Sandford's Roller Rink Holyoke, MA. Source: eBay.
Stinson's Rollaway Holyoke, MA. Top is Sanford's who also owned his rink at Lincoln Park. So was Stinson's. Well, well, its you again Donald Duck! Enjoying skating huh, Donald? Sorry, Daisy was not there either. Qaaaaaackkk! She is in California! Remember, again I say, take your nephew from Uncle Scrooge and take them out to California and you will find your sweetheart, ok, Donald? Quuuaaacckkk! By the way, ask your uncle for some money to go out to California. You know that he will go broke in about a hundred years? (Yes, I read in one of the comic books in 20th Century that he will go broke). You know who to blame. Source: ebay. Donald Duck
Mountain Park Roller Rink Holyoke, MA. You can see the red arrow pointed to Clambake Pavilion. This is where the roller rink was according to Jay Ducharme who explained this when the operator of the park decided this should be a pavilion where patrons can sit and relax and eat. it became the namesake restaurant. Clams! And a BINGO! Hall. Source: Jay Ducharme/YouTube.
Mountain Park Roller Rink Holyoke, MA. This is the interior of the Clambake Pavilion. This is where the roller rink was according to Jay Ducharme who explained this when the operator of the park decided this should be a pavilion where patrons can sit and relax and eat. it became the namesake restaurant. Clams! And a BINGO! Hall. B9! O69! BINGO! The Facebook page has a lot of the Mountain Park photos so please enjoy that by going to their page and type in "Mountain Park" and you will see a bunch! Source: Facebook group - Growing Up in Holyoke, MA.
Mountain Park Roller Rink Holyoke, MA. This is the interior of the Clambake Pavilion. This is where the roller rink was according to Jay Ducharme who explained this when the operator of the park decided this should be a pavilion where patrons can sit and relax and eat. it became the namesake restaurant. Clams! The rink closed in 1952 when the Collins Family purchased the park. This was taken in wintertime to store amusement rides and parts indoors to keep it from rusting or rot and had posts to support the roof due to the Northeast snowfalls especially with Blizzards and Nor'easterners. This was taken likely 1970s? Early 1980s? Around there. Source: Jay Ducharme.
Mountain Park Roller Rink Holyoke, MA. Fredrick Stinson purchased the rink from Charles Sandford. Perhaps as a package with Charles' other rink. Source: Billboard - July 22, 1950
Mountain Park Holyoke, MA. History and slides of the park. There is a song on there we do not own. Anyway, the very first picture you can see the park from bird view. The long white roofed building on lower left side was where the rink was. In fact, you can see the very first above without turning on the YouTube but please DO watch the rest. never know you were there! Source: Jay Ducharme/YouTube.
Mountain Park Holyoke, MA. One of the last Roger Fortin's walk through the park. In wintertime, he even had to shovel snow to clear paths so he can walk thrugh daily during wintertime. Source: Jay Ducharme/YouTube.
Mountain Park Roller Rink Holyoke, MA
Sanford's Roller Rink at Mountain Park Holyoke, Ma
Stinson's Rollaway at Mountain Park Holyoke, MA
Sanford's Roller Rink at Mountain Park Holyoke, Ma
Stinson's Rollaway at Mountain Park Holyoke, MA
There is a mystery besides all the mystery dark rides at the Mountain Park Amusement Park back the day. They actually did have a roller rink as I discovered through my list of rinks but nothing about those skating rinks at this amusement park at all. Nothing! I went through more than half dozen websites about their beloved Mountain Park Amusement Park however, they never mentioned about the skating rink at all. Nothing! Did they forget to include that in their website? Why did not those websites honoring this another trolley park turned to amusement park? It did sound foolish not to include them. Did any of them have something against roller skating? Or just ignored that in their homework? That park closed in 1980s and they had time back then to ask the former staff who worked there a long time (a couple of former employees who worked at the rink for 30 to 40 years which should dates back as far as 1940s.
Having said, they should have known about the skating rink.
For once I have to agree with my competitor who is correct about the authors of those websites and books failing to mention anything about the rink. Where was it on the grounds of Mountain Park? Why did not they include it? What was it like?
I spend two hours researching last night and an hour and half today researching more which was the longest I ever did and could not find anything more about it. Anyone know about this rink? Sanford's? Stinson's?
As a rule of thumb after doing 2000 rinks while it is January 2021, usually a skating rink is shared with a dance hall. Does not matter if it is at an amusement park or in a dance hall that function as multi-uses complex which is dance and skating at the same time. This means one day they danced, next skating and back to dancing, etc.
In 1888, William Loomis, took ownership of the Holyoke Street Railway Company. In the following years, he purchased 365 acres (1.5 km2) of "cow pastures with scenery" on the side of Mount Tom. William Loomis took time to built sections or new rides or buildings through the years.
Later on, in 1929, William Loomis retired and handed over to his assistant, Louis Pellissier. Louis continued by having a second round of expansion of the park by adding the new Midway with new rides and attractions along with it. Trolley riderships declined and so this, Louis replaced the picnic area into a parking lot and tore out the trolley. Clearly the rail company turned to amusement park business model. They focus on the amusement business.
This was likely when the skating rink was built. Later, Louis leased the rink building to Charles Sanford which he operated it as Sanford's Skating Rink at Mountain Park. Perhaps in later 1930s. But in 1940s, Charles sold the business part to Fredrick Stinson and leased from the park. Fred changed the name to Stinson's.
Later years, about the Mountain Park, it was sold to Jay Collins, the very same owner who owned the Lincoln Park where the Lincoln Park Roller Rink was. Pretty much same management and irony is that the same for Charles Sanford who owned his The Gables Skating Rink and sold it to Stinson who owned Stinson's Roll-A-Way also both of those men owned this rink at this Mountain Park in same manner.
Like with Lincoln Park, Jay could not keep it up with Mountain Park due to people wanting bigger, faster, better, more awesome rides and thrills and Jay could not with this small former trolley park turned to amusement park. This park had a lot of dark rides which means indoors as you wait in lines, then be seated in a single car that swirl as the car moves to make you turn and focus on this or that feature in that ride. Basically a fun house ride. But it was not meant to be.
It has nothing to do with the train accident according to Jay. Here is what he has to say..
Hi Mark! I’m glad you like my site. The park didn’t close because of that train accident. The person wasn’t drunk — he was a teenager trying to be clever. He stood up when the train went around a corner in the tunnel and rocked the car back in forth, knocking it off the track. He got pinned inside the train car and was dragged along against a stone wall. Miraculously, he got up and walked away from that with some scratches. The park personnel ran over to him to find out what happened. They called an ambulance even though he didn’t want one. He was taken to the local hospital where he sat in the waiting room for four hours and died of internal bleeding. The park was found to be not at fault.
Thanks for more information. And the YouTube. I will add that.
Eddie Leis was the amusement park ride and resident park designer who designed many rides.
UPDATE! --24 August 2022.
First before I can add the email. I noticed I made an error. It was supposed to date 2021, not 2011. Dead Rinks began in December 2018.
Now to the email. Someone mentioned this park.
Hi. I just happened across your article from 20[2]1 about roller rinks at Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA. I’m not familiar with any ice skating rinks that may have been at the park, but there definitely was a roller skating rink: the Clambake Pavilion at the south end of the park. That was its original purpose. After the Collins family purchased the park in 1952, they wanted additional areas for patrons to sit and eat. So the pavilion was filled with picnic tables and became one of two indoor eateries in the park (the other being the Tap Room at the north end of the park, which burned in 1971). The pavilion also hosted bands in the bandshell. But that ended roller skating at the park. In nearby Agawam, though, Riverside Park’s roller rink continued until the 1980s.
Jay Ducharme (the same guy who provided photos in Jay and karen photos).
Ah, thank you for your email. This really helps a lot because I have no idea when or where or what at this park. Thank you so much! I deal with roller rinks, not ice rinks. The logo and banner on each page has Maple wood floor so therefore, it is roller rink. I do not have Riverside Park rink so I will add. Again, thank you.
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
N/A.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Non-painted Oak Wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 5,000 SF. Built: Various sites say 1929/1939. Renovations: 1952 into pavilion. Demolished: Demolished.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: 248.0000 AC. (Amusement park size)
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: 27 rides including 2 dark rides, wooden roller coaster, the Flyer Coaster and the Hillside, Tempest, Dinosaur Den, Funhouse, Pirate Den, Out of this World, 1929 Philadelphia Toboggan Carousel, Scrambler, Skyride, Tilt, Bubble Bounce, the Flying Scooters, small Ferris Wheels (5 Gondolas), Big Eli 16-cab Ferris Wheel (16 Gondolas), Mountain Flyer. Bumper boat ride (replaced by) the Hot Rods (and was replaced by The Scrambler and Bubble Bounce, Toonerville Trolley (later replaced with the Puffing Billy train), Flying Jets and later, replaced with the Satellite, Tilt-a-Whirl, Dodgems.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: Likely just 18 holes.
Arcade: 2 Arcades (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: Number of lanes unknown.
Fascination: N/A.
Restaurant: 4 food concession stands.
Cocktail lounge: Tap Room. (destroyed in an explosion in 1971)
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Picnic Tables: 200.
Picnic Pavilion: 2.
Ballroom: Stardust Ballroom
Operated: 1929 to 1952. (Park ran from 1888 to 1987)
Mountain Park Trolley Park/Amusement Park: 1888 to 1987)
Mountain Park Roller Rink: N/A.
Sanford's Roller Rink at Mountain Park: 1930s to July 15,1950.
Stinson's Rollaway at Mountain Park: July 15,1950 to 1952
It became Clambake Pavilion.
Clambake Pavilion: 1953 to 1987.
Reason for Closure:
Mountain Park Trolley Park/Amusement Park: Declining attendance and major accident in 1987 forced owner to close park for good. Both Lincoln Park and Mountain Park closed in the same year!
Mountain Park Roller Rink: N/A.
Sanford's Roller Rink at Mountain Park: N/A.
Stinson's Rollaway at Mountain Park: The Collins who owned the park decided to convert to Clambake Pavilion to allow more seating areas for patrons.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Dead-Rinks. Thank you. You can also use this form.
Sources: Mountain Park website 1.
Mountain Park website 2.
Mountain Park website 3.
Pinterest - train accident.
Mountain Park - tons of photos!
Karen and Jay - Start here! This page is early ears of the park.
Ride Zone - More on the park.
Jay Ducharme/YouTube.
Facebook - Growing up in Holyoke, MA page.
Date of issue: 11 January 2021.
Update: 24 August 2022.
For office use only: 6/2.
Worth to visit:
None.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on Dead-Rinks are not the property of Dead-Rinks therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of Dead-Rinks and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
Having said, they should have known about the skating rink.
For once I have to agree with my competitor who is correct about the authors of those websites and books failing to mention anything about the rink. Where was it on the grounds of Mountain Park? Why did not they include it? What was it like?
I spend two hours researching last night and an hour and half today researching more which was the longest I ever did and could not find anything more about it. Anyone know about this rink? Sanford's? Stinson's?
As a rule of thumb after doing 2000 rinks while it is January 2021, usually a skating rink is shared with a dance hall. Does not matter if it is at an amusement park or in a dance hall that function as multi-uses complex which is dance and skating at the same time. This means one day they danced, next skating and back to dancing, etc.
In 1888, William Loomis, took ownership of the Holyoke Street Railway Company. In the following years, he purchased 365 acres (1.5 km2) of "cow pastures with scenery" on the side of Mount Tom. William Loomis took time to built sections or new rides or buildings through the years.
Later on, in 1929, William Loomis retired and handed over to his assistant, Louis Pellissier. Louis continued by having a second round of expansion of the park by adding the new Midway with new rides and attractions along with it. Trolley riderships declined and so this, Louis replaced the picnic area into a parking lot and tore out the trolley. Clearly the rail company turned to amusement park business model. They focus on the amusement business.
This was likely when the skating rink was built. Later, Louis leased the rink building to Charles Sanford which he operated it as Sanford's Skating Rink at Mountain Park. Perhaps in later 1930s. But in 1940s, Charles sold the business part to Fredrick Stinson and leased from the park. Fred changed the name to Stinson's.
Later years, about the Mountain Park, it was sold to Jay Collins, the very same owner who owned the Lincoln Park where the Lincoln Park Roller Rink was. Pretty much same management and irony is that the same for Charles Sanford who owned his The Gables Skating Rink and sold it to Stinson who owned Stinson's Roll-A-Way also both of those men owned this rink at this Mountain Park in same manner.
Like with Lincoln Park, Jay could not keep it up with Mountain Park due to people wanting bigger, faster, better, more awesome rides and thrills and Jay could not with this small former trolley park turned to amusement park. This park had a lot of dark rides which means indoors as you wait in lines, then be seated in a single car that swirl as the car moves to make you turn and focus on this or that feature in that ride. Basically a fun house ride. But it was not meant to be.
It has nothing to do with the train accident according to Jay. Here is what he has to say..
Hi Mark! I’m glad you like my site. The park didn’t close because of that train accident. The person wasn’t drunk — he was a teenager trying to be clever. He stood up when the train went around a corner in the tunnel and rocked the car back in forth, knocking it off the track. He got pinned inside the train car and was dragged along against a stone wall. Miraculously, he got up and walked away from that with some scratches. The park personnel ran over to him to find out what happened. They called an ambulance even though he didn’t want one. He was taken to the local hospital where he sat in the waiting room for four hours and died of internal bleeding. The park was found to be not at fault.
Thanks for more information. And the YouTube. I will add that.
Eddie Leis was the amusement park ride and resident park designer who designed many rides.
UPDATE! --24 August 2022.
First before I can add the email. I noticed I made an error. It was supposed to date 2021, not 2011. Dead Rinks began in December 2018.
Now to the email. Someone mentioned this park.
Hi. I just happened across your article from 20[2]1 about roller rinks at Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA. I’m not familiar with any ice skating rinks that may have been at the park, but there definitely was a roller skating rink: the Clambake Pavilion at the south end of the park. That was its original purpose. After the Collins family purchased the park in 1952, they wanted additional areas for patrons to sit and eat. So the pavilion was filled with picnic tables and became one of two indoor eateries in the park (the other being the Tap Room at the north end of the park, which burned in 1971). The pavilion also hosted bands in the bandshell. But that ended roller skating at the park. In nearby Agawam, though, Riverside Park’s roller rink continued until the 1980s.
Jay Ducharme (the same guy who provided photos in Jay and karen photos).
Ah, thank you for your email. This really helps a lot because I have no idea when or where or what at this park. Thank you so much! I deal with roller rinks, not ice rinks. The logo and banner on each page has Maple wood floor so therefore, it is roller rink. I do not have Riverside Park rink so I will add. Again, thank you.
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
N/A.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Non-painted Oak Wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 5,000 SF. Built: Various sites say 1929/1939. Renovations: 1952 into pavilion. Demolished: Demolished.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: 248.0000 AC. (Amusement park size)
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: 27 rides including 2 dark rides, wooden roller coaster, the Flyer Coaster and the Hillside, Tempest, Dinosaur Den, Funhouse, Pirate Den, Out of this World, 1929 Philadelphia Toboggan Carousel, Scrambler, Skyride, Tilt, Bubble Bounce, the Flying Scooters, small Ferris Wheels (5 Gondolas), Big Eli 16-cab Ferris Wheel (16 Gondolas), Mountain Flyer. Bumper boat ride (replaced by) the Hot Rods (and was replaced by The Scrambler and Bubble Bounce, Toonerville Trolley (later replaced with the Puffing Billy train), Flying Jets and later, replaced with the Satellite, Tilt-a-Whirl, Dodgems.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: Likely just 18 holes.
Arcade: 2 Arcades (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: Number of lanes unknown.
Fascination: N/A.
Restaurant: 4 food concession stands.
Cocktail lounge: Tap Room. (destroyed in an explosion in 1971)
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Picnic Tables: 200.
Picnic Pavilion: 2.
Ballroom: Stardust Ballroom
Operated: 1929 to 1952. (Park ran from 1888 to 1987)
Mountain Park Trolley Park/Amusement Park: 1888 to 1987)
Mountain Park Roller Rink: N/A.
Sanford's Roller Rink at Mountain Park: 1930s to July 15,1950.
Stinson's Rollaway at Mountain Park: July 15,1950 to 1952
It became Clambake Pavilion.
Clambake Pavilion: 1953 to 1987.
Reason for Closure:
Mountain Park Trolley Park/Amusement Park: Declining attendance and major accident in 1987 forced owner to close park for good. Both Lincoln Park and Mountain Park closed in the same year!
Mountain Park Roller Rink: N/A.
Sanford's Roller Rink at Mountain Park: N/A.
Stinson's Rollaway at Mountain Park: The Collins who owned the park decided to convert to Clambake Pavilion to allow more seating areas for patrons.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Dead-Rinks. Thank you. You can also use this form.
Sources: Mountain Park website 1.
Mountain Park website 2.
Mountain Park website 3.
Pinterest - train accident.
Mountain Park - tons of photos!
Karen and Jay - Start here! This page is early ears of the park.
Ride Zone - More on the park.
Jay Ducharme/YouTube.
Facebook - Growing up in Holyoke, MA page.
Date of issue: 11 January 2021.
Update: 24 August 2022.
For office use only: 6/2.
Worth to visit:
None.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on Dead-Rinks are not the property of Dead-Rinks therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of Dead-Rinks and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.