Site #1: Springfield, Ohio

Our tour is underway!  Last Thursday we spent some time with our local Circles community in Springfield, Ohio, and we followed that up by recording our trip around the city Friday afternoon.  This stop is a little unique for the four of us due to the fact that we live here.  So a lot of the questions we asked and the thoughts we shared with one another are probably a little more personal than they will be at the rest of the places we visit.  

As was mentioned in the video above, Springfield is a city on the decline.  It is one of the many post-industrial towns of the Midwest that once held great promise and many jobs but is now marked by rising unemployment and an increasing dependence upon public benefits.  We drove through several neighborhoods where magnificent homes have been turned into poorly maintained duplexes.  Factories that once employed thousands of workers now stand empty with thick metal bars covering broken windows.  Old theatre signs still protrude from buildings that have long been vacant.  They are the last signs of the industry and entertainment that breathed so much life and hope into this town more than half a century ago.

But not all is bad news in Springfield.  A new hospital on the west end of town that will open in the fall brings optimism about new jobs and reviving business.  The Clark County Heritage Center has poured much time and energy into preserving the history and legacy of the town.  And the Clark County Circles Campaign gave us hope that while there is much to overcome, people are doing it every day.

We will be posting more footage from around town and our interviews with members of Circles in Springfield.