History of the Barn

The Barn was originally built in the 1940s.  Back then, Five Lakes Resort was used as a private hunting camp for Mr. W. B. Bollenbach. He often had sheep on the grounds, though they used existing Quonset mainly as their home. The original Barn saw a variety of animals over the years until the Kaldahl family,  former owners of Fair Hills Resort, purchased the Five Lakes property in 1976.

Not being in the farming business, Fair Hills used the Barn for other purposes. Many teens from the late ’70s to late ’80s remember coming out to Five Lakes and sleeping in the hay mow for a night away from parents. The ’90s also saw staff excursions to the barn for team building outings.

In 2009, the Barn had fallen into enough disrepair that is was time to either give it a huge renovation or demolish it completely. With the end goal to house Beth & Dan Schupp’s horses, the Barn began renovations in 2010. Right around this time, the “Barn Wedding” trend started to emerge and the decision to change the Barn to house events instead of horses was made. The Barn renovations were completed in 2012 and facility hosted its first wedding in the fall of that year. The Barn now hosts groups, meetings, parties and weddings each season. In the winter, the lower level acts as the Fair Hills, Five Lakes & Wildflower Golf Course office with desks occupying the stalls.

The area surrounding the Barn has gotten upgrades each season with the addition of the grand staircase, bridge, pathways and paved roads. Future projects include patios, a Milkhouse Bar and get-ready rooms.