Celina named one of the best hometowns

CELINA - Celina has been named one of the best hometowns in the state by Ohio Magazine, according to Stacy Beougher, executive director of the Celina Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.

Celina is one of five recipients of the title, according to Beougher. Ohio Magazine's selection process factors in community spirit, education, entertainment, health and safety, business environment and the town's culture or heritage, according to a news release.

Ohio Magazine solicited nominations last spring searching for the best hometowns in Ohio and Beougher nominated Celina. She said she received a call earlier this summer that magazine officials wanted to visit Celina and learn more about the city.

Magazine representatives spent a day and a half in the city with Beougher, Greater Grand Lake Visitor Center Director Donna Grube and Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel, visiting all the town has to offer.

Beougher said they spent the day meeting business owners and visiting area attractions and the Mercer County Courthouse. They also were shown Celina's parks, schools, Tri-Star and Wright State University-Lake Campus and had the opportunity to eat at a few of Celina's great restaurants, she said.

She said Hazel gave them a lake tour and shared more information about the city, and Grube also met with them to share why tourism is such a vital part of this community.

Downtown Celina has been thriving, Beougher noted. Main Street features several bars, restaurants and bespoke boutiques. The newest addition is The James Watson House, an upper-casual establishment serving elevated American comfort food.

A quintet of business partners in late May also announced they aim to convert a vacant three-story brick building on Main Street that by day will operate like a souped-up Chuck E. Cheese and take on a more adult atmosphere at night.

The Refinery at 311 S. Main Street during the day will be open for families and private functions, complete with an arcade, games and miniature bowling lanes. As night falls, the 15,000-square-foot building will feature fully-stocked bars, music, axe-throwing competitions and more.

The trio answered questions on what made Celina special, heavily emphasizing the community mindset of Celina and Mercer County as a whole.

"They selected Celina for its welcoming downtown, thriving sense of community and our location with Grand Lake that offers a wealth of opportunities for recreation," Beougher said in a news release. "It's truly the people that make a community special and the local support in this area is simply the best. We support one another, whether it be a family in crisis, or a business sponsoring a youth team or event, we all come together for the good, that is what makes us so special.

We are so fortunate to live in a such a beautiful and safe town where people work hard and live hard all while loving and supporting their neighbor."

Celina will be one of five communities in Ohio recognized in the November/December 2023 and July/August 2024 issues of Ohio Magazine.