[1] Even though this was the beginning of the Great Depression, Pellissier expanded the park and guided it through difficult times.

One of the new rides he purchased for the park expansion was a roller coaster from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in Pennsylvania.

At the time, to sweeten the deal and get a park to buy one of their coasters, PTC would often "throw in" one of their merry-go-rounds.

[1] The Philadelphia Toboggan Company employed German and Italian craftsmen to create their wood carousels.

Daniel Muller, Frank Carretta and John Zalar were some of the men who worked on the Mountain Park ride.

The master carver could make a single horse head, and an assistant could then produce exact replicas with the jig.

The pavilion—originally a dance hall—was built with timber trusses a foot-and-a-half on a side and forty feet long.

The many whimsical scenery panels and rounding boards depicted everything from Swiss castles to sea battles, from cowboys to cars.

Using paper rolls like a player piano, the organ played merry songs that could be heard throughout the park.

The sound of the organ signaled the beginning of the day and its silence meant the park was closing for the night.

But Collins was approached by John Hickey, the head of the Holyoke Water Power Company.

[1] Hickey enlisted the help of Angela and Joe Wright, who had done a lot of charitable work in Holyoke.

Over three thousand people came up to the mountain and paid a dollar each to ride the merry-go-round for the last time at its original home.

School children in Holyoke raised $32,000 in two weeks from selling cookies and candy door-to-door.

It continues to thrill children and adults alike and has become a beacon for successful community preservation efforts.