Just for kicks, tonight, I did a [Internet] search and came up with Lakeside, CA [www.lakesidehistory.org].  I spent all my grade school years growing up in Lakeside and have just wonderful memories. In April I plan to be in San Diego for a conference and want to drive to Lakeside to do the usual things, like find my old house, see the school, see Lindo Lake Park, etc.
  However, as I was looking at your web site and reading the articles so much came back to me.  I remember the castle house oh so well. As kids, we use to ride our bikes from early morning until dark and our folks never worried -- nor did we. I recall my friends and I would go knock on the door and the people that lived there, for some reason I only recall a man, letting us in and talking to us but he would let us go up into the tower -- oh, what a thrill. He had lots and lots of books and photographs that he would let us look at. We would thank him and be off until the next time we stopped. That was somewhere between 48-50 years ago. I recall Mrs. Beadle living in a house near ours.  I don't remember the name of the street/road [Ashwood Street]. I do remember you turned on the corner to drive to the dump. There was a row of barrack houses or something like that there.  We lived in one of those houses after my mother passed away. There was a big gully that butted up to her property and she would come out hollering at us kids to get away. I remember the market, the 5 & 10 store; the photography studio had my picture in the window once.  I can still see it . . . and think I still have the photo!
  I have wonderful memories of going to the movies on Saturday morning -- well, really all day.  We paid one price and watched movies all day. I recall being deeply in love with, I think his name was, Billy Haskell, and he gave me his ring to go steady one Saturday at those movies. Of course, my father promptly made me return it. But I still wore his leather jacket every day at school (we were in 7th grade then). I recall seeing "The Fly" there when it first came out . . . and about a 1,000 other movies cause that's where we all were on Saturday!
  I remember the boathouse and us kids carving our names in the wood. We used to spend hours catching crawdads there when the water got low. Lots and lots of hours were spent at the park. It was a wonderful town to grow up in. I rode my bike in the 49er Day Parade every year. Does that parade still exist? [Now the Western Days Parade in April.]
  I'm not sure of what the name of the school was . . . Lakeside Elementary? Mrs. Grassel was one of my early teachers don't remember the others names off hand, but her I remember. I recall we lived on Julian Avenue (before my mother died) and there was a little mom and pop store at the end of the street [Waller's Market] where we would stock up on penny candy . . . and that would hold us for the whole day.
  Was there a First Methodist Church in town during the

50's? I recall attending church every Sunday, and when I saw the photos of the Presbyterian Church -- that's what I recall -- with the bell tower, etc. and it was on a corner. What I don't recall is the name. [The Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church on the corner of Maine Avenue and Parkside Street which is now the home of the Lakeside Historical Society.]
  Oh, well, I've bent your ear enough. As I plan to come there in April, I did write the chamber and ask for any brochures, literature about Lakeside.  I know I have one or two of the old booklets Mrs. Beadle use to publish about Lakeside, and some old grade school class photos I'll have to dig out. I can't remember any one persons name off hand that I paled around with (other that Billy Haskell). Thanks for letting me indulge in a "walk down memory lane." My only hope is that there is someone from my era involved with the Historical Society that, just maybe, has some of these same kinds of memories too.
  Should you have reason to reply, Linda (Campbell) Genovese, 2410 Butlin Drive, Beloit, WI 53511

I, for one, have the same memories of growing-up in Lakeside during the 1960's.  And I am absolutely sure that many other readers have the same "fuzzy glow" memories of childhood here in Lakeside, "A Friendly Place to Live."  Thank you so very much Linda for bringing those memories back.

   Last summer the Maine Avenue Revitalization Association took possession of the Lakeside Theater. We are renting it on a month to month basis with the hope of saving it from demolition and restoring it for use as a community theater.
  In the beginning our vision was to get it up and running as a theater for various entertainment venues. Then we were going to purchase the building and restore it.
  Those visions came crashing down when we took the Fire Marshall on a tour. He said we can not open it for the public until the safety issues have been fixed . . . which are many. Apparently the former theater group never had safety inspections.
  We are hoping that the community will help us take on the task of restoring the theater and reopening it for the public similar to the way Lakesider's helped the Historical Society restore the Olde Community Church.
  Maybe someone you know would be interested in helping us restore the building which was built in

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