By Morgan Bryce
Staff Reporter
The Bottling Plant Event Center in downtown Opelika unveiled its latest addition last week, a new 8,400-square-foot. pavilion, an addition that gives guests a chance to better utilize the outdoor space of the facility for events, according to owner Lisa Ditchkoff.
Located behind the main building, the pavilion covers most of the previously uncovered courtyard area. Ditchkoff said she believes giving her patrons the flexibility of hosting either an indoor or outdoor event without concern for weather will be a significant boost to her business.
“I’ve always kind of liked the idea of having a pavilion covering that outdoor space back there … what I’ve found over the years though is that people always ask that question, ‘well, what’s going to happen with something like a wedding ceremony and reception if it rains?’. And so that may have deterred them from booking with us in the past,” Ditchkoff said. “This (pavilion) will allow us now to have lots more events year round.”
The pavilion’s construction is slated to be finished this week, leaving Ditchkoff with the task of decorating and adding lighting for a structure that she says will be heavily influenced by America’s architectural past. “The whole concept of that pavilion is kind of like late 1800s or early 1900s feel, so there’s bolts and metal brackets that are going to be added to add that kind of final touch to it … it’s going to be really nice,” Ditchkoff said.
Ditchkoff said the pavilion’s completion, along with the previously announced partnership with Coca-Cola, give her optimism for the Bottling Plant Event Center’s future.
“We plan to have more events, more open-to-the-public events … a lot of people want us to open regularly and offer food offerings. So, we haven’t made an official announcement about what we’re doing yet, but we do have a plan in place for that,” Ditchkoff said.
The Bottling Plant Event Center is located at 614 N. Railroad Ave. For more information, call (334) 705-5466.
