Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride By Jamie Rhein Getting there is part of the fun on a two-wheeled adventure along the 18.4 miles of the Richland B&O Trail. Explore four communities in a hop-on, hop-off combo that takes in 18 bridges, public art, gardens, farmlands, woods, history and, of course, local food and drinks well worth…

Read More

City Beats

City Beats By Jamie Rhein Music is considered a universal language — one of those rare things that brings people together and helps us express ourselves. It’s no surprise you’ll find loads of music, from acoustic singer-songwriters to lively jazz to engaging rock, resounding all around Mansfield and Richland County. Throughout the dazzling summer months,…

Read More

30 Years of Shawshank

30 Years of Shawshank By Tonya Prater  Celebrate the classic film and see it come to life on The Shawshank Trail. On Aug. 9–11, 2024, fans from around the globe will converge in Mansfield, Ashland and Upper Sandusky to celebrate The Shawshank Redemption’s 30th birthday. Take a trip down cinematic memory lane with special events,…

Read More

Pure Imagination

Pure Imagination By Tonya Prater  Inspire creativity and enchant your children’s minds no matter how old they may be at the newly expanded Buckeye Imagination Museum, bursting with puzzles and games.  The Buckeye Imagination Museum is redefining play for all ages with its expansive 32,000 square feet of colorful and innovative space in Mansfield’s Imagination…

Read More

Follow the Shawshank Trail

“Hope is a good thing … maybe the best of things. No good thing ever dies.” — Andy Dufresne That’s certainly true of The Shawshank Redemption, the top-rated movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), filmed almost entirely in Mansfield and the surrounding area. Fans of the iconic motion picture can follow…

Read More

Life off the Beaten Path

Not all residents were born in Mansfield, but everyone who moves here quickly finds themselves right at home — just ask Louie Andres. Retired from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Louie grew up in southwest Ohio and moved to Mansfield in 1992 to manage Malabar Farm State Park. With a wife and three children…

Read More

Brewing Up Community

Beer is a family affair for the husband-and-wife duo Duncan and Carmone Macfarlane. In April 2014, the Macfarlanes combined their 30-plus years of brewing experience with co-founders Scott Cardwell and Steve Zigmund to bring the craft beer revival to Mansfield through The Phoenix Brewing Company. Duncan is the head brewer; Carmone, “Red,” is the chief…

Read More

Carrying on the Tradition

Nikia Fletcher met the love of her life in Mansfield, but didn’t date him for 10 years, and then didn’t marry him for another 10. It all makes sense when you realize they met as children. “We’ve actually known each other since birth,” says Nikia. She and her now-husband, Antonio, started dating in 9th grade,…

Read More