It was 1910 and Lakeside was growing up. In fact, so grown up were we that we needed a Town Hall.  No easy feat to come by for a town so small.
  The first thing needed was a piece of land to put it on.  The Woman's Club, formed only five years before, came up with the $200.00 needed to buy the land.  They had recently received a donation of $250.00 from John Gay, the third owner of the Lakeside Inn.  Since the building itself would cost considerably more than that to build, a meeting was called by the town to figure out just how this could be accomplished.  After much talk and exchange of ideas, an organization called the "Improvement Club" was formed.  The first meeting was January 13, 1911.  By vote, it was decided that the Club would have the right to build and own property, the main purpose of which was to build a Town Hall for Lakeside.
  Those who attended this meeting became charter members of the Club.  Their names were: Mary A. Ross, C. W. Ross, Mrs. J. H. Mansfield, E. A. Langdon, W. McClain, Dr. J. T. Ireys, J. H. Burch, H. E. Woodman, R. A. Whitaker, Mrs. E. Langdon, G. A. Biship, W. J. Kuhner, Mr. and Mrs. M. Birchard, Mr. and Mrs. M. Bryant, Mrs. George A. Bishop, J. H. Lucas, Mrs. R. A. Whitaker, H. D. Mareks and W. G. Mareks.
  The next thing to do was to sign a Memorandum of Agreement.  It was agreed that an organization ". . . to incorporate under the laws of the State of California and to be known as the Lakeside Hall Association be formed.  It was further agreed to ". . . build, maintain and construct a Town Hall in the town of Lakeside."  The end of the agreement and this, I think, is what took courage: ". . . To sign, execute, acknowledge and deliver promissory notes, checks, mortgages, deeds of trust and other instruments of writing whenever necessary to carry out the purpose of the corporation.  The term for the said corporation shall exist for 50 years."  Courageous?  You bet!
  They further agreed that the number of directors, who were to be elected at the next meeting, would be five in number.  The officers for the first year were: W. McClain, President; M. Bryant, Vice-President; Dr. I. T. Ireys, Secretary; Mrs. Mary A. Ross as Treasurer, and I. H. Burtch, member at large.  With very few changes, these directors served until the plans became reality.
  Because the Woman's Club had started the whole thing with their donation of money for the land, they were given the honor of turning the first few shovels full of dirt.
  Dances, suppers, bake sales, and anything else the directors could think of were held to raise money.  Most of the rest of the money needed was raised from contributions which ranged from Mr. Gay's $250.00, all the way