It’s been over a week since representatives from the City of Casey ceremonially broke ground on the new City Hall. This moment is part of a long process to revive the community ahead of its 150th anniversary next year.

While the city’s population has been slashed in half in the last 100 years, there are signs of the “Casey Comeback” in the community of about 400. The Casey Public Library saw the largest growth in patronage last year among county libraries, increasing by 12.5% in 2017. Casey Mayor Barry Chalfant credits the community for their willingness to step up in times of need. “I call it our community and it’s the surrounding people that have really stepped up… A lot of these are not just citizens of Casey, they’re people from outside the town that they have an interest in seeing the town come back and that’s what we want to try and do.”

The City has hired a graphic designer to help promote the special anniversary. A component of the celebratory campaign was released at the groundbreaking ceremony, with a logo and the slogan, “Full Steam Ahead: To a Great 50048.” For more on the Casey comeback, listen to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program.