Jones County will have a new multi-purpose facility in the near future, Justin Kelly revealed last week.
Kelly, owner of Gray Dairy Queen Grill and Chill, announced that the arena will be located in the county and should be open within three years.
“It’ll be like a multi-purpose rodeo arena, bringing in rodeos, bringing in concerts, graduations, whatever,” he outlined. “It will be agricultural friendly, not super commercialized.
"It will fit the landscape. It will be something our community can be proud of.”
Kelly said the proposed arena will be under cover and seat about 1,000. He appeared confident it would be built soon and be successful.
“Within the next two to three years, it will come to fruition. And, I predict that inside that venue, we’re going to have a million-dollar concert. We’re going to raise a million dollars for kids in central Georgia.”
Kelly, of course, is no stranger to raising money. His Dairy Queen has led the country in securing donated funds for the Children’s Miracle Network on Miracle Treat Day. In 2025, Gray’s DQ raised $180,000 for the children’s hospital network, the most in the world, according to the Dairy Queen corporate office.
Kelly would not disclose the location or specific plans but did indicate the site has already been selected, and financing is in place. He mentioned he has seen another facility of the type he and his partners are planning.
“They have one in LaGrange, and it’s super nice. They probably do 15 events a year.”
