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Sabrina Harrington "[MakerSpace] is very accessible and anybody can use any of this," said Sabrina Harrington, Marketing Specialist and Community Outreach Director of the Wilmington Public Library, located at 268 N South Street. Sabrina is one of three individuals who operate MakerSpace, a “hub for innovation and collaborative learning” where community members can create projects, crafts, and more. The space features eight stations that anyone with a library card can use to create projects. Sabrina grew up in Wilmington, graduated from Wilmington College, and even worked for Main Street Wilmington. She later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband for almost three years, before moving back to Wilmington and taking on her current position at the library. The Wilmington Public Library opened at its current location in 1904, two years after a donation of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie enabled its construction. Since then, the library has focused on growing its offerings from books to even more resources for the community. The library has a library of items that individuals can check out, programming for people of all ages, several clubs, story times, kindergarten preparedness, and more. Excluding the MakerSpace, all of the resources offered are free to those with a library card. MakerSpace was started in March of 2025 due to funding from Friends of the Library, although the idea began several years before that. The space features eight stations and only charges users the cost of the materials. The stations include a button maker, badge maker, 3D printer, large format printer, media converter, laminating machine, Cricut Maker 3, Heat Press, and a comb book binder. Individuals can make buttons, badges, vinyl banners, poster paper, and more. At the media conversion station, users can convert files from VHS, cassette tapes, or other, to digital files. The space holds walk-in hours on Fridays and can be used by appointment for rest of week. Sabrina stated, “[Community support] has made [Maker- Space] a great success… Like it has been wonderful to see the community take hold of this and get excited about it… It’s just kind of slowly grown because of the community’s excitement.” To learn more about the Wilmington Public Library or MakerSpace, visit wilmington.lib.oh.us.

Tony Butcher "Our goal is to try to just get people downtown because it's just better for us all," stated Tony Butcher, owner of Ole Town Tavern, located at 26 N South Street. Tony shared the importance of working with other local businesses in downtown because "what's good for one [business] is good for all of us." Tony was born and raised in Wilmington, graduating from both Wilmington High School and Wilmington College. While earning his master's degree at Xavier University, Tony worked part-time at Airborne Express in Wilmington and continued working there full-time after graduating. When his daughter started kindergarten, he no longer wanted to work nights, and began working at Technicolor, a company that distributed 35 millimeter films to movie theaters across the world. After 26 years at Technicolor, the company relocated to California and Tony began buying rental properties. Despite "always joking" with his friends and family that he would like to open a bar, Tony originally bought 26 N South Street to rent out the apartment upstairs. Then, when the massage business below the apartment found another location, Tony thought,"If I'm ever going to do this, this is my time to try to get a bar going." He began working on the bar before he even created the bar's name. With the help of a local contractor, Tony crafted the environment for his desired atmosphere, showcasing the building's original brick wall, the previous jewelry store's refinished shelves, and vintage pictures of downtown Wilmington. When creating the space, Tony was inspired by small bars in New York that he had previously visited while working for Technicolor. He stated, "I always thought if I ever had a bar, that's the type of bar I want. I want it to look old... with the idea of, if you walked in, you don't really know how old this bar is, even though it might've just opened in the last couple years." While building the bar, Tony struggled to come up with a name. Then, one day, his brother sent him a shirt from a bar in Florida called "Old Town Tavern," with "welcome to OTT's place" on the back. This reminded Tony of his childhood nickname, "Ott," and he instantly felt that name "fits with the theme." Ole Town Tavern (OTT) serves beer, wine, and signature local cocktails like, 'The Old Drunken Quaker,' and 'WHS Hurricane.' Patrons can order food delivered from Fiesta Veracruz Mexican Restaurant, and for $20 a year, even keep their own personalized pint glass on display behind the bar. Ole Town will celebrate its 4-year anniversary this month. Listen to Tony's full story on episode 85 of the Real Change Wilmington podcast. Learn more about Ole Town Tavern at facebook.com/Oletowntavern.

Artistic Exploration A public meeting for the Wilmington Community Recreation Center Fund was held on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, from 6pm to 7pm at the City of Wilmington Municipal Building. Attendees included Josh Roth, Port Authority Economic Development Director; Sheri McIntosh, Realtor Alliance of Greater Cincinnati President (Clinton County Chapter); Dustin Pearce, owner of Bite Size Market; Tony Long, retired superintendent of the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center; Jason Stoops, owner of Midnight Auto Repair; and other community members. The meeting opened with an overview of the Wilmington YMCA closure in 2015 and the failed Clinton County joint recreation district levy in 2019. Attendees also discussed the newly created Wilmington Community Recreation Center Fund at the Clinton County Foundation. The initial $25,000 goal is intended to serve as "seed funding" toward building or renovating a rec center. Participants reviewed several other recent community recreation centers in Ohio, including the $10.4M and 38,000 sq/ft Sandusky Recreation Center; the $14.9M and 53,000 sq/ft CORE Center in Green; the $110M and 10,000 sq/ft Well Center in Hilliard, the $78M and 188,500 sq/ft proposed rec center in Grove City; and the $10M and 38,000 sq/ft rec center in Euclid. Pearce mentioned being surprised to hear a local real estate agent say, "People don't want to live in Wilmington, they'd rather live in Springboro or Lebanon where there are things to do." McIntosh added that Wilmington is becoming a "commuter community," where people roll in at 8am and are out by 5pm—without attending our local churches or shopping at our local businesses—and that now is the time to get support for a community recreation center. The group then discussed ideas for a Wilmington and Clinton County recreation center, including potential users, amenities, owners, locations, and funding sources for construction and operations: Users: The group discussed a variety of users, including "sports tourism", such as youth baseball and soccer leagues, which has the added benefit of economic development, though decided that a greater economic benefit would be to local employers, as a benefit to their employees. Roth added that the users will guide what funds are available. Amenities: The group discussed having basketball courts, a running track, swimming pool, child care, golf simulator, tennis courts that can also be used for pickleball, and soccer field that also houses batting cages. McIntosh suggested renting space to healthcare providers, like Wilmington College's Center for Sport Sciences does, to help cover ongoing costs. A gym was low on the list of amenities, as the private market is already filling this need. Ownership: The group discussed ownership options, including government, nonprofit, and a public-private partnership. Roth mentioned that county ownership might require partnerships through a Park Board, Visitors Bureau, or Port Authority, and that the city might be a better "long-term" option—though the legality and pros and cons of each would need evaluated. Location: McIntosh mentioned East End Elementary would be "very difficult" because of lead paint, asbestos, limited parking, and no room for expansion. Stoops thought Kroger relocating felt unlikely. The group discussed the idea of building a facility by Denver Park and Lynne Lane for easier access for the entire county. Roth liked the idea of building by Wilmington High School, but was also excited about Long's suggestion of near Laurel Oaks. Funding: Roth didn't think the project would qualify for JobsOhio $1M grant, and warned that taking federal funds could increase the project costs due to prevailing wage. Roth also suggested to build with no debt because of the ongoing operating expenses. Pearce felt strongly that it should not be funded with additional tax levies. Other funding ideas discussed were memberships and facility rentals, such as for cheerleading competitions. The group stressed that "flexibility is key" for the space, as some amenities that were once popular, like racketball, are not popular as much anymore. Another point was that some amenities, like a pool, are expensive, and could be in a "phase two or three". Finally, Roth added that a rec center could help employers meet their wellness goals to reduce insurance costs. The next steps are ongoing fundraising efforts for the initial $25,000 needed to start the Wilmington Community Recreation Center Fund at the Clinton County Foundation. So far, $1,664 has been raised on GoFundMe. Members from the group will have a booth at Celebrate Trails Day on Saturday, April 25, 2026, outside of Wheelies at 171 S Mulberry St, Wilmington, OH 45177. There will be chocolate croissants from Trail Haus available for donations. To get involved with fundraising, please email wilmingtonreccenter@gmail.com. Upcoming meetings are on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, and Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at The City of Wilmington Municipal Building from 6pm to 7pm.