Springfield Museums Events February
Museums à la Carte Lecture
February 9th, 12:15 pm
General Museum Event
Riverside Park: One Hundred Years as Playground of the Pioneer Valley
David Cecchi, author; board member, Agawam Historical Society; trustee, Captain Charles Leonard House
This lecture traces the history of Riverside Park from its earliest days as a 19th century picnic grove through its transformation into New England’s largest amusement park. It will detail the park’s tremendous success in the early 20th century, it’s dormancy during the Great Depression, subsequent rebirth in the 1940s, and glory days of the 1950s and 1960s. The lecture will be accompanied by visuals from the author’s extensive collection and the new Arcadia publication Riverside Park. Popular park attractions such as the steamboat Sylvia, Lake Takadip, the Crystal Ballroom, the Riverside Rollaway, and Riverside Speedway will also be remembered.
$2 members; $4 nonmembers
Davis Auditorium, Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts.
The audience is invited to bring a lunch to enjoy during the program; cookies and beverage are provided.
Series sponsored by Big Y
