Central Jam arrives in style

Aug. 13—LIMA — The Central District is helping to revitalize the vision of Lima as a vibrant place to live, work, and be entertained as Central Jam, their first major event, brought in crowds to listen to their feature artists, country singers Rayne Johnson and Ty Herndon.

Johnson's song "Front Seat" hit the Top 40 in 2019 and, in 1995, Herndon's "What Matters Most" was a number 1 hit.

"Without iHeart Radio, we could not have had this great band lineup," said Jerome O'Neal of the Central District.

But the partnership with iHeart radio is not just with the performances. They are also opening a podcast studio in the Central District.

"We are pouring roughly $6 million into repurposing downtown buildings and bringing in restaurants," said O'Neal. "So we'd like to increase the foot traffic and visibility for the new development with entertainment, bringing economic empowerment to downtown alongside existing businesses like Rhodes, the Civic Center, and Old City Prime."

"As a 'Lima-ite,' meaning I've been in Lima for most of my adult life, back in the days of Square Fair and the Rallies, were what I consider the heart of Lima's downtown entertainment. When they were part of Lima, it just added so much life to downtown that people would plan their high school reunions, wedding receptions, and family reunions around it and it would be a great place Friday nights after working to come down and enjoy yourself," O'Neal said. "We're hoping by bringing the Central District development to downtown Lima and working with the same sort of partnerships — and certainly ArtSpace/Lima has been that partner we worked with bringing in Anheuser-Busch and now Pepsi — we're saying we can redevelop this spirit of entertainment in downtown Lima," said O'Neal.

"We had been doing Rallies for 30 years," said Sally Windle, executive director of ArtSpace/Lima. So, when she was approached to help with Central Jam, she jumped at the chance to use the organization's experience with planning and obtaining an alcohol license and bringing Anheuser-Busch in. ArtSpace/Lima volunteers are also helping this year by working the beer tents and gates.

"The Mayor and the city have been instrumental in making this happen and we can't say enough good things about how the city has stepped up. If we're going to bring a new, vibrant life to downtown Lima we're not only going to have to work different, but think outside the box," O'Neal said. "Thankfully, Central District is just one of many projects that are bringing entertainment into downtown Lima. After all, it takes community effort to do community good."

"Next summer we are going to have a summer series and its going to be similar to what's in downtown Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo. With the help of iHeart Radio and Anheuser-Busch, we'll be bringing a concert to downtown Lima ever Friday, and we're hoping the community will come out and support it. The hope is everybody comes out to downtown Lima like we used to do back in the days when the Rally and Square Fair were so popular."

O'Neal cited other towns in the area like Wapakoneta, Van Wert and Toledo doing similar concert series, saying "We may be a little late to the party, but it isn't when you get there, but how you arrive — and we're arriving in style."

Reach Shannon Bohle at 567-242-0399, by email at sbohle@limanews.com or on Twitter @Bohle_LimaNews.