down the road. Although the park and factory no longer share a location, they’re both still run by the DelGrosso family and it’s not uncommon to see sauce-side family members working the park on busy holidays or park-side members helping out at the factory.

In 2016, the park completed a $13 million expansion, adding America’s only Italian-themed water park, in honor of the family’s heritage. The park features Italian-style architecture, restaurants and attractions. Visitors can float through the River Lazio past classical statues and a replica of the Leaning Tower of Piza that sprays water onto passing swimmers.

Still, Amy Mearkle, director of marketing and advertising for the park, said food is at the heart of DelGrosso’s, describing the park as a “restaurant with rides.”

“The food is all homemade, for most of the amusement parks want to do it fast,” she said. “We’ve tried to fine tune and get stuff to speed as much as we possibly can, but they’re foodies, and they’re proud of their food and they want folks to enjoy.”

All around the park are tributes to Fred and Malfalda DelGrosso, known by her nickname Murf. Several menu items, including Murf’s famous potato salad, are scattered throughout the park’s food stands.

“They took all the risk, I mean, they really did,” Crider Jr. said. “My grandfather was a visionary, he took a lot of risks. He didn’t really have a lot of money, but he saw potential even to buy the park just to make the sauce here.”

The park averages 250,000 visitors a year and hosts anywhere from 700 to 800 private events in the park’s pavilions each season, Mearkle said. It also hosts several events including a Fourth of July celebration, an Italian Fest and Harvest Fest in September.

The park’s season lasts from the week before Memorial Day to the last weekend in September. The water park is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the ride side of the park is open from noon to 8 p.m. six days a week. The park is closed on Tuesdays except for the Fourth of July.

Admission to the park is free but an all-day wristband or tickets is required for rides and attractions.

What to bring: Swimwear, personal food or drinks for the Picnic Grove area only

How to get there: From State College take I-99 south toward Port Matilda and Altoona, then take exit 45 toward Tipton (about 34 miles)

What to do nearby: Canoe Creek State Park, Altoona’s Horseshoe Curve

More info: www.mydelgrossopark.com