JOLLY CHOLLY'S FUNLAND,
171 East Washington Street, North Attleboro, MA.
Although not located in Rhode Island, It was a summer fun spot
for many Rhode Islanders in the 60's & 70's. The park occupied 12 acres.
The Ferris Wheel, Kiddie Whip, Merry- Go-Round, kiddie boats,
kiddie buggies and Sky Fighter were added in 1959 and in 1960
the roller coaster. Sadly, the park closed in 1979.
I had two aunts and uncles who lived in northern Massachusetts. Before I-95 was built, we would drive to see them via Route 1 and went past Jolly Cholly's. I remember going there only once, though.
ReplyDeleteI used to go there often with my parents for pizza!!!!
ReplyDeleteJolly Cholly's also drew many people from Boston's southern suburbs.
ReplyDeleteI believe the site is still vacant over three decades later.
It apartments or condos there. The old sign was left up for the longest time until it became a hazard and they tore it down.
DeleteWow! The pic brings back so many memories for me. Thanks for posting it! I lived in Foxboro when I was a boy, and my parents took me often to Jolly Cholly's. My love for amusement parks began here. I'm now 48 years old.
ReplyDeleteMy whole family; well the six kids anyway, all worked at Jolly Cholly's amusement park. Many people came there because it was a really cheap date and a lot of families visited as well because the kids all loved the rides and junk food. The park "officially" closed in 1979 but it was actually "mostly closed down" for several years before that.
ReplyDeleteHaving worked there at Jolly Cholly's during that period of time; I can tell you that the final nail-in-the-coffin or the final reason it closed was due to the U.S. energy crisis during the 1970s going on at the time. Nobody could get gas and of course, there was no public transportation to the amusement park and the owner lost money on that deal, for sure. That's what the employees were told, anyway.
My father worked there on weekends making pizza. I remember he would always tell us how many pizzas he made that night. One night he told me he had made over 300. While I had heard of Jolly Cholly's as early as the mid 1960's, I hadn't visited the place but once and not until my father worked there. I think it was probably around 1974. The place was packed by people who went for the food but I noticed the amusements were kind of run down by then. We went on what they called a roller coaster and they had a fortune teller but I don't really remember any other amusements being there at that time. My father quit in 1975. We lived in Norton by then. Coincidently my mother moved into the mobile home park across the street from where Jolly Cholly's used to be. That was about 15 years ago and they still had the sign up at that time. My parents are gone and so is Jolly Cholly's and most of the places I knew growing up. I wish I'd visited the place a decade earlier when it was in it's hey day.
DeleteMy dad says he has memories of going to Jolly Cholly's.
ReplyDeleteI Still Remember My Dad & Mom Taking Us Kid's There In The Early 70's! I Was Fascinated By The"GIANT CLOWN!"Entrance & The Excitement of going there to Eat Pizza & Ride The Rides! I Also Can Remember That They Had A "Piggly Wiggly"Supermarket Right Across The Street from The Park. It Wasn't A Big Amusement Park, But It Sure Was FUN !
ReplyDeleteI for several years, as a child, it was the "promised land". Living on the North Shore, with grandparents living in Plainville, an extended stay with them meant at least one visit to Jolly Cholly. This was the mid-60's when apparently it was still going strong with a miniature train circling the park. Bright lights on a summer evening. Comotion. Excitement. And the wonder of it all. All that remains are cherished memories.
ReplyDeleteThey had th very best pizza around for a very long time :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember going here many times when I was a kid. Mostly from 1960 to 1963. The owner was Asian I think. He was a very nice guy. I was in St. Aloysius Home at the time and many times he would open up the playgrounds to just us children. The pizza was the best or was it?
ReplyDeleteCharlie had a heart of gold..
Does anyone remember the all you can eat Chicken & Waffles Restaurant across the street? I can't remember it's name.
ReplyDeleteColstone resteraunt was across the street I worked there as a teen puzzling why it was closed and left vacant all this time the frame of the sign is still there rusted in the overgrown trees
ReplyDelete