Tom Schmitt, a lifelong resident of Hutchinson and owner of Schmitt’s Paint and Wallpaper Co., took on the project of Lakeside Farms in 1968. He had decided that Carey Park needed more interest and hoped his park would encourage others to develop other areas. He petitioned the city council, was granted a five-year lease, and invested $50,000 in the project. The early newspaper accounts refer to the project as Lakeshore Farm but the account of opening day calls the area Lakeside Farms. Under the terms of the lease five per cent of the net profit would be returned to the City of Hutchinson. The train and boats were ready for opening day.

• Miniature Train
• Motor Boats
• Carousel
• Antique Auto Ride
• Ferris Wheel
• Petting Zoo
• Barn with Silo
• Farm House
• Concession Stand
  

The motor boats were electrically powered, running on rechargeable batteries. They cruised the lagoon where there had been rowboats at the time Schmitt was a child.

The antique auto ride featured half-size replicas of 1911 Fords and operated over a six-hundred foot track. The Ferris wheel was twelve-feet high.

The barn was forty by twenty-four feet and had a twenty-four-foot silo. The inside was decorated and could be reserved for parties.

The following rides were planned but may or may not have ever operated at the site:

• Helicopters
• Stage Coach
• Rodeo Ride
• Hayrack
  

There is no record as to how long the park operated or the disposition of the rides.

Remains

There is no trace of the Lakeside Farms although Carey Park does continue to exist. A Hutchinson Northern locomotive and a Union Pacific caboose are near the site.

The Hutchinson News, May 23, 1968; June 9, 1968; August 25, 1968.

A special thanks to the staff of the Hutchinson Public Library for their help in researching this park and to Mike Hayes for sharing his memories of a visit to Lakeside Park.