Lincoln’s Legends Podcast, which focuses on people doing things and creative minds here in Springfield, just released an hour-long interview with the mayor of Springfield, Jim Langfelder. Jeremie Bailey of the podcast talks to the mayor about Lake Springfield, local music, downtown development, and even mentions everything going on in Southtown. Dumb Records, Black Sheep, and Skank Skates came up in the topic of development going on around the city. Check out the full podcast right here, we also did our best to type up some of the the Southtown portion of the interview below:

Jeremie: Speaking of stimulating growth, have you had a chance to check out the Southtown community?

Mayor: Along South Grand?

Jeremie: Mhm, the Southtown entity for the Black Sheep, Dumb Records, the recording studio…

Mayor: I haven’t been inside there, no. I went to the festival that Bourbon Street had, the one on Brown Street there a couple of weeks ago. I went there one of the days, but I haven’t gone into the skate… the skate what is it?

Jeremie: Skank Skates

Mayor: Skank Skates, right.

Jeremie: They just celebrated their ten-year anniversary. It’s very near and dear to my heart. I used to play music, I’ve always been inspired by it. We have some of the most talented people in that area. And if you do have time, it sounds cliché, but there is something happening every single day there.

Mayor: I’ll have to go online and look you up on the youtube!

Jeremie: They’re all on the channel! But we actually have the second oldest skate park ever.

Mayor: Oh, really? Oldest in the country?

Jeremie: Yes, the country. They actually just finished their Kickstarter, they got more than they were asking for, they are documenting from VHS to digital of every pro-skateboarder or BMX rider that’s been through there since the 80’s. So there’s Skank Skates, there’s the music venue which bands from all around the world come and play. It’s all ages, it’s straight-edge as much as you can get, no drugs or alcohol along the premises. There is a record store you can sell LPs. Yes, records! 45’s, that’s what I’m saying not mp3’s!

Mayor: Like Recycled Records?

Jeremie: Yeah! But the amazing thing is, they are all young, they are all in their 20’s. And the amazing thing is the one that was in charge for the longest, who is 33, he had been there the 10 years. It just blows my mind the fact that in our city, in the same four block radius you can come in as a band- you can write, record, sell, and play your own music, along with the skate shop right next to it. There’s not a lot of people that say they have that in their city but it’s all sprawled out.

Mayor: See these are the types of stories we want to tell on the cable access channel with the city! Before it was always utilized to promote city government. What we want to do is promote Springfield through that means. Well, I’ll have to come check it out!