On a stormy November morning in the 1950s, Jim Tierney was driving from his home in Tamaqua to his job at Kaier's Brewery in Mahanoy City.

As he neared the sweeping curve along Route 54 near the Lakeside Ballroom, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel as winds from a tropical storm whipped across the open area.Soon he was witness to one of the turning points in the history of the Lakeside Ballroom.The park had opened in 1880 with two dams and picnic grounds, with the wooden roller coaster added in 1923.Tierney slammed on his brakes as a huge portion of the coaster tumbleweeded across the road in front of him. Then he continued to Mahanoy City, where co-workers at first did not believe him.Now the venerable property is for sale, listed with Joan Goodman Real Estate of Mahanoy City.The nearly 25,000-square-foot building, on about 8 acres, includes a walk-in cooler, commercial kitchen, three liquor bars (the liquor license is being sold separately), a stage and plenty of parking outside."Commercial property with many uses it has been the historic Lakeside Ballroom for years where weddings, parties, dances and boxing have taken place," reads the real estate advertisement. "Make your financial dream come true."Charlotte Lorah of Barnesville worked at Lakeside for 30 years, from 1959 to 1989."Those were the days when many people made memories that last a lifetime," Lorah said. "The Jordan Brothers would play there on Thursdays and Sundays, and we'd get thousands of people to see them."Lorah's day typically started at 7 a.m., when she opened the doors and helped set up for the indoor flea market. At 11 a.m., she'd head to the lake to start admissions for swimmers. In the late afternoon, she'd head back to the ballroom to help get ready for dances, which ran from 7 to 11 p.m."I never missed work I loved it there," she said. "Everybody loved it there it was a place where average people could feel like they were on an expensive vacation because it was so beautiful, and there was so much to do."Lorah said that most of the regular park visitors were "locals" who traveled from Tamaqua, Mahanoy City and other nearby towns. Tamaqua residents could take a train, which left town at 10:30 a.m. for the 5-mile jaunt.The park underwent steady improvements, including in 1891 the construction of a large hotel, bathing houses and cottages on the grounds.A merry-go-round was added in 1903, and in 1920, then-owner Harry Hart arranged the delivery of several railroad cars of sea sand for a beach. In 1924 Hart also purchased an open auditorium, which was dismantled and moved to the park. In 1927 he added a newer merry-go-round and two amusement park rides.Despite the 1916 opening of the 88-acre Lakewood Park, about a mile away, Lakeside continued to thrive.Lakewood opened its Crystal Ballroom in 1925. Each venue had a huge dance floor, with Lakeside's 144 feet by 80 feet and Lakewood's 168 by 104 feet.Lakewood closed in 1984. Although its lake was drained many years ago, Lakeside has continued to operate, hosting musical entertainers, dances and civic functions such as the annual American Cancer Society's Chinese Auction."When the Jordan Brothers were there, we needed several people to stamp hands because the people were just pouring in," Lorah said. "My brother Warren Fritz, me, my mother and a woman named Eleanor Purnell would be stamping hands as fast as we could.""I think it's a great location and could be whatever somebody's dream wants it to be," she said. "There's not another place like it.""I'm not the only person who has great memories of Lakeside," she added. "And I know that in the right hands, it could be great again."