MANSFIELD — Richland Source is biased. We’re fans of the people, businesses, and culture in Mansfield and Richland County. As we have grown, our point of view has taken different forms, but we have always tried to stay true to that core value.
The question on the community service side of things has always been where to apply our energies.
Then we walked out our back door into the Brickyard. Things came together pretty quickly after that. A couple of meetings later we had a vision, a timeline, and the beginnings of a plan.
The vision: Drive — over time and through unending collaboration — statewide awareness of Mansfield as a live entertainment powerhouse.
The evidence is overwhelming. Major theater? Check. Community playhouse? Check. Nationally recognized ballet company? Check. Vibrant underground rock and hip hop scene? Downtown concert series attended by thousands? Check and Check. Seriously… a flipping opera company?? Surprisingly, check.
With all that in front of us, the decision became easy. Telling the story of Mansfield’s amazing live entertainment scene was where we would place the bulk of our community support in 2016 and 2017. We’re not sure how this will all shake out, but here’s what we know for now:
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We are calling the initiative RichlandLIVE.
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RichlandLIVE will be highly cooperative. It will welcome and involve influencers of all ages, interests, talents, and backgrounds. Meetings of club owners, promoters, non-profits, artists, and fans are being convened now, so we can learn more about what we can do together.
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Richland Source has entered into an agreement with Downtown Mansfield, Inc. to be the naming sponsor of the new stage in the Brickyard. Meet us at the Richland Source Pavilion this summer on Fridays. We’ll be there in force.
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We have launched a new RichlandLIVE page within our Life & Culture section. It will ultimately contain the best live entertainment reporting in the region, and is designed to be highly collaborative.
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Through 2017, Richland Source will donate $30,000 of in-kind promotion to area non-profits, venues, and artists to help advance public awareness of the amazing depth and breadth of the performing arts scene in Mansfield. If you are an organization and you think we can help you grow, talk to us.
And here’s the best part: Mansfield’s art scene is not a problem in search of an answer. The answer has already revealed itself. Richland Source is going to do its best to make sure everyone knows it.
