A Schuylkill County landmark took another big step forward this weekend by opening a lakeside bar and outdoor entertainment stage and pavilion.
Lakewood Park Campground, which is located in the Barnesville section of Ryan Township, opened those amenities on Friday with a ribbon cutting ceremony held by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.
Lakewood this summer is also adding new 17 more campsites for tents, RVs and campers, bringing its total to 135 sites, and adding two more cabins, bringing its total to 17, said Andrew Roth, who owns the campground with his father, Buck Roth.
The chamber applauded the ongoing improvements that Lakewood is making.
“We are all excited to see the continued progress from the Roth family as they continue to grow Lakewood Park back into an entertainment and recreational hub for the community,” said Tony Merchlinsky, member relations and marketing director for the chamber.
“It’s really nice what they’ve made of it,” Merchlinsky said of the bar, which he expects will draw people from across Schuylkill County and beyond.
“These are the types of things that the chamber loves to see our businesses doing. We love new ideas, and this is a very innovative use of their space,” he said.
Lakewood Park covers 63 acres, and includes a 10-acre lake for fishing, kayaking and paddle boating, along with a playground, and regularly holds weekend activities.
The campground is on the site of the original Lakewood Park, which opened in the early 1900’s as a nature retreat where nearby coal miners and their families could picnic and camp.
Over the years it grew into a destination spot with a 150-yard cement pool, an amusement park, and a grand ballroom. It hosted big band dances, ethnic celebrations, festivals, summer stock plays, political banquets, and ice-skating, and featured celebrity performers such as Frank Sinatra, Dick Clark, Louis Armstrong, Guy Lombardo, The Every Brothers, Lawrence Welk, Doris Day and Eva Gabor.
It closed in 1984 after serving as an entertainment hub for almost 70 years.
The Roths bought Lakewood in 2017 with a plan to make it an attraction again. They opened the campground first, and have kept adding other features since then.
They completed the Catalpa Grove wedding hall in 2019, building it creek side, where Kiddie Land amusement park used to be. It hosts more than 80 events a year, including the annual Lithuanian Festival.
Lakewood Park Cafe and Bar opened inside last year on the property, serving food, draft beers, alcoholic slushies, and other drinks on Fridays and Saturdays.
The outdoor bar is open the same days, but on May 14 will expand to Thursdays as well.
Both the inside and outside facilities are open to campers and to the public.
The outdoor stage will hold entertainment a few times a month beginning in May, and Lakewood will post the entertainment schedule on its website and Facebook page. There are currently bands scheduled for May 9, 14 and 28.
Among the food items the cafe offers are flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers, along with Hershey’s ice-cream and a variety of coffee, espresso, lattes, boba teas, and other beverages.
While the campground’s primary season is April through October, the cafe is open year-round.
Its hours and menus are listed on Lakewood’s website.
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