MANSFIELD — There’s no place like home. Mansfield native Jeff Stacy can attest to that.
“I grew up in Mansfield and I’ve always loved my town,” Stacy said.
Although he currently lives in Lima, he said Mansfield has always been his home.
“I don’t get back home as much as I’d like to, so I developed this (Facebook) page to show my love for my town and let others share in it,” he said.
The Facebook page he’s referring to is “I love Mansfield, Ohio.”
Created four or five years ago, this page now has over 4,000 members, including people who’ve lived or currently live in Mansfield and/or have an affinity for the city.
“I never thought it would grow that big,” said Stacy, a Madison High School graduate of 1979.
“This page is dedicated to those who live or are from the Mansfield area,” the description reads. “If you still love this old town then this is the page for you. Where you can share memories, brag a little about it and just fellowship with fellow lovers of our town! We can also dream and plan on how we can continue to make this the best place in Ohio!”
Members post anything from current events, to blasts from the past.
“One of the things I try to do on that page is post positive things,” Stacy said. “Some people want to put negative things and I don’t want that for this page. Our town gets enough negative publicity, so we need to shine a positive light on our town.”
Plus, the page serves as a great way to keep memories alive.
“It’s nice to honor the stuff that’s not here anymore and to keep that memory going,” said Dana Haag, one of the administrators of the page.
“It’s so cool because people put history things on there that just blow me away,” Stacy added.
“I love Mansfield, Ohio” is also an opportunity for local organizations to have a platform to share about events or news the public might be interested in knowing.
Haag, a Mansfield Senior graduate of 1977, said she especially likes to promote the Mansfield City Schools on the Facebook page. She’s a Tyger through and through — even her license plate reads Tyger 77.
For those who no longer live in Mansfield, the page helps keep people up-to-date with the latest happenings. Stacy has found that to be especially beneficial.
“If there’s a neat event going on that someone will post about, then I’ll have an excuse to go home,” he said. “Every chance I get, I go down and visit.”
One of his favorite spots to visit is the Carrousel. He also likes to take a trip down memory lane by heading out to Zigs Dairy Stand.
“I like to go back and visit that once in awhile for old time’s sake, and it’s right near the park we used to live by, Liberty Park,” he said.
The I love Mansfield, Ohio page typically has new posts every day.
“If you love Mansfield and you want to know what’s going on and share in the memories, join our page,” Stacy said.
