By Martha Jacob – 

Nestled on a small tract of land in Mt. Orab, formerly the site of the old Lake   Drive-in Theater,  is something most people would never expect to see.
Mike and Jodi Keller now own and operate The Venue on Lake Grant, LLC (dba The Venue) located at the site.
The Venue is a 5,600 square foot Amish built barn, which is perfect for hosting large group events.
“We are both very excited to finally be open to the public,” said Jodi Keller. Our maximum occupancy is 285 people. We actually had our grand opening on Sept. 23 then  held our first wedding ceremony on October 14 of 2017 and it was a beautiful event.
“Since our grand opening we have had the pleasure of hosting not only weddings and private parties. In the 2018 year we have already booked 45 events including a high school prom from Adams County, several graduation parties, birthday parties  and quite a few weddings.”
The  Venue is full of  beautiful wooden craftsman ship, including a custom built bar, a stone fireplace and a bridal dressing room. There is also an outdoor patio with whiskey barrels tables and space for an outdoor ceremony.
When asked why the couple chose this particular kind of business to open in the Mt. Orab area, Jodi said that in the summer of 2016 they were inspired by a friend’s daughter’s wedding held in Lexington, Kentucky. They decided they wanted to build a local wedding barn, adding some of their own unique ideas to the structure.
“Country barn weddings are a popular trend right now and this area didn’t have many selections that offered year around temperature controlled space for a large event,” Jodi added.
“So we started our design for the Venue, came up with a business plan and obtaining all the needed permits. The Village of Mt. Orab and Clermont County building department were both supportive as we navigated our way through all the construction and permitting requirements.
“We made the business decision to obtain a beer, wine and liquor license for the barn, so that we could keep the alcohol consumption at the property within our control.
She continued, “In the fall of 2016 we were able to get enough support from the residents of southern Mt. Orab and Pike Township voting districts to be on the ballot during the November election.”
Within five months of breaking ground in spring 2017, the Venue had passed all its inspections.
Along with all the other events, the Venue is now hosting corn-hole tournaments which have become extremely competitive and well attended.
Jodi works full time in Cincinnati as an environmental consultant and her husband Mike owns a small electrical company, Keller Electric, and manages a small hog farm in Williamsburg and both say they are used to hard work and are excited to begin their new business of The Venue on Lake Grant LLC.
“Mike and I, along with my brother-in-law Ron Keller purchased the 14 acre property,” Jodi said, “We’ve only lived in this area for about 13 years but we love it and have seen significant growth in Mt. Orab, along Highway 32 and 68, so we felt like the property was a good investment.”
The Venue on Lake Grant is located at 13257 US 68 in Mt. Orab, just north of the Lake Manor Restaurant.
The Venue can be contacted by calling (513) 504-4681 or visit its website at www.thevenueonlakegrant.com and on its facebook page.