DENVER -- Lakeside Amusement Park first opened its doors to the public in 1908 and welcomed thousands of people every year. That is, until the pandemic forced it to close its doors.
Now, they’re ready to rebound by mid-summer.
If you pass anywhere close to Lakeside Amusement Park, it’s hard to miss its main tower.
"For many, many decades it was the highest thing out in the plains, there were farms all around it," said operations manager for Lakeside Amusement Park, Brenda Fishman.
But now the place known for laughter, happiness and countless memories has gone quiet.
"It feels like it is just itching for people to come and fill it up," said Fishman.
Brenda Fishman’s family has kept the park open every year since the 1930s, only to come to a close because of the pandemic.
It wasn’t until earlier this month that Jefferson County gave them the green light to open.
"That’s what finally made us decide, 'Hey, this is possible,'" said Fishman.
In order for families to once again walk through this park, hundreds of workers are needed to bring it back to life.
"The main thing for us is... now we just have a tremendous hiring need and we need to hire for basic infrastructure work, painting, stucco, all kinds of just tradesmen," said Fishman.
They also need people to make funnel cakes, popcorn and operate the rides. While other industries have had an issue rehiring workers, Lakeside Amusement Park is already seeing people with different experience come in.
"We just hired a lady who she had been a server at a restaurant for 28 years and now she gets to work at an amusement park and so that sounds fun and different," said Fishman.
Bringing the park back to life means adding color with the help of fresh flowers and new paint. So by the time they open their doors mid-summer, it’ll be as if they never missed a beat.
When the park does open they’ll be able to do so without any capacity restrictions, unless Jefferson County decides to make changes to their current guidelines.