Lakemont Park officials have announced that The Casino at Lakemont Park will reopen for events with catering available from select vendors. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

The Casino at Lakemont Park will reopen soon under an arrangement between the management of Lakemont Park and a slate of “preferred vendors” who will provide catering services, according to a news release from park management Tuesday.

The Casino closed in July after the retirement of chef Doug Simon, due to his financial struggles, caused partly by high debt incurred for improvements he made to the space he rented from the Lakemont Partnership, which controls the park property under a long-term lease from Blair County.

The reopening fulfills a partnership goal “to keep The Casino building used and enjoyed by the community,” partnership President Andrea Cohen stated in response to written questions from the Mirror.

The reopened Casino can host wedding receptions, corporate functions, private celebrations and community events, and will be available for the upcoming holidays “and well into the future,” according to the news release.

The preferred caterers and their chefs are Alto Markets’ Travis and Marilyn (his mother) Seymore, Mama Randazzo’s Paul Randazzo and Mayfield’s Maddy Martinsen, according to Cohen.

Those caterers were selected “for their professionalism, creativity and ability to deliver outstanding service across a wide range of event styles,” the release states.

Park management recruited caterers for the list that “we knew would provide exceptional service and high-quality food to the event host(s),” Cohen stated, adding that management is open to expanding the list.

Caterers proposed by prospective event hosts must be approved prior to being hired, she wrote.

Event hosts can bring their own prepared food — but management recommends using a caterer, “so that their staff can assist with food service, providing a good experience for all,” Cohen wrote.

A prospective host who is planning an event like a wedding reception can book a date with The Casino, The Casino will suggest that person contact one of the preferred caterers, that person will make contact with the caterer, and if the caterer is available on the day of the event, the parties can work out a menu and conclude an arrangement, said Travis Seymore of Alto Markets.

The prospective host pays The Casino for the venue and pays the caterer for its services, but the caterer doesn’t pay The Casino, Seymore said.

The Casino sets up the tables for events, Seymore said.

If the party booking the event wants a type of meal the caterer doesn’t specialize in or can’t easily provide, the caterer can refer that party to another caterer, he said.

Alternatively, if the party booking the event calls a caterer to arrange an event, but lacks a venue, the caterer can suggest that the party contact The Casino, to find out whether it’s available on the preferred date, after which the party can arrange with the caterer to supply the food, according to Seymore.

The Casino has three differently sized rooms to accommodate events of varying sizes, according to Cohen.

Alto Markets can handle events at its own Forno Alto cafe next door, but seating is limited to 35 there, Seymore said.

When contracted by a prospective host for an event at The Casino, Mama Randazzo’s can simply drop off food for a buffet line or else bring in the food, serve it and bus the tables afterward, said Mama Randazzo’s employee Bri Elliott.

Mama Randazzo’s also has its own catering space on North Fourth Avenue in Juniata, apart from its restaurant on Broadway, Elliott said.

Park general manager Christi Draves is overseeing the reopening, according to Cohen.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.