EDITOR’S NOTE: The Times Leader presents a look back at the past year this week with Eastern Ohio’s Top 10 stories of 2022, as selected by the newspaper’s editorial staff.

BARNESVILLE — July bright the announcement that a group of residents is working to restore and revive the former State Theatre in Barnesville.

The structure opened in 1925 along West Main Street and featured a large stage and balcony. Over the decades, it hosted an array of live shows and movies before it closed for good around 1969. The building was later used as a carpet store, followed by a thrift store, but it has been vacant for many years.

Roger Johnson, a member of the group, said the volunteers hope to secure funding to renovate the entire building. He said it eventually could be a venue for live entertainment, school programs and movies.

“We all thought it was a fantastic idea. It would be wonderful for Barnesville, especially to draw in more folks and open it up for a variety of things — shows, live shows, stage plays, high school events and things like that, Johnson said.

The group’s first meeting was held in May. Work was underway to remove clutter from inside the theater in July. And by September, the structure was ready to open for public tours. Tours were conducted during the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival and during early December’s Christmas in the Ville.

Though an exact figure is unknown at this time, Johnson estimates it will cost between $3 million and $5 million to completely restore the facility.

Denny Hunkler, who owns the building along with a former adjacent restaurant building and is a member of the theater committee, decided to donate the facility back to the community for the project.

A meeting attendee offered up some contributions of memorabilia for the theater. Judy Hall-Hutchinson, a village resident, said her father ran the drive-in movie theater outside the village. She said they are getting ready to tear down the concession stand where there are two projection stands, film and other items that the committee may be interested in for the theater.

And Luke Johnson, a member of the group, said he possesses one of the original projectors from the Barnesville theater along with slides that contain the theater’s original logo. He offered to have the equipment displayed in the theater.

Work on the project continues. Anyone interested in volunteering their time to help, making a donation or sharing ideas or memories of the theater can contact Sally Johnson via mail at 52704 State Route 800, Jerusalem, by email at junie3b@hotmail.com, or through the Facebook page.