Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Shadows you see in two version of same photo that showed a Steel truss Bow-Arched gate entrance in front of the park and the skating rink was right by the main entrance which was good business for the rink operators. Pretty much entire time it was at the park, the Riverside Park amusement park. The sun was behind the photographer who took picture of this rink. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Shadows you see in two version of same photo that showed a Steel truss Bow-Arched gate entrance in front of the park and the skating rink was right by the main entrance which was good business for the rink operators. Pretty much entire time it was at the park, the Riverside Park amusement park. The sun was behind the photographer who took picture of this rink. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. A rare color version of the original rink at the park. The shadow you saw above were the Yellow Bow-Arched-Curved Steel gate for admission to the park. The admission was not like you go to a Disney Park or a Six Flag Park you go today. Riverside Park at the time was free admission but buy a booklet of tickets which was quite similar to Disney World 1970s style. I recalled them and I still have the Disney booklet cover and back cover left with one ticket left. Any good, Disney, I guess not. Haha. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Finally you get to see the Arched gate. And better idea of where the rink used to be. I noticed the man standing waiting leaning his back against which appeared to be his the pickup truck. I think he was either watching the photographer or he was with the photographer of this photo. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. BRRR! By looking at this photo and it is winter time January 21, 2021 when I typed this. Brrr! I think it is rare photograph I ever seen of a rink in wintertime. Most people prefer summer time to take picture of the rink and I know why. The snow kind of blocked the beauty of warm weather. That day in this photograph is beautiful day too because it is partial sunny (see few clouds in sky?) and the way the sunshine from the right of the photograph. They installed heating in 1940s to make the rink more accessible for year round. And they also installed neon light tubes in ceiling replacing the old incandescent blubs at that time. This photograph likely taken in 1940s. Also in this photo you can see more clear as this Black and White photograph the figure on the roof wall. That is a shape of a skater, likely a female. This roof style is Spanish Hip. Notice the 2 heater chimneys and a venting on the roof. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. The interior. Only one known without skaters on the floor. This classic sleek looking interior got me and perhaps you drool wanting to skate this beautiful floor that is all shining. They had a coating on there. And I noticed two Diamond Balls/Disco Balls hanging and an early form of Starburst lights in center of the ceiling. This rink was many years advanced of the popular look of 1970s rinks with those lights and balls on the ceiling. Wood pillars supporting wood truss inside but around the edge of the rink. They had plenty of windows to let lights in but this day photograph was taken appeared to be cloudy or at dusk or early morning. Noticed in background was the light board that tells you what kind of skating it is (such as open skate, couple skate, triple, backward, etc.). Appeared to be taken in 1960s because of the way those disco lights and balls were set up. Maybe early 1970s. Those big boxes on the ceilings might be either speakers or heaters. Some rinks had huge equipment hanging like that as I recalled seeing them. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. This taken after 1979 because the first year after they were forced to relocate, they kept the name, Riverside Rollaway however, amusement park owner Ed Carroll Jr. who complained saying the name Riverside belongs to him and only to the park so they had legal battle for a year till they had to give up because of cost of legal situation and kept only as The Rollaway. The Rollaway is shown above after the legal dust settled. They did not have to relocate the rink very far! Right in kitty corner from their old site. Google Map it and you will see it. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. This was the relocated and replica appearance of the original location. Yes, even the rails very country-style. But look at the lights! Beautiful. Astro-style mirrored balls with rings. and the Stars. No big cumbersome boxes hanging from the ceiling. Bigger Starburst lights compared to the original. This "bigger" was the standard size and popular at most rinks of the 1970s and 1980s. It was the in thing at the time. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Presently as Six Flags' Human Resources offices. I take the management offices is located at another building. Behind that former rink is the huge parking lot that you have to park (general parking) to take a tram over to the biggest amusement park in New England. Source: Google.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Postcard 2 sides. And the skating pass. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Wooden Nickel for the snack bar. I do not know how you earn that token. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Can you find the Rollaway? Yes you can! You see the road? Now you see those two large building by the road? OK, yes, the Riverside Rollaway is pictured on a corner where the main gate was. To the left of the rink, it was a bowling alley. I do not know what kind of bowling it was. That was converted to the headquarters for the park but it was burned down. Good thing the rink was saved. The parking lots were to the left side of the photo and on bottom of photo. The new rink location was where the parking lot on the right side on the bottom of the photo next to that big house with the driveway that you turn around. Grass field between the park and the river was the Grove. Boat docks was bit to the right of the main entrance to the park. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. This is the present day look of the Six Flag amusement park. You can see the Thunderbolt roller coaster on the right, Look for that in the old Black-and-White photo above this one and scan down to find the old rink. Now come back here and find Thunderbolt and then move your eyes to the left, that angled built building near the road. That was where the old Riverside Roller Rink was. It is right next to the old main gates which is now staff parking lot. Source: Google, former employee. (This was corrected on 27 December 2021).
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. This is the present day look of the Six Flag amusement park. This clearly showed the spot where the original rink was. Thanks to the old main gates on the right in this photograph, compare that to the two photographs above this one. This X the spot where the old rink was. Thanks to a former employee of the park who explained the spot where the rink was. Source: Google, former employee. (This was corrected on 27 December 2021).
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Final public skate. An invitation for retirement final skate. The actual final skate was 4 days later on Thanksgiving day for only family and friends of the family to skate. Source: Riverside Rollaway Facebook group.
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park/The Rollaway Main Street, Agawam, MA. Hour long video about the park's rich history. Yes, including the rink for a few minutes. Quite interesting to watch. A must watch. Source: ELCATO1028 on YouTube.
Roller Rink de Luxe Riverside Park, Agawam, MA
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park, Main Street, Agawam, MA
Riverside Rollaway 1756 Main Street, Agawam, MA (1 year)
The Rollaway 1756 Main Street, Agawam, MA
Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway Riverside Park, Main Street, Agawam, MA
Riverside Rollaway 1756 Main Street, Agawam, MA (1 year)
The Rollaway 1756 Main Street, Agawam, MA
The Rollaway was held at 1756 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts. But its beginning was at the Riverside Park but before that, The Riverside Grove was a picnic area where people went to picnicing and do some simple activities after a nice boat ride on the Sylvia river boat and later joined by another river boat. Trollies went up too. Riverside Grove actually began way back in 1840 and it was later becoming a trolley park. They had a huge swimming pool "lake" that was huge and made of concrete and water filled up. In the middle of it, there was a diving and light tower for people to see in the evening so they can enjoy swimming at dusk. (Way before swimming pools had in-pool lamps). But then in in 1916, the park was becoming more of an amusement park and rides such as an early wooden roller coaster was built but also the roller rink.
The start was not the Riverside Rollaway. It was Roller Rink de Luxe because another rink in the same state had same name, the Rollaway which is owned by someone else so they had to choose Rink de Lux which was actual name without the word, Roller.
Later on, likely in 1940s, the name was finally able to be changed to Riverside Rollaway because the park owner perhaps finally leased the building. Previous owners before 1945 are unknown but perhaps the park owner was and decided to lease out the rink to separate management and focus on the amusement park and grove area. I do not know. But Mr. Briggs operated the rink in 1945 but then in 1949 all the way till 1966 were Frank A. Mailolo and his wife Susan Maiolo till 1966 but after Frank's Death, Susan operated till her retirement and sold the rink to Six Flags which needed a building for their human resources offices for the New England region including the park right cross the street.
But in 1978, Ed Carroll Junior, the son of the park owner who bought the park in 1939 and reopened the defunct amusement park that was closed pretty much entire 1930s because of the Great Depression. Ed Carroll Sr. was widely known and truly saved the park with his excellent business experience and understanding of operating a park. He was responsible for adding rides, draining the pool, etc. But he also finally leasing the rink to outsiders so Ed can focus on receiving leases rather than the profit of the rink. Perhaps to reduce on Ed's part on utilities, management expenses, business expenses, whatever the reason.
But Ed did very well with the Riverside Park amusement park and in fact, grew into the largest in the Northeast. He even loved stock car racing and had a small track race track installed behind the park but front of the river where the Grove used to be. NASCAR, in fact, had stock car racing at that track! It was very small compared to Daytona I would say. Way small. More like an auto derby race track and small track stock car racing.
It is said that Ed Carroll Sr. heard about Disneyland and checked out and realize Walt Disney just revolutionized amusement industry world wide. From picnic groves to Trolley and Steamboat park like they had in 19th Century to amusement park in 1910s to 1940s-50s then mega-park. It was time to keep updating. Ed the Senior took ideas and even built the first non-Disney theme park amusement park monorail system. The design was in fact quite similar. It was an ALWEG inspired Disney-Designed monorail that Disneyland had and Ed had that quite similar for Riverside Park.
After Ed the Senior died, Ed Junior attempted to duplicate the success but his vision was different and needed new rides and keep up the newness of rides. He even wanted a Coney Island duplicate roller coaster named Comet and the space was not exactly what can fit. But he had it done. There were several set back at the park including the train ride fire and shutting down that same wooden rollercoaster making Ed Jr. to decide to be more competitive.
This Ed the Junior forced Riverside Rollaway out of the expanding amusement park so they can add rides (actually parking lot) and so Susan Maiolo had to choose a property cross the street which was perfect to set up a new rink. So she did and it was in more modern looking industrial warehouse looking building with some windows. Then operated it for 20 more years till her retirement in 1998.
The Rollaway closed for good in 1998 after it was sold in 1998 according to Xome. The value was 850,000 USD that year it was sold to Six Flags for their Human Resources offices which is merely cross the street from their Six Flags New England.
Roller Rink de Luxe and Riverside Roller Rink at Riverside Park --
The Interior.
It was wooden built interior and had posts and wood rails that looked very much like a countryside. The new rink had the same look. It was clear coated Maple in Log Cabin style. Size of floor is unknown.
The Exterior.
It was a Spanish Hip roof style Free-Span Wood Truss Wood-Walled Pavilion - like Building painted in White with extreme large Black capital letterings with Red larger Capitalized letterings. It sat right by the main entrance gate to the park. Funny thing is the main gate sign was a Bow-Arched Steel Truss that is common in many D-Arched or Bow Arched roller rinks of its time.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Clear Coated Maple. Floor Layout: LOG CABIN.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1911. Demolished: Demolished in 3 April 1978 to make way for new rides (parking lot).
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood Truss Wood-Walled Pavilion - like Building.
Roof: Spanish Hip.
Acres: N/A. (as part of Riverside Amusement Park.) (large property)
The Rollaway on Main Street (relocated site) --
The Interior.
The Exterior.
Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building with Gable roof. It was merely relocated cross the street, kitty corner from the main gate to the theme park. If you go on Google Map, you will see the park when you pan from where the old rink and the main drive in gate to the park.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Clear coated Maple. Floor Layout: FAN.
Building Size: 16,870 SF. Built: 1978. Demolished: Still standing. Now as amusement park HR.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: 2.299998 Acres. (100,188 SF).
Operated: N/A.
(The Grove:1840 to 1870)
(Gallup's Grove: 1870 to 1886)
(Riverside Park: 1911 to1995) - Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway were forced out of park).
(Riverside Park: The Great Escape: 1995 to 1999)
(Six Flags New England: 1999 to Present)
Riverside Roller Rink: 1911 to 3 April 1978
The Rollaway: Friday, the 13th of October 1978 to Sunday, November 22, 1998 (with a private Friends & Family party held on Thanksgiving Eve, November 26, 1998).
Reason for Closure:
Riverside Roller Rink: Ed Carroll Jr. the son of owner of Riverside terminated leasing contract forcing roller rink out.
The Rollaway: Owner retired, sold property to Six Flag Parks for a good offer.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Mass Live - Look back to Riverside Park as it was sold to Six Flags.
Retro Planet - Riverside Park.
Facebook - Riverside/The Rollaway group.
Xome- The Rollaway new property Six Flags HR
The Riverside Park ebook- The Rollaway Rink Chapter (Page 101) by David Cecchi
email - 16 November 2021 to correct location.
email - 27 December 2021 to correct location again with more accurate location.
Facebook message.
Date of issue: 20 January 2021. Update: 16 November 2021. Update with correction: 27 December 2021.
Update: 21 January 2022.
For office use only: 19.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
The start was not the Riverside Rollaway. It was Roller Rink de Luxe because another rink in the same state had same name, the Rollaway which is owned by someone else so they had to choose Rink de Lux which was actual name without the word, Roller.
Later on, likely in 1940s, the name was finally able to be changed to Riverside Rollaway because the park owner perhaps finally leased the building. Previous owners before 1945 are unknown but perhaps the park owner was and decided to lease out the rink to separate management and focus on the amusement park and grove area. I do not know. But Mr. Briggs operated the rink in 1945 but then in 1949 all the way till 1966 were Frank A. Mailolo and his wife Susan Maiolo till 1966 but after Frank's Death, Susan operated till her retirement and sold the rink to Six Flags which needed a building for their human resources offices for the New England region including the park right cross the street.
But in 1978, Ed Carroll Junior, the son of the park owner who bought the park in 1939 and reopened the defunct amusement park that was closed pretty much entire 1930s because of the Great Depression. Ed Carroll Sr. was widely known and truly saved the park with his excellent business experience and understanding of operating a park. He was responsible for adding rides, draining the pool, etc. But he also finally leasing the rink to outsiders so Ed can focus on receiving leases rather than the profit of the rink. Perhaps to reduce on Ed's part on utilities, management expenses, business expenses, whatever the reason.
But Ed did very well with the Riverside Park amusement park and in fact, grew into the largest in the Northeast. He even loved stock car racing and had a small track race track installed behind the park but front of the river where the Grove used to be. NASCAR, in fact, had stock car racing at that track! It was very small compared to Daytona I would say. Way small. More like an auto derby race track and small track stock car racing.
It is said that Ed Carroll Sr. heard about Disneyland and checked out and realize Walt Disney just revolutionized amusement industry world wide. From picnic groves to Trolley and Steamboat park like they had in 19th Century to amusement park in 1910s to 1940s-50s then mega-park. It was time to keep updating. Ed the Senior took ideas and even built the first non-Disney theme park amusement park monorail system. The design was in fact quite similar. It was an ALWEG inspired Disney-Designed monorail that Disneyland had and Ed had that quite similar for Riverside Park.
After Ed the Senior died, Ed Junior attempted to duplicate the success but his vision was different and needed new rides and keep up the newness of rides. He even wanted a Coney Island duplicate roller coaster named Comet and the space was not exactly what can fit. But he had it done. There were several set back at the park including the train ride fire and shutting down that same wooden rollercoaster making Ed Jr. to decide to be more competitive.
This Ed the Junior forced Riverside Rollaway out of the expanding amusement park so they can add rides (actually parking lot) and so Susan Maiolo had to choose a property cross the street which was perfect to set up a new rink. So she did and it was in more modern looking industrial warehouse looking building with some windows. Then operated it for 20 more years till her retirement in 1998.
The Rollaway closed for good in 1998 after it was sold in 1998 according to Xome. The value was 850,000 USD that year it was sold to Six Flags for their Human Resources offices which is merely cross the street from their Six Flags New England.
Roller Rink de Luxe and Riverside Roller Rink at Riverside Park --
The Interior.
It was wooden built interior and had posts and wood rails that looked very much like a countryside. The new rink had the same look. It was clear coated Maple in Log Cabin style. Size of floor is unknown.
The Exterior.
It was a Spanish Hip roof style Free-Span Wood Truss Wood-Walled Pavilion - like Building painted in White with extreme large Black capital letterings with Red larger Capitalized letterings. It sat right by the main entrance gate to the park. Funny thing is the main gate sign was a Bow-Arched Steel Truss that is common in many D-Arched or Bow Arched roller rinks of its time.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Clear Coated Maple. Floor Layout: LOG CABIN.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1911. Demolished: Demolished in 3 April 1978 to make way for new rides (parking lot).
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood Truss Wood-Walled Pavilion - like Building.
Roof: Spanish Hip.
Acres: N/A. (as part of Riverside Amusement Park.) (large property)
The Rollaway on Main Street (relocated site) --
The Interior.
The Exterior.
Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building with Gable roof. It was merely relocated cross the street, kitty corner from the main gate to the theme park. If you go on Google Map, you will see the park when you pan from where the old rink and the main drive in gate to the park.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Clear coated Maple. Floor Layout: FAN.
Building Size: 16,870 SF. Built: 1978. Demolished: Still standing. Now as amusement park HR.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: 2.299998 Acres. (100,188 SF).
Operated: N/A.
(The Grove:1840 to 1870)
(Gallup's Grove: 1870 to 1886)
(Riverside Park: 1911 to1995) - Riverside Roller Rink/Riverside Rollaway were forced out of park).
(Riverside Park: The Great Escape: 1995 to 1999)
(Six Flags New England: 1999 to Present)
Riverside Roller Rink: 1911 to 3 April 1978
The Rollaway: Friday, the 13th of October 1978 to Sunday, November 22, 1998 (with a private Friends & Family party held on Thanksgiving Eve, November 26, 1998).
Reason for Closure:
Riverside Roller Rink: Ed Carroll Jr. the son of owner of Riverside terminated leasing contract forcing roller rink out.
The Rollaway: Owner retired, sold property to Six Flag Parks for a good offer.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Mass Live - Look back to Riverside Park as it was sold to Six Flags.
Retro Planet - Riverside Park.
Facebook - Riverside/The Rollaway group.
Xome- The Rollaway new property Six Flags HR
The Riverside Park ebook- The Rollaway Rink Chapter (Page 101) by David Cecchi
email - 16 November 2021 to correct location.
email - 27 December 2021 to correct location again with more accurate location.
Facebook message.
Date of issue: 20 January 2021. Update: 16 November 2021. Update with correction: 27 December 2021.
Update: 21 January 2022.
For office use only: 19.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.