By Brennan Crain

What you need to know:

• Ground was broken Monday on the Guilfoil Recreation Center at the Craft Innovation Center, a new facility expected to make the Boys & Girls Club of Glasgow-Barren County the largest stand-alone club campus in Kentucky.
• The center honors the legacy of Dr. Bobby and Dale Guilfoil, whose children — Kelly Craft, Micah Guilfoil-Payne and Marc Guilfoil — joined Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
• The facility is expected to include two basketball courts, batting cages, classrooms and a stage area. Construction by Branscum Construction is expected to be completed by September 2027.

GLASGOW, Ky. — A long-held vision moved closer to reality Monday as ground was broken on a project expected to make the Boys & Girls Club of Glasgow-Barren County the largest stand-alone club campus in Kentucky.

The proposed facility, known as the Guilfoil Recreation Center at the Craft Innovation Center, will be built adjacent to the existing Boys & Girls Club.

The large, single-story building is expected to include at least two middle school-sized basketball courts, batting cages, classroom space and a stage area.

The project is being funded by Kelly and Joe Craft, longtime supporters of the local Boys & Girls Club. The Guilfoil name honors Kelly Craft’s family, recognizing her maiden name and the legacy of her parents, Dr. Bobby and Dale Guilfoil.

The Crafts were among dozens of people gathered along Columbia Avenue for Monday’s groundbreaking. Kelly’s siblings, Micah Guilfoil-Payne and Marc Guilfoil, joined her for the occasion as she reflected on the family’s roots and the vision behind the facility.

“Home is where it all began for the three of us, and this is where we learned to know who we are today is possible,” Kelly Craft said.

For years, Dr. Bobby Guilfoil answered calls from across the region at all hours of the day and night, providing veterinary care to animals in need. His wife, Dale, devoted her career to serving students, teaching home economics at Glasgow High School and helping young people develop the skills to care for themselves and others.

Their commitment to helping others is part of what Craft said made the Boys & Girls Club a fitting place to carry on their legacy.

“Mom and Dad believed that every child had something special in them someone just hadn’t noticed,” Kelly Craft said. “That’s what the Barren County Girls and Boys Club has done for 20 years.”

Craft said the facility was a fitting way to honor her parents, who spent their lives making room for other people’s children.

“I can’t think of a better way to honor our mom and dad because they spent their lives making room for other people’s children,” she said.

Club leaders envision the facility serving not only young people enrolled in club programs but the broader community.

When it is not being used for club activities, the space could be made available for groups to rent for meetings, events and other gatherings.

“This is meant to be a community center,” said CEO Mallie Boston. “It’s meant to be for each and every one of you.”

Since expanding into the former New Farmers National Bank building in February 2024, club leaders have embraced new opportunities made possible by the significantly larger space compared with their previous locations at the HERO Center and Bunche Center.

The Guilfoil Recreation Center is expected to expand those opportunities even further, giving the organization additional room for youth programming, recreation and community activities.

“This gift has no price that I could put on it for what it means, and it has no price on what it can do to change the community for the rest of our future,” Boston said.

Before the groundbreaking ceremony concluded, Craft challenged the children in attendance to make the most of the opportunities the new facility will provide — to run, play and study hard, then pass that same spirit on to the next generation.

Branscum Construction of Russell Springs is handling the project. Construction is expected to be completed by September 2027.