MANSFIELD, Ohio — If the walls of the former Ohio State Reformatory could talk, would they?
25 years ago, they did, helping tell one heck of a story.
The Shawshank Redemption.
The film is currently ranked on the Internet Movie Database (iMDB) as the number one movie of all time. This weekend, fans are gathering here to celebrate their love of Shawshank for its 25th anniversary.
Tom Clark is the Shawshank Specialist. He really is. The story is set in Maine, but much of the movie was filmed here in Central Ohio.
"It means a lot to the town of Mansfield," Clark told us. "It brings hundreds of thousands of tourists here."
Tourists like the Gregorys. They came all the way from New Jersey, celebrating their 26th anniversary. Stan calls it a "pilgrimage"
"I'm coming home to a place that I've never been to, to a place where people believe in hope and all of those things that the movie embodies," he says.
The film holds a special place in many fans' hearts, just like Stan's, who can recite scenes verbatim.
Under Warden Norton's watchful eye, author Mark Dawidziak signed his new book, "The Shawshank Redmption Revealed", full of behind the scenes stories about an incredible movie with a message.
If you're put into a bad environment, you can still keep hope alive to get out of that environment.
A film that still gives us hope, even after 25 years.