“I think Springfield does really well in many of those categories,” said lifelong resident Pam Bennett, a steering committee member and Ohio State University Extension Office horticulturist who has been a past AIB judge. “We’re well-rounded.”
Community treasures like the Westcott House, Wittenberg University, Ferncliff Cemetery and the Gateway Learning Gardens are on a list of possible tour sites when judges come to town, Bennett said.
“We’ve got a huge list and it’s going to be really hard to narrow it down to show them the highlights of the community,” she said. “The things that we have going on, when you take inventory of it, Springfield really does have it all together.”
Local companies and organizations such as OSU Extension Clark County, Port Authority of Clark County, Clark County Master Gardeners, Clark County Farm Bureau, the Springfield Foundation and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce have contributed to fundraising efforts for marketing and potentially a special project to help Springfield bring home the boasting rights for the contest, said Melanie Wilt, committee chair.
If Springfield won the competition, “it would become a designation that we could use to mark Springfield as a place to do business, a place to call home, a tourist destination,” she said.
There will be organized efforts in the coming months to prepare for the competition but local residents can help by picking up litter, planting flowers at their own homes or businesses and trimming hedges, said Wilt.
“The great thing about this program is that we’re not asking people to do anything new. What we want to do is show off what we got,” she said. “Residents can help by sprucing up their little piece of Springfield.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0373 or mgildow@coxohio.com.
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