enjoyed Six Flags New England
in Agawam, Massachusetts
May 29, 2008
Six Flags New England,
or SFNE, is a theme park in the Six Flags chain of parks, named for
the New England region in which it is located. Six Flags New England
is located in greater Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby town
of Agawam. Like most other Six Flags parks, Six Flags New England is
divided into two sections: the amusement park, which includes major
attractions such as Superman - Ride of Steel, Mind Eraser and Batman:
The Ride, and the water park, named Hurricane Harbor.
Technically speaking, it is the oldest of the Six Flags parks, though it did not originally open as such. Six Flags New England used to be Riverside Park. It started out as a picnic grove called Gallops Grove in 1840. It eventually was renamed to Riverside Grove, then Riverside Park.
Riverside was a trolley park owned by the Springfield Street Railway. In the early 1900s a few mechanical rides and a carousel were added. In 1942, the park acquired its first roller coaster, a wooden roller coaster called the Thunderbolt which still operates today (2008). The park continued to be known as "Riverside: The Great Escape" until the end of the 1999 season. Riverside, like many Premier Parks was "flagged" or re-branded as a Six Flags Park.
Riverside Park was a favorite place of Karen Duquette's beloved Aunt Hazel Brink.
