Event Center Coming to Barnesville

Local businessman Trent Brownfield, along with his wife, Brooke, who specialize in staging special events throughout the area, announced this past week, they have closed on a permanent event center location in the village of Barnesville. The Shady Lane Event Center is slated to open in the spring of 2025.

In a social media post, the Brownfields shared, “Anyone who has been around me the last few years know that we have been trying to either find ground to build or buy a building for an event center. We closed on a building making it official” with the purchase of the former First Baptist, later New Life Baptist Church building,  at 94 Shady Lane.

Brownfield hopes the to have it available for rental in the spring available for wedding receptions, baby showers, bridal showers, graduation parties, class and family reunions.

Earlier this year, Barnesville Area News shared the church building was listed for sale with a local realty firm. At that time messages left with congregation, went unanswered.

A Baptist congregation was established in Barnesville in 1963. For several years, the group rented the first-floor storeroom at 116 West Main Street. Later, services were held in the former Bethel AME Church on West South Street.  

On March 22, 1991, a new church sanctuary was dedicated at 94 Shady Lane, the congregation’s first, and now only, permanent home. During the pastorate of Rodney West, the congregation grew to several hundred when plans were made to expand the building. Following West’s tenure, the church was expanded.