ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – A Rocky Mount man is reliving his childhood memories of Lakeside Amusement Park by creating a toy replica of the park.
Ron Phennicie created the model in his basement.
He started the hobby about five years ago and now his basement is filled with cities, trains, cars and a replica of the park. It has an ice cream stand, a roller coaster, rides and even the iconic swimming pool.
Phennicie used to go to the park all the time as a kid before it closed in 1986. He said this model was a perfect fit for his display.
"I had a huge space that I needed to fill up and I didn't know what to put in there and I thought, 'Well, the only thing that I can think of that will take up that much space would be an amusement park," Phennicie said. "And as soon as I thought 'amusement park,' I said, 'Well, Lakeside.'"
Phennicie still has to put on some final touches, but plans on holding a fundraiser for the Franklin County Historical Society to show off the mini models this fall.