Soupy's Lakeside Pools

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Nothing struck fear into a young boy like the high dive tower at Blakely's. Or perhaps you preferred the water slide at Maple Plunge. But to a young man, Lake Millerton or Lost Lake was the destination. Remember the ice rink in Pinedale? Post your favorite Summer Activity here.
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Debby Fresno

Re: Soupie's

Post by Debby Fresno » Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:59 pm

Hi Lakeside and Holmes fans: Today is June 30, 2012, and tomorrow is July 1, 2012-- more importantly known as Vernice Holmes' 95th birthday! She was part owner of Soupy's Lakeside Pools and the first manager of The Kennel Bookstore at Fresno State. A small group of us are meeting her for lunch at Yosemite Falls on Blackstone just north of Shaw at 1:30 tomorrow. Stop by if you'd like to see her.

debdafrog@gmail.com

Re: Soupie's

Post by debdafrog@gmail.com » Sat Sep 22, 2012 1:07 pm

Need to correct a previous error: Soupy was not a Pearl Harbor Survivor

jbchristy

Lakeside

Post by jbchristy » Wed Oct 16, 2013 8:00 pm

Our family moved into the neighborhood across Bullard Ave from Lakeside's eventual location when the houses were built in 1955. Most of our dads were WWII vets buying houses with CalVet loans. Lakeside was on the south side of Bullard and just east of Blackstone and east of the eucalyptus grove on the SE corner of Bullard and Blackstone. We kids took swimming lessons from Soupy in the 1960s and had a summer pass, so we swam at the pool almost every day. The "Lake" was the water-filled middle of the auto racetrack adjacent and south of Lakeside. I remember the auto races back in the 1950s and huge 4th of July fireworks shows. After the lake was filled some friends and I would tie large branches together and float in this raft around the shallow lake, sometimes catching blue gill. We spent many summer days there.

On the NE corner of Blackstone and Bullard was Dominic's small grocery store, Ken's barber shop and a beauty shop. Dominique was a jolly proprietor and friendly to us kids. His store had a tube-tester which came in handy when our old TV needed a replacement, which was quite often. These businesses were just north from the corner gas station (Chevron). A Texaco station was on the NW corner and a Shell on the SW corner of Blackstone and Bullard. An old independent store/gas station was right at the SE corner, but abandoned fairly early and eventually Montgomery Ward developed the whole corner. A few eucalyptus trees remain.

When we moved there in 1955, we were the only neighborhood amidst the fields and orchards of the general area which at the time was in the county. I remember one week when our car was inoperable, walking with my dad all the way to McMillan's grocery story at Shaw and Blackstone. There were no businesses along Blackstone at the time. In the other direction, Pinedale was a little, thriving community NW of Herndon and Blackstone. It is amazing to visit Fresno now and see the development all the way to the River.

BarryLB

Re: Soupie's

Post by BarryLB » Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:58 pm

I also took lessons at LakeSide and later (1965 to 1969) I think opened up and helped with teaching and guarding. Who remembers the Scotties logcabin? Or the Mountain Dew guys? Or painting the pools? I also set the record for two events there; one breath 5 laps. And one breath a minute for an hour holding onto the main drain. Remember the money toss? So many good memories. Sandra and Debbie and Bruce? I worked for one dollar, free swim and an icecream bar. Still in swimming pool business to this day.

Thank you everyone whom posted something about Pools in Fresno. There was one also on the corner of N. DelMar and somewhere around Rialto? Once a week they would drain it and fill with very cold water! Also swam a lot at Bullard high school and once in awhile Hoover High. I must have swam in all of them, I think. I remember the trip on the back of the trailer around the lake to dump trash. Fished in the lake and climbed the Mulberry tree at the creek and ate mulberries. On the corner southeast of Blackstone and Shaw was a bar that we would raid playing SwampFox.

KMoser

Re: Soupie's

Post by KMoser » Fri Mar 03, 2017 10:51 am

Hi Troy - I have been searching the Internet for photos of Soupy's Lakeside Pool. I cannot believe having spent so many summers there, I didn't take a single photo. Any chance your family would post the photo of the exterior sign? And maybe some of the pools? Thanks so much.

pegeston

Re: Soupy's Lakeside Pools

Post by pegeston » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:29 pm

Oh the memories of Lakeside swimming pool. My family lived right across the street where Boston Market is now. My brother and I bought passes and went there every day. What a great place to spend our childhood. Fun times. Pat Cannon Geston

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