“Valley Arena Gardens”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

The Valley Arena Gardens, most commonly referred to as the Valley Arena, was a sporting and entertainment venue in Holyoke, Massachusetts, best known for hosting weekly boxing matches which included Rocky Marciano's debut professional fight.^[8] Though best known for its history as a boxing venue, the Valley Arena also hosted wrestling, basketball, roller hockey, miniature golf and featured its own restaurant.^[9] As a nightclub and music venue it also hosted an array of vaudeville acts such as Bela Lugosi,^[10] as well as renowned musicians including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, The Ink Spots, The Dorsey Brothers, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan, and The Temptations.^[8]^[11]

Plagued by several fires, at least one of which was from suspected arson, as well as a decline in attendance from the emergence of television, the venue was closed following the 3rd such fire on May 12, 1960.^[1]^[12] After considerable delay, the building was ultimately demolished in August 1964.^[13]

Today the space where it once stood is occupied by the Valley Arena Park, a small recreational green space managed by the city.^[14]

History

On August 11, 1925, Valley Arena, Inc. was established^[15] by Homer Rainault, a promoter who had previously organized fights in Hartford, Troy, and West Springfield, and his associates. By October 23, 1925, the company had purchased an old brick gasholder house from the City of Holyoke's municipal gas works.^[15]^[16]^[17] The sale at the time was listed in the register of deeds as a land sale as the gasholder house had been previously decommissioned in 1915, was briefly considered as a site for a new public bathhouse, but had remained unoccupied since.^[14] After 3 months of construction, the new converted Valley Arena Gardens debuted with their first fight on February 8, 1926 with a match between one "Petey" Mack and Leo "Kid" Roy.^[18]

On June 13, 1943, at approximately 2am, the first of three fires in the Arena's history broke out. An hour after owner Homer Rainault left the building, local patrolmen reported seeing flames billowing out of the building. Starting on the first floor and filling all reaches, the fire caused between an estimated $150–200 thousand dollars (approx. $2.1 to 2.5 million in 2017 USD).^[19] The building was insured however, but only for $100,000 dollars; in the weeks following the fire, owner Homer Rainault expressed doubts over rebuilding.^[20]^[21] Ultimately Rainault decided to rebuild, and used the Holyoke War Memorial Building as a music venue for the remainder of the year, hosting a number of artists, including The Ink Spots, during this time.^[22] Fights continued at a local club in Springfield and by August of that year, Rainault had put everything in place to rebuild.^[23]^[24] Eight months after the devastating fire, the venue reopened on February 28, 1944 with a 10 round match between bantamweight champion Louis Salica and one Mario Colon, a rising star from Mexico.^[25]

In 1944, the Arena's founder Homer Rainault died unexpectedly from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 58; by that time he had gained a reputation as a promoter for giving many nationally famous boxers their start in the Connecticut Valley.^[9] The board of directors ultimately voted for his nephew, Oreal D. Rainault to take his place. Rainault would eventually sell the venue in 1952 to two businessmen, Jack and Ralph Kane of Norfolk, Virginia; making it clear that this sale was only partial as he retained stock in the company.^[26]

Even before the second fire, the venue had begun to see a decline in its attendance for boxing matches as television gained popularity while stage shows and events that relied on audience attendance saw shrinking numbers across the country.^[1] On November 11, 1952, the boxing matchmaker, Joe Di Maria, resigned due to dwindling crowds that season.^[27] In contrast with its boxing, by the end of 1952, concerns had been raised by Holyoke police and fire departments about overcrowding at the venue's night club. On December 23, the police and fire chiefs held a conference stating that maximum capacities would be discussed with and enforced by the Arena's management, denying rumors that the venue was being given a pass.^[28]

Only three days after that press conference, on December 26, 1952, the second started in the Circus Lounge of that building in the early hours of the morning. Future Holyoke fire chief William W. Mahoney, then a member of one of the companies which fought the fire, later went on to describe it as "one of the most vicious fires for smoke conditions [he'd] ever seen," severe enough that an eye doctor had to set up a first aid station at the scene.^[29] The three-alarm fire quickly spread, and led to tenants across South Holyoke being roused from their beds in case of a possible evacuation.^[30] In total the fire caused an estimated $250,000 of damages (approx. $2.3 million in 2018 USD),^[19] and injured 6 firefighters.^[31] The fire had begun in the basement, and with the premises flooded for several days, firefighters were not immediately able to determine its cause. While formal inquests were made and hours of testimony given by the owners and multiple employees under oath,^[32] conflicting accounts were found and the fire was deemed "of unknown but suspicious origin" by the state police captain tasked with its investigation.^[33]

While the city had allowed boxing to continue in the Holyoke War Memorial building during the previous fire, this was not the case the second time. Before Jack Kane or anyone else associated with the arena could approach the War Memorial Commission, their chairman Thomas Epstein introduced a motion, passed unanimously, opposing the use of the hall for wrestling or boxing matches.^[34] The venue would reopen following its last reconstruction, on September 28, 1953.^[35]

After the final fire on May 12, 1960, Oreal Rainault elected not to not attempt rebuilding the venue.^[12] Following a prolonged period where the burnt-out ruins of the building sat vacant, the Valley Arena Gardens were demolished throughout the month of August, 1964.^[13]

Boxing

While it hosted many well known musicians and other sporting events, the Arena was best remembered as a boxing venue, where many champions across multiple weight classes got their start in their early professional careers. Among the many other household names who would fight in the ring, were Beau Jack, Willie Pep, Kid Kaplan, Lou Ambers, Billy Petrolle, Jack Delaney, Frankie Genaro, Sandy Saddler, Rocky Graziano, Ike Williams, and Ernie Schaaf.^[1]^[18]^[36] Jersey Joe Walcott, best known as the oldest man to ever win the world heavyweight championship title at the age of 37 (prior to George Foreman's win at 45 in 1994), also fought in the Arena for an exhibition match.^[1]^[37]

More than two decades after the venue had burnt down, World Featherweight Champion Willie Pep was quoted as saying "it was a breeding place...anybody who was anybody boxed there."^[1] One Mike Cipriano, a New York promoter who managed Jake LaMotta and Harry LaSane, described it as "a little Madison Square Garden...the arena was known from coast to coast—they'd sell out almost every week...it was nothing for a bunch of us to pile into a car and head for Holyoke...If you didn't fight in Holyoke, you weren't a fighter"^[1]^[38]

Among the most notable matches hosted was the first match in the continental United States of Sixto Escobar, the first Puerto Rican to win a world title. On May 7, 1934, Escobar, a bantamweight, defeated bantamweight contender and Canadian flyweight champion Bobby Leitham, in a fight that made headlines in local papers and was described as a "dramatic upset".^[39] The match of 10 rounds was ended abruptly in the seventh, when a referee realized the extent to which Leitham's left eye had been hemorrhaged by a sharp right overhand which had also left a gash across his cheek. Escobar was declared winner of the match by technical knockout.^[40]

Perhaps most famously, the Arena hosted Rocky Marciano's professional debut in the ring, as a 4-round opener against Holyoke native Lee Epperson on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1947. In the first professional bout of his career the Brockton native, then stationed in the air force at Westover, was billed as "Rocky Mackianno of Westover Field" or "Rocky Mac" for short.^[41]^[42] Having been set up for the opening fight by a friend who had known Rainault, Marciano managed to hold on for the first two rounds as Epperson landed several blows as his own missed. The match came to an abrupt end however, 42 seconds into the third round when Marciano landed a sharp right uppercut, knocking his opponent through the ropes and out of the ring. Because the fight predated Marciano's continuous professional career by about a year, and he had been billed under a slightly different name, it remained entirely obscure until later in the heavyweight's career.^[42]^[43] After retiring, Marciano would make a second appearance at the venue a decade later, serving as a referee. Brought on at the invitation of boxing promoter Sam Silverman, it would be billed as his "Eastern Debut" in such a capacity- his only previous referee role being at a venue in New Orleans.^[43]

Music

Throughout nearly the entirety of its existence the Arena booked many famous musicians for its night club, which featured its own in-house orchestra.^[44] Spanning generations, it hosted many famous musicians across several genres, including jazz, blues, big band, country, soul, and rock & roll with such names as- Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Wee Bonnie Baker, The Dorsey Brothers, The Ink Spots, Lionel Hampton, Roy Rogers, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan, The Temptations, Shep Fields, and Jack Teagarden.^[8]^[14]^[11]^[45]^[46]

Other

The Arena also served as a venue for regular vaudeville shows as well, and several known stage actors including noted impersonator Larry Blake, and Bela Lugosi, of Dracula fame.^[10]^[47] In 1942, the venue found itself at the center of a political controversy when the mayor of Holyoke at that time, Henry J. Toepfert instituted a ban on all vaudeville acts on Sundays, building on previous Massachusetts blue laws that prevented dancing or the use of "grotesque" costumes on Sundays. The Arena had however already booked several such acts for Sundays from prior contracts, and was allowed by the city to continue them, despite protest from other venues in the city.^[47]^[48]

Among other early sporting events hosted at the Arena, the venue also served as the home for the local amateur basketball league's "All-Valley Team", which included at least two players who had been invited to play in the American Basketball League.^[49]^[50] Wrestling was also a common event at the venue, with such names as Arnold Skaaland, Angelo Savoldi, Chief Don Eagle, and Bull Curry.^[51]^[52]

Valley Arena Park

The land where the venue once stood was sold to the city by the Rainault family in 1968^[53] and was converted initially into space for a playground^[54]

Within a year's time these plans were expanded into a playground and wading pool with bathhouse, with construction beginning in 1969. The park reopened in 1970.^[55] Despite being the site of a former gasworks, a comprehensive environmental assessment taken from 2004 through 2005 of the soils at the site found no contamination of the site inconsistent with background noise typically found in urban soils.^[14]

Notes

References

1. ^¹²³⁴⁵⁶{{cite news|title=The Valley Arena (1923 – 1960)|last=Imelio|first=Carlo|date=April 4, 1982|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
2. ^{{cite web|title=Sports - Boxing|website=Creating Holyoke|publisher=PassportHolyoke|year=2009|access-date=16 February 2018|url=http://www.creatingholyoke.org/exhibits/show/community-social-life/sports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217030747/http://www.creatingholyoke.org/exhibits/show/community-social-life/sports|archive-date=17 February 2018}}
3. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|page=73|title=Board Questions Extra Costs on Demolition Job|date=December 3, 1964}}
4. ^{{cite news|work=Holyoke Transcript-Telegram|page=10|date=January 17, 1938|title=Deaths- Orcar Beauchemin [sic]; Well Known Architect and Designer Dies at Pearl St. Home; Was Member of Bowling Team That Established World's Record 25 Years Ago|quote=In drawing the plans for the Valley Arena, Mr. Beauchemin remodeled the old gas holder, formerly the property of the Municipal Gas & Electric department, into a perfect indoor sports center. Regarded as one of the most model boxing plants in the country the building was praised by Jack Dempsey, former world's heavyweight champion, on a recent visit here as one of the finest he had ever seen.}}
5. ^{{cite book |last1=Della Penna |first1=Craig P. |date=1997 |title=Holyoke|series=Images of America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCsp3_iURWQC&pg=PA48 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=9780738586571 |pages=48|author-link= |oclc=}}
6. ^{{cite news|last=Collins|first=E.J.|title=Valley Arena Holyoke's New Indoor Sport Home To Be Ready for Boxing Shows Early Next Month|page=1|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=January 24, 1926}}
7. ^{{cite magazine|magazine=Sports Illustrated|title=Sad Samuel|last=Kane|first=Martin |year=1957|page=82|volume=VI|quote=Thirty-one of Rocky Marciano's 49 fights were promoted by Sad Sam, he recalls. The other night Sam Silverman was reduced to just one fight club, the Valley Arena in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which seats some 1,600 persons— a club so small that no seat is more than 60 feet from the ring.}}
8. ^¹²{{cite news|title=Valley Arena lives in Holyoke's heart 50 years after fire|last=Burke|first=Mike|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=May 22, 2013|url=http://www.masslive.com/living/index.ssf/2013/05/mike_burke_valley_arena_lives_in_holyokes_heart_50_years_after_fire.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422002752/http://www.masslive.com/living/index.ssf/2013/05/mike_burke_valley_arena_lives_in_holyokes_heart_50_years_after_fire.html|archive-date=April 22, 2015}}
9. ^¹{{cite news|title=Homer Rainault Dies Suddenly in Holyoke Hospital; Sports Promoter, President of Valley Arena, Succumbs to Cerebral Hemorrhage at Paper City|page=1|date=December 15, 1944|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
10. ^¹{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eomACgAAQBAJ&pg=PA196&lpg=PA196&dq=vaudeville+%22valley+arena%22+holyoke&source=bl&ots=DMkAUAYVBN&sig=A4wZ6xrzSnkfG6wnyjwmhgBT1xc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj958v2l4jaAhUnuVkKHazoBVIQ6AEIWDAK#v=onepage&q=vaudeville%20%22valley%20arena%22%20holyoke&f=false|title=Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers|last=Rhodes|first=Gary Don|year=1997|page=196|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|location=Jefferson, NC}}
11. ^¹{{cite news|title=Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughn; Arena|page=24|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=October 21, 1950|quote=Two star attractions will be offered at the Valley Arena Gardens tomorrow in Duke Ellington, occupying the bandsland with his world famous orchestra, and Sarah Vaughan, recording artist and star of radio and television...}}
12. ^¹{{cite news|title=Firemen Fight Final Round at Valley Arena|work=Springfield Union|date=May 13, 1960|page=36|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
13. ^¹{{cite news|title=Valley Arena Awaits Final KO|page=12|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass|date=August 22, 1964|quote=Holyoke's former sports palace, the Valley Arena, is shown as demolition work continued on Friday. Still left standing is a front entrance with mosaics of boxers, shown in the above photo. The demolition of the fire-wrecked building was ordered by city officials after several years of standing vacant.}}
14. ^¹²³{{cite book|title=Manufactured Gas Plant Remediation: A Case Study|last1=Hatheway|first1=Allen W.|last2=Speight|first2=Thomas B.|chapter=Holder Houses of Massachusetts|page=|publisher=CRC|year=2018|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzJDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT152|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzJDDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover}}
15. ^¹[Query- "Valley Arena"], Massachusetts Corp. Card Search, Corporation Cards of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth
16. ^{{cite book|title=Richards Standard Atlas of the City of Holyoke, Massachusetts |publisher=Richards Map Company|location=Springfield, Mass.|year=1911}}
17. ^{{cite news|quote=Papers were recorded in registry of deeds yesterday concluding the transfer to Valley Arena, inc., of Holyoke of 19,066 square feet of land on the east side of Bridge street, 100 feet south of Hamilton street, Holyoke. The property was conveyed first by the city of Holyoke to George J. Attinger, who thereupon conveyed it to the Valley Arena, inc. In each case the indicated consideration, as shown by the revenue stamps, is $17,000.|title=Holyoke Land Deal|page=4|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass|date=October 24, 1925}}
18. ^¹{{cite news|title=Rainault Gave Many Boxers Their Starts in Pro Ranks; Death of Valley Arena Chief Last Week Takes Energetic Figure From Sports Scene; Kept Boxing Alive in Dull Times|date=December 21, 1944|page=12|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
19. ^¹{{cite web|title=CPI Inflation Calculator|publisher=US Bureau of Labor Statistics|year=2018|url=https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm|access-date=March 26, 2018}}
20. ^{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Co.|location=Cincinnati|title=200G Fire Destroys Holyoke Night Club|page=14|date=June 26, 1943|quote=Valley Arena, local nitery, was completely gutted by flames Sunday (13) morning. Fire, which broke out on the first floor, swept thru the building, and a reconditioned illuminating gas storage tank, causing damage set at $150,000 to $200,000, with a replacement cost of well over $300,000, according to Homer Rainault, manager...Rainault said he had no idea if rebuilding would be attempted, especially at present. He said, however, that while the building was covered by insurance that it was entirely inadequate to cover the cost of rebuilding|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT13}}
21. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|title=Cause of Holyoke Arena Fire Not Determined|last=Kelleher|first=George|date=June 14, 1943|pages=1, 11}}
22. ^{{cite news|title=Jan Savitt and His Band at War Memorial, Holyoke|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=June 20, 1943|page=5C}}
23. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|page=10|title=Rainault Hints Outdoor Matches; Valley Arena Mogul Considering Holyoke, Chicopee, West Side Sites|date=August 3, 1943}}
24. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|title=Despite Burning of Arena, Boxing Soared; Valley Arena Hard Hit by No-Pleasure Driving Edict and Then Was Destroyed by Flames on June 13; West Side Club Drew 33,000 Fans in 16 Shows|date=January 2, 1944|page=21|last=Kelleher|first=George B.}}
25. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|page=10|title=Valley Arena Reopens Its Doors Tomorrow; Lou Salica and Mario Colon to Meet in Feature 10-Round Bout of First Boxing Show There Since Fire Leveled Club Last June - Four Preliminary Bouts|date=February 27, 1944|last=Kelleher|first=George B.}}
26. ^{{cite news|title=Virginia Men Buy Share in Valley Arena; Deal Not Final Says Rainault, Who Retains Interest in Plant|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=March 25, 1952|page=1}}"
27. ^{{cite news|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=November 12, 1952|title=Matchmaker Quits|page=49}}
28. ^{{cite news|title=[Police Chief] Grady Denies Arena is Given 'White Wash'|page=5|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=December 23, 1952}}
29. ^{{cite news|title=Needs No Warmup-Fire Chief Treads in Family's Path|page=9|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=April 16, 1969|quote=Possessing an apparent photographic memory for places and dates, Mahoney said the worst fire he remembered started in the Circus Lounge of the Valley Arena, Dec. 26, 1952. 'It was one of the most vicious fires for smoke conditions I've ever seen,' he said. 'There were a lot of men injured, principally eye injuries, and an eye doctor had to set up a first aid station right at the scene.'}}
30. ^{{cite news|work=Boston Traveler|location=Boston|page=17|date=December 26, 1952|title=Fire Sweeps Sports Arena in Holyoke}}
31. ^{{cite news|title=Holyoke Arena Burns; 6 Felled|work=Boston Daily Record|date=December 27, 1952|page=6}}
32. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|title=Valley Arena Fire Inquest Listed Today; Employees, Owners Reported Summoned to Review Dec. 26 Blaze|page=13|date=March 5, 1953}}
33. ^{{cite news|work=Boston Daily Record|title=Arena Fire Cause Seen Suspicious|page=19|date=March 17, 1953|quote=State Police Capt. Daniel A. Murphy said in an inquest report that the Valley Arena fire in Holyoke on Christmas Day was of unknown but suspicious origin. Murphy asked that the report be sent to Dist. Atty. Stephen A. Moynahan for investigation. He said there was conflicting testimony given under oath at the inquest March 5}}
34. ^{{cite news|title=War Memorial Vetoes Boxing; Holyoke Commission Opposes Use of Building for Such Events|date=January 8, 1953|work=Springfield Union|page=8|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
35. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=September 16, 1953|last=Heinz|first=Harold|page=33|title=Valley Arena Reopens for Boxing On Sept. 28}}
36. ^{{cite news|title=Schaaf Awarded Easy Decision Over Sandwina|quote=Ernie Schaaf, Boston heavyweight, coasted to a decision over Ted Sandwina, of New York, in the Valley Arena's ten-round feature bout here last night.|work=The Daily Colonist|location=Victoria, BC|date=April 27, 1932|page=10|url=https://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist0432uvic_21/#page/n9/mode/2up}}
37. ^[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UtgjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5CMEAAAAIBAJ&dq=jersey%20joe%20walcott%20vs%20ezzard%20charles&pg=5376%2C1207765 Left Hook Stops Charles in 7th, Makes Walcott Oldest Champ, 1951, The Milwaukee Journal]
38. ^{{cite book|title=The Scribner encyclopedia of American lives: Sports figures|volume=II|chapter=LaMotta|page=8|year=2001|publisher=C. Scribner's Sons|location=New York|quote=Distrustful of everyone, [LaMotta] fired his manager, Mike Cipriano, and assumed control of his career.}}
39. ^{{cite book|title=Latino Athletes|page=62|last=Friedman|first=Ian C.|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2007}}
40. ^{{cite news|title=Leitham Stopped by Escobar at Valley Arena|page=1|work=Springfield Republican|date=May 8, 1934|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
41. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|date=March 17, 1947|page=7|title=Saint Paul and Tommy Hubert on Arena Card}}
42. ^¹{{cite book|year=2002|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Urbana and Chicago|chapter=Holyoke|pages=9–12|title=Rocky Marciano: The Rock of His Times|last=Sullivan|first=Russell|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BH4LHMbERT8C&pg=PA9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BH4LHMbERT8C&pg=PA0}}
43. ^¹{{cite news|title=New England Title Bout- Retired, Undefeated Heavyweight King Officiates Light Heavyweight Championship Match Between Doncaster and Demars at Holyoke|date=January 6, 1957|work=Springfield Union|page=5B}}
44. ^{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=The Final Curtain|date=January 9, 1943|page=31|quote=Mayurowski-Bergeron — Chester J. Mayurowski, member of the Valley Arena night club orchestra, Holyoke, Mass., and Mary C. Bergeron, nonpro, in that city December 26.|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Co.|location=Cincinnati|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XQwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT25}}
45. ^{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=More Holyoke Vaude|quote=The Valley Arena Gardens started a new three-day policy August 21, presenting The Victory Parade Revue, featuring Elaine Seidler Dancing Girls, Ann Dupont and orchestra, and Roy Rogers.|date=September 5, 1942|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Co.|location=Cincinnati|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NAwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1882&lpg=PA1882&dq=roy+rogers+valley+arena+holyoke&source=bl&ots=CUPoSrogsr&sig=sZGJJJwHT6wdsKQ7z92qmuxEQYo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOl-SmnIjaAhXDx1kKHSxwAWAQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=roy%20rogers%20valley%20arena%20holyoke&f=false}}
46. ^{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Band Bookings|date=November 4, 1942|volume=148|number=9|page=40|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety148-1942-11#page/n39|publisher=Variety, Inc.}}
47. ^¹{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Co.|location=Cincinnati|page=17|title=Book Raps Blue Law|quote=Frisco claimed that the mayor, [Mayor Henry J. Toepfert] turned down his application for a Sunday license for vaude at Mountain Park but permitted the Valley Arena's Sunday show featuring the Emerald Sisters and Larry Blake, both of which acts are vaude attractions, Frisco said.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1899&dq=%22The+valley+arena%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2ybWogInaAhXm6YMKHX0sCOU4ChDoAQhTMAk#v=onepage&q=%22The%20valley%20arena%22&f=false|date=July 25, 1942}}
48. ^{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|page=11|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Co.|location=Cincinnati|title=Holyoke Bans Sun. Vaude, But Not Orks|date=May 30, 1942|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MAwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT10}}
49. ^{{cite news|title=Jimmy and 'Kisky' in Old Home Town; Malcolm and Feldman Turn Down Offers to Play in American League|date=November 26, 1925|page=14|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|quote=Jimmy Malcolm and George Feldman, the greatest forecourt combination developed in the amateur basketball game in this city, have rejected offers to play with an American Basketball league team. They will center their activities with the Holyoke quintet that has been formed and which will consist of those two stars along with Jerry Conway, Willie Walkov, Nel Crowley, George 'Babe' Donaghue and Ray Marchinik...The first game will be played in the Holyoke High gym next week when they meet the Dixie Speed boys of Hartford. When the new Valley arena is completed the locals will play all their home games there.}}
50. ^{{cite news|title=Valley Quintet Ready to Open|quote=The opening contest for the newly formed basketball team of this city, composed of Malcolm, Feldman, Conway, Crowley, Donoghue, Walkov and Marchinik, will be played Thursday night on the Holyoke High surface with the Endees of Meriden, Ct., as the opposition. The locals, named the All-Valley team, are considered one of the best aggregations of local stars ever brought together. They should furnish Holyoke with some of the fastest basketball seen here in the last five years. This game and perhaps one or two others will be played at the high school gym until the new valley arena is ready.|date=December 1, 1925|page=13|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.}}
51. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|page=31|date=May 14, 1952|title=Wrestling Tonight Valley Arena Gardens- Holyoke [advertisement]|quote=Main Bout- Arnold Skaaland vs. Angelo Savoldi}}
52. ^{{cite news|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|page=26|date=June 4, 1952|title=Wrestling Tonight Valley Arena Gardens- Holyoke [advertisement]|quote=Main Event- Chief Don Eagle vs. Bull Curry}}
53. ^Parcel 029-05-012, Holyoke Assessor's Database
54. ^{{cite news|title=Something Old Going, Coming, Something New|date=July 17, 1968|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.|page=47|quote=The something new being added to Ward 2 is a tots playground on land formerly occupied by the Valley Arena, once famous as the local center for boxing and wrestling matches. Wood chips were spread over the ground Tuesday and new playground equipment is scheduled to be set in place today.}}
55. ^{{cite news|date=November 4, 1969|title=Wading Pool Nears Completion|page=24|work=Springfield Union|location=Springfield, Mass.}}