Literacy Coalition Provides Essential Service

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

Sitting on the corner of Spring and High Streets is one of the most historic and picturesque buildings in downtown Springfield. And while it can be lauded for its architectural splendor, what takes place inside adds to its importance as a local landmark.

The Clark County Literacy Coalition, located in the former Warder Public Library, was founded in 1989. It does what its name implies – addresses literacy issues among a diverse population. The CCLC works with everyone from school-age children to adults and those whose first language is not English. The list of services includes:

• The Adult Basic Literacy Education program serves adults who need basic literacy help, whether it be reading so they can read to their own children or obtaining a GED;
• English Speakers of Other Languages addresses those who need to learn to speak our language;
• Teach Children to Read focuses on children who meet the following criteria: are two levels behind their current grade level and assessed between fifth grade or below in reading.The ever-growing need for a highly-skilled workforce demands that everyone be a highly-functional reader if they expect to access the better paying occupations that in many cases go unfilled due to lack of qualified candidates. For that reason, you can see how important the Literacy Coalition is to our community’s success in attracting and filling jobs that require a high degree of competency.

In working with school-age children the CCLC sees itself as a partner with schools in Clark County, serving those who need extra attention in order to catch up. CCLC Executive Director David Smiddy said it typically will take one year of twice a week, one-hour sessions for a student to move up two reading grade levels.

And with an increasing number of immigrants living in Clark County, their path to future success rests with being able to speak English.

Tutors are the backbone of the CCLC, which has one full-time employee and three part-time. Kathy Piatt may log more hours than any other tutor in the history of CCLC.  Why?  It’s not because she has been at it the longest. Carol Horner gets that award at 21 years!

Kathy, however, started out with one student and then asked if she could tutor more than one.  At present, she has six students, working mostly with special needs children. Whereas, typically tutors volunteer at Warder twice a week for an hour each time, Kathy comes in four days a week, several hours each day.

The City of Springfield owns the building that houses the Literacy Center, and while the Literacy Coalition pays only a nominal fee for use of the building, it is responsible for utilities, upkeep and repair. By occupying the building for its noble purpose, it also keeps in use an historic downtown facility that might otherwise be unoccupied.

Finances are always an issue, Smiddy said, so any donations or support of the CCLC’s fundraising activities are gratefully welcome. Its two largest are the June 5/10K Race for Literacy held the second Saturday in June and a dinner, generously financed by Jim and Niki Lagos, allowing all proceeds to go to the Literacy Center. This year they are selling Christmas cards designed by students/tutors.

The CCLC hopes to establish an endowment fund through the Springfield Foundation. For more information about the Literacy Center, phone 323-8617 or visit its website at https://sites.google.com/a/cclcnet.net/literacycenter/

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Springfield Welcomes MISS OHIO USA Pageant

Chris Schutte, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

On November 6th and 7th our community will welcome 140 young women from all over the State of Ohio who will be vying for the title of 2016 MISS OHIO USA, or MISS TEEN OHIO USA. The contestants – along with their families, friends and event staff – will comprise a group of nearly 2000 visitors to Greater Springfield.

The pageants will bring approximately $500,000 in economic impact to our community through hotel room nights, dining in local restaurants, shopping at our retail stores and visiting our attractions. And while this is obviously great news for our community, it may not be the biggest benefit of hosting this premier event.

From the moment we began negotiating with Proctor Productions (the event organizer) to host the pageant, it was evident that they had a very positive perception of our community, and our event facilities. They raved about our “gorgeous” downtown, Clark State’s “fantastic” venues and the “beautiful” Courtyard by Marriott hotel. It was certainly refreshing to hear an outsider’s point of view on Springfield.

Pageant contestants and their families were recently in Springfield for event orientation. We had the opportunity to personally welcome them to Springfield where the event will be held for the first time after a 12-year run in Portsmouth, Ohio. Following the orientation meeting we were able to speak with contestants and their families one-on-one about everything our community has to offer. We again received incredibly positive feedback about Springfield. They are legitimately excited to be here and it shows!

As Greater Springfield’s destination marketing organization, we have the opportunity to hear this kind of positive reinforcement on a regular basis. Trust me when I tell you that visitors love our community! Their opinion is honest and genuine – and not weighed down by past history. They see what Springfield is today, and where we’re going.

No fewer than a dozen people attending the orientation told us – completely unprompted – that they couldn’t wait to get back here for the event, and planned to visit Springfield beyond the event to enjoy our local attractions. This, in essence, is the value of hosting events like MISS OHIO USA.

The MISS OHIO USA pageant offers us yet another opportunity to raise the perception of our community. I would be remiss in not thanking our many local partners who make hosting this event possible: Clark State Performing Arts Center, Courtyard by Marriott, Lee’s Famous Recipe, Sheehan Brothers Vending, Olive Garden, the event committee and our local hotels. From lodging and ticket sales, to staging and contestant meals, you are the driving force behind this event.

Please join us in providing a welcoming atmosphere to the contestants and their families. If you would like to attend the event, just visit Ticketmaster.com and enter “Miss Ohio” in the search box. Selling-out both nights of the event would go a long way towards us retaining this event for years to come!

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Best of Springfield Winners Announced

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

We’ve always known there are a lot of great things in Springfield. From outdoor recreation and events, to Arts & Culture and dining, Springfield offers a diverse menu of activities that are difficult to match for cities twice our size!

What better way to highlight these amenities than to ask you – our local residents – to help us identify the Best of Springfield?

Online voting for the Best of Springfield contest opened to the general public on April 15th, and continued until the polls officially closed on August 30th. The only eligibility requirement was that the business – or attraction – be based in Clark County. The voting was promoted via billboards, print advertisements and social media.

In that time we received more than 3000 ballotscovering 18 different categories focused on local dining, shopping and entertainment. This incredible response – and the wide variety of answers – far exceeded our expectations. Voting in many of the categories was very tight with some of the winners overtaking their competition in the final days of voting.

On October 22nd the winners were announced at the first annual Best of Springfield Celebration at Clark State’s Hollenbeck Bayley Center. 350 event attendees enjoyed great food, live music and a special wine tasting with Cameron Hughes. The winners received a special framed plaque designating them as “The Best of the Best 2015”, and window clings announcing the designation to their clients and customers.

All of the winners, along with the second and third place finishers in each category, are featured in the new Best of Springfield magazine which debuted at the event. We will be distributing the magazine via mail, and at a number of local pick-up points including the lobby of Commerce Pointe downtown.

This contest would not have been possible without you, the voters. Thank you for sharing your opinion on what makes Springfield great. And to the winners, congratulations on your achievement and we hope you wear your new title proudly!

Best Breakfast Spot: Bob Evans
Best Lunch Spot: Mike & Rosy’s
Best Fine Dining: Seasons Bistro
Best Pizza & Subs: Bada Bing
Best Sushi: Sake 3
Best Chicken & Wings: Buffalo Wild Wings
Best Burger: Five Guys Burgers & Fries
Best Coffee & Bakery: Schuler’s Bakery
Best Ice Cream: Young’s Jersey Dairy
Best Date Night Spot: O’Conner’s Irish Pub
Best Bar/Nightclub: O’Conner’s Irish Pub
Best Place to Watch the Game: Buffalo Wild Wings
Best Family Fun: Young’s Jersey Dairy
Best Local Attraction: Westcott House
Best Local Event: Summer Arts Festival
Best Outdoor Recreation: Buck Creek State Park
Best Salon & Spa: Oasis Salon & Spa
Best Locally Owned Retail Store: Champion City Guide + Supply

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Sustaining Our Sense of Place

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

One of the Springfield area’s greatest assets is its scenic parks and extensive bike trails. We are fortunate to have beautiful green spaces and trails located throughout the county providing recreational venues for everyone to enjoy. Sustaining our sense of community is why we all need to vote “YES” to renew the parks levy when we go to the polls on November 3rd.

The Clark County Park District is asking voters to renew a 0.6-mill, 10-year joint property tax that generates about $1.3 million annually for maintenance of local green spaces and parks. If voters approve it, the levy will not increase taxes and will continue to cost the owner of a $100,000 home just $21 annually to protect the parks in our area for us, our children and the generations to come.

Our support of assets like the Estel Wenrick Wetlands, George Rogers Clark Park, both Reid and Snyder Parks, the county’s bike trails, Veteran’s Amphitheatre, and various other green space amenities will help promote our sense of place and further enrich this region.

The joint levy was first passed as a five-year levy in 2011 and it expires at the end of 2016. The money is used for maintaining parks and green spaces and cannot be used for revenue-generating operations like Reid Park Golf Course, Splash Zone Family Aquatic Center or the NTPRD Chiller. The money is divided between the two park districts based on their acreage of parks, green spaces and multi-use trails. National Trail receives 72 percent of the levy funds, while Clark County takes in about 28 percent.

The American Planning Association estimates that a park within 1,500 feet of a home increases the home’s value by an average of $1,214 for an urban park, and $10,648 for natural areas and other green spaces. A National Association of Home Builders survey found that 65 percent of home shoppers said parks would influence them to move to a community. A survey from the National Association of Realtors reported that half of respondents would pay 10 percent more to live near a park or protected open space.

NTPRD maintains about 1,300 acres of parkland and 30 miles of bike trails. The Clark County Park District maintains hundreds of acres of dense woods, hiking and walking trails, waterfalls and large lakes while running several historic sites, including George Rogers Clark Park, the Battle of Peckuwe historical battle site and the Hertzler House museum.

NTPRD has made several improvements to its parks including the Rotary Centennial Playground, the Friends of Snyder Park Sprayground and the Central Bark Dog Park. The district also completed the Warder Fit Stop and the Buck Creek Nature Park behind Carleton Davidson Stadium.

When people rate a city’s quality of life, parks always make it to the top of the list. Renewal of this levy is critical to the operation and future of our parks, and is a good investment for those of us who live here, or will in the future. Please join me in voting “YES” on November 3rd.

Have a Great Chamber Day!

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Dog and Man

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

My wife and I have a dog named Max. He is a three year old black lab who loves shoes and taking runs on the bike trail. Like many dogs, Max has a big heart and lives life to the fullest every day. Last week, I met “Dog Man” Martin Buser, who spoke about his sixteen dogs that love life and run on a different kind of trail.

Born in Switzerland in 1958, Buser began mushing at age 17. In 1979 he moved to Alaska and began to train and raise sled dogs full-time. He entered his first Iditarod in 1980 and has competed in every one since 1986. He is a four-time winner and has finished in the top-ten sixteen times.

In the lower 48 (as Alaskans call us), we do not hear much about the annual event known as the “Last Great Race on Earth.”  Every year the famous race starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome with each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher covering over 1,150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful and rugged Alaskan terrain in just 10 to 17 days.

Buser, who has logged more than 50,000 miles on the Alaskan trail, dedicates his recently finished book “Dog Man” to all the people that have ever had the pleasure to be influenced by a dog. He quips, “Near or far, warm or cold, dogs have lived with humans and bettered us throughout.” In his book, he describes his life’s journey and adventures, his misadventures, and the lessons he learned from his devoted relationship with his canine friends.

When training dogs for the Iditarod, Buser says he looks for “50 pound dogs with 100 pound hearts!” He says to compete in the Iditarod, the team must possess pure determination and a strong will to finish the grueling race. He says, “I know exactly where my limits are; I step over them every day.”

He also talks about how the race has changed, and how he and his team must continually adapt and innovate in order to compete at the highest level. In 2002 his team completed the race in only 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds which is the second fastest finish time in history. I guess it is safe to say that incredible achievement did not happen by accident.

I really enjoyed meeting Martin Buser and hearing the story about his long journey. I could relate it to what we are trying to do in working to make our community better. As we seek to help move the Greater Springfield Community forward we need to realize that like the Iditarod, this is going to be a long hard race filled with lots of twists and turns and jagged edges to take us off course. However, we will need to team up to keep the vision and master plan in front of us and continue to press on toward the goal and not stop until we cross the finish line together.

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Tourism is a Growth Industry for Greater Springfield

Chris Schutte, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

Visit Greater Springfield recently received 8 MIDDY awards at the Ohio Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Annual Educational Conference in Gahanna. The MIDDY awards (named after Ohio’s Midwest location) recognize statewide excellence in destination marketing across all platforms. A record number of entries were judged by a statewide judging panel comprised of marketing, PR and advertising professionals. Visit Greater Springfield received more awards than any other destination marketing organization in the state.

Visit Greater Springfield took home first place awards for:

• Our “Find Your Unwind” marketing campaign which includes print materials, digital elements, bus wraps, apparel and social media
• The VisitGreaterSpringfield.com website which was launched in April of this year and features “mobile first” technology which has helped increase site visits by more than 160%
• Our “Find Your Unwind” visitor guide, 30,000 copies of which will be distributed this year
• The “Minute in Springfield” video series featuring staffers Kelcie Webster, and Emily Harrison, that has been viewed more than 15,000 times via social media
• Our LED billboard ad campaign which is seen by more than 60,000 travelers everyday on the I-70 LED board constructed by the Clark County Convention Facilities Authority
• VisitorView, our monthly e-newsletter that is shared with our local tourism partners and stakeholders

Visit Greater Springfield also claimed second place awards in the categories of print advertisement, and social media campaign. With these 8 new awards, we have now received more than 50 state and national awards since 2011.

While awards are certainly nice, the proof is in the results. The local impact of tourism has grown more than $42 million* since 2011 and the tourism industry is responsible for nearly $370 million in annual economic impact in Clark County. Our local hotel occupancy rate – a leading indicator of marketing impact – is up 8.9% Y-T-D when compared to 2014. Tourism is a growth industry in Clark County and it’s time to embrace it as such.

Funding for tourism promotion is derived from lodging tax charged to guests staying in local hotels. Many DMO’s in the state receive 100% of the lodging tax collected to promote their destination to leisure travelers, business travelers and groups. Visit Greater Springfield currently receives slightly less than 50% of the lodging tax remitted to the City of Springfield by our local hotels.

When compared to our competitive set in Southwest Ohio (Greene, Warren, Montgomery, and Butler counties), our annual budget is somewhere between one-half, and one-quarter, of theirs. This puts our community at a distinct disadvantage from a marketing perspective.

While we continue to promote Greater Springfield at a high level, additional funding for tourism will be needed to move our community forward. We have formed stakeholder committees to help us create comprehensive plans around sports tourism, conventions and meetings, and major event bid fees. These tourism industry sectors have the potential to drive significant increases in lodging tax receipts, sales tax receipts and local economic impact.

The continued growth of our local tourism economy is good news for Springfield. Tourism is closely aligned with quality of life, business attraction and retention, relocation and retail sector growth. Now is the time for us to invest in this growth industry and take the next steps to ensure that it will remain vital for years to come.

*Source: Tourism Economics, “The Economic Impact of Tourism in Clark County, Ohio”, June 2014

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History is Coming Back to Life

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

Springfield is blessed to still have some wonderful architecture. The unique designs can be seen throughout downtown in buildings like the former City Hall, Bushnell, News-Sun, and various government buildings. This unique architecture can also be seen in neighborhoods surrounding downtown like the South Fountain Historic District.

My wife and I had the opportunity to tour some of these incredible rehabilitated homes at the 2015 South Fountain Avenue Historic District Tour of Homes this past weekend.

The South Fountain Historic District is significant as the largest, intact concentration of high-style late 19th and early 20th century houses in Springfield and as the embodiment of the growth of the upper middle class and the prosperity of the industrial and business leaders who populated the neighborhood. Their economic success, during a period of intense industrial growth in Springfield, is reflected in the many distinctive residences in the area. Included are excellent examples of the transitional Greek Revival-Italianate, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Eastlake porches, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles, along with a number of more typical turn-of-the-century housing. Several handsome churches, small commercial buildings and a fire station are the only non-residential buildings which are original to the area.

The South Fountain Avenue Historic District encompasses an area of approximately fifteen square blocks immediately south of downtown Springfield, across the street from the former South High School. Prominent Americans like Oliver S. Kelly, William N. Whiteley, and Francis Bookwalter are counted among the district’s founding residents. With the continued success of Whiteley’s Champion Reaper Company and other district owned businesses, South Fountain came to be recognized as a premier residential area for Springfield’s affluent.

Victorian-era homes are the mainstay, though there are also a few later Prairie-style houses. Every home in the district has a front porch, a feature that’s celebrated the first Saturday of each October during South Fountain’s Front Porch Festival. Real estate prices range from $15,000 for a fixer-upper Folk Victorian, to $80,000 for a restored Queen Anne.

South Fountain Preservation, Inc. is the neighborhood association in the South Fountain Avenue Historic District. The idea behind South Fountain Preservation emerged from hours of discussion over a kitchen table during the summer of 1976. In the fall of that year, the group was founded and began holding regular monthly meetings. Mailings were sent to property owners encouraging them to attend and air their opinions. South Fountain Preservation was chartered as a non-profit corporation in the summer of 1977.

Thanks to the hard work and pioneering spirit of this group of people, houses, once carved up into apartments, are now being purchased and restored by young professionals, and baby boomers alike. Many of the residents work in Springfield, commute to Dayton, or make the 45 minute drive to Columbus. Because of their hard work and relentless determination, Springfield is quietly reemerging as a more diverse community with neighborhoods like this one that are affordable and unique places to raise kids in a unique, village style environment.

Next time you are near this neighborhood, make sure to check out its great progress!

Have a great Chamber Day!

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Leaders Must Drive a Safe Culture

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

On any given day, about 64,000 Clark County residents head off to work. The Springfield-Clark County Safety Council would like to see each of those employees return home safely at the end of that work day.

Since 1994, the Safety Council has been providing occupational safety information, educational opportunities and special events to increase occupational safety awareness to businesses. It is hosted by the Chamber of Greater Springfield and funded by the Ohio Division of Safety and Hygiene.

This past week Springfield lost one of its greatest examples of a leader who helped drive a strong safety culture for decades while at Ohio Edison. Art Anderson, former Area Line Manager, was a dedicated servant to the company he worked for more than 40 years, and to the community where he lived, worked, and played.

Art not only lived as an example to those who worked for him, but he also became one to many in the community who had the opportunity to work with him on various community projects. Art was very active as an electrician with his sons at the Clark County Fairgrounds, and was once very active in support of the grounds and sports facilities at Kenton Ridge High School. In his spare time, Art was also an accomplished fisherman and liked to play golf. His example will be hard to replace, and that kind of leadership will be missed by many in our community.

I was fortunate to have worked closely with Art during my time at FirstEnergy. As leaders of the local operation, it was our responsibility to help drive a strong safety culture. When you’re dealing with electrical power lines, you don’t mess around with safety. It was the first thing we talked about at every meeting. It was the most important item that was addressed every morning before sending people out into the field.

Because of people like Art Anderson, Ohio Edison rarely had an accident during a storm occurrence. Accidents were more likely to occur on a sunny day when workers became complacent about routine tasks – tasks that they had performed thousands of times, such as climbing a ladder, using a pocket knife or backing a truck into one of the bays. That is why safety was the number one issue we talked about.

As we honor Art’s life and his leadership at Ohio Edison, let us remember to make safety the number one priority in everything we do! A good place to start would be to make sure the company you work for belongs to the Safety Council. Membership is free and open to all. Breakfast meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at the Courtyard by Marriott. For more information, contact Val Kelly at 325-7621 or vkelly@greaterspringfield.com.

Have a great Chamber Day!

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Our United Way Makes a Difference

Mike McDorman, President & CEO
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

I had the opportunity this past week to help kick off the 2015 United Way Campaign by participating with Team Chamber in the United Way Golf Outing. It was another beautiful day at the annual event hosted by one of the best municipal golf courses anywhere, Reid North.

This is one of those days during the year when local businesses, government, and non-profit organizations come together to raise money for a great cause. In this case, it highlighted the great work United Way does throughout our community.

United Way Worldwide consists of 1,800 local United Ways with more than 2,600,000 volunteers working in 40 countries around the world. It exists to support the social service and welfare needs of many groups of people. United Way also goes beyond temporary fixes to create lasting change that lifts up entire communities. By bringing people and organizations together around innovative solutions, the United Way impacts approximately 50 million lives each year.

The United Way of Clark, Madison, and Champaign Counties had its beginnings in Clark County in 1921, when community leaders organized the Springfield Federation for Community Service and has undergone many positive changes since the beginning. Their responsibilities encompass several critical areas: raising money to distribute to agencies, oversight of spending, monitoring how these funded services impact our community, information services, volunteer development and community building. They also focus on three important areas to help people succeed.

Education: Help children to achieve their potential

Income: Promote financial stability toward financial independence

Health: Increase health and decrease risky behavior

The nonprofit organization recently named the 2015 campaign leaders for each county and is working to set its fundraising goals for the year. The Clark County campaign chair is local developer, Peter Noonan. Pete believes supporting United Way is a straightforward way for people to contribute to a number of organizations that provide a safety net for those in need. The Clark County campaign supports 24 area agencies, as well as Promise Neighborhood.

Madison County’s leader this year is Patrick Closser, president of the London City Council and owner of Casey’s Carryout. In Champaign County Andrew – and the Chamber’s very own Amy Donahoe – and their children Marah (11), Will (9), and Brody (7), will serve as the campaign ambassadors.

After coming up slightly short of the goal in Clark County last year, United Way Executive Director Kerry Pedraza said the organization wants to make sure it sets a challenging, but attainable mark. The dollars raised for this year’s combined United Way Campaign help fund area agencies that work to fulfill United Way’s mission and vision. The organization raised more than $1.4 million for local distribution in the three counties last year.

We can all help local Executive Director Kerry Pedraza and the United Way team accomplish the goal. Simply visit uwccmc.org to make a donation online or download a pledge card. Together, we can build a better community.

Have a great Chamber day!

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The Best of Springfield

Chris Schutte, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
     Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

 

The votes have been counted, the finalists have been determined, and we’re now just weeks away from naming “The Best of Springfield.” Following a summer-long, public voting process which saw nearly 3000 ballots cast, The Chamber of Greater Springfield will unveil the new Best of Springfield magazine and present awards in eighteen categories at the first-ever Best Of Springfield Celebration on October 22nd at Clark State’s Hollenbeck Bayley Center.

Before we reveal the finalists and tell you more about the event on October 22nd, I think it’s important to understand the motivation behind the contest. At our annual Chamber staff retreat this past winter, we discussed ways in which we could shine a spotlight on the people and organizations that make Springfield great. We were searching for the right vehicle to help raise our community perception – both internally, and externally. After much thought, we landed on the “Best of Springfield” concept which would include a glossy, lifestyle magazine highlighting Springfield’s best businesses, attractions and events.

Our staff believed it was important that the voting process was a true “public” vote. Therefore, we created an open-ended voting platform at www.BestOfSpfld.com that allowed voters to enter their favorites in eighteen different categories. The only eligibility requirement was that the business – or attraction – be based in Clark County. The voting was promoted via billboards, print advertisements and social media.

And now…on to the finalists (in no particular order):

Best Breakfast Spot: Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, Buckeye Sports Lodge

Best Lunch Spot: O’Conners, Our Hero Subs, Mike & Rosy’s

Best Fine Dining: Seasons Bistro, Cecil & Lime, Olive Garden

Best Pizza & Subs: Catanzaro’s, Bada Bing, Hickory Inn

Best Sushi: Sake 3, Yamato, Sakura

Best Chicken Wings: Roosters, Fricker’s, BW3

Best Burger: Ridgewood Café, Five Guys, O’Conners

Best Coffee & Bakery: Tim Horton’s, Schuler’s, Coffee Expressions

Best Ice Cream: Young’s, Dairy Queen, Cold Stone

Best Date Night Spot: Cinema 10, O’Conner’s, Seasons Bistro

Best Bar/Nightclub: Buckeye Sports Lodge, Station 1, O’Conner’s

Best Place to Watch the Game: O’Conner’s, BW3, Buckeye Sports Lodge

Best Family Fun: Champion City Kings, Young’s, NTPRD Chiller

Best Local Attraction: Heritage Center, Young’s, Westcott House

Best Local Event: Summer Arts Festival, Holiday in the City, Rotary Food Truck Competition

Best Outdoor Recreation: Snyder Park/ECO Sports, Bike Trails, Buck Creek State Park

Best Salon & Spa: Visions, Oasis, Mallia

Best Locally Owned Retail Store: Bone-a-Fido Bakery, Fair Trade Winds, Champion City Guide + Supply

The winners in each category will be honored at the “Best of Springfield” Celebration on October 22nd which will feature an exclusive wine tasting with Cameron Hughes, Founder & CEO of Cameron Hughes Wines. Guests will enjoy a special tasting menu, seven different Cameron Hughes wines and live entertainment. Our emcee for the evening is Deborah Linz, news anchor for ABC 22/FOX 45. The event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased at http://bit.ly/BestOfSpringfield, or by calling 521-1944.

Congratulations to the finalists and thank you for helping make Springfield great!

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