Bailey: Reminiscing on Garner Lake and days of Lakeland past
Ben Ikerd with Lakeland Middle Preparatory School practices his pitching during a Feb. 24, 2021 practice. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian file)
Clay Bailey
Clay Bailey, a lifelong Memphian, has worked as a reporter in the city four decades. He concentrated on suburban coverage for the bulk of his career, except for a stint as sports editor of The Daily Memphian when it launched in September 2018. He now is suburban editor and also serves as a freelance sports writer for The Associated Press.
Growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, Lakeland was a far-off destination with an amusement park and nearby drag strip.
Topics
Garner Lake Lakeland Lakeland International Raceway Louis Garner Subscriber Only Lakeland amusement parkThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Related stories
Lakeland begins Econo Lodge demolition
After dealing with crime and other unwanted activities at a Lakeland hotel, city officials helped start the demolition of the Econo Lodge, a step in reinventing the area around Canada Road and Interstate 40.
Lakeland officials reject Garner Lake proposal
A suggestion to change the status of Garner Lake in Lakeland and making the private water feature accessible to outsiders was met with strong opposition.
Bartlett officially opens New Brownsville Road
It took a quarter of a century, but officials finally opened New Brownsville Road in Bartlett, providing a five-lane road between Austin Peay Highway and Kirby Whitten Road.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.