Before the MGM lion roared in Springfield's South End,  lions made of colorful lights adorned Main Street for the annual Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Society festival. The annual Italian festival, like many other things, have faded into history.

The city's South End has changed in the decades leading up to the Aug. 24 opening of the $960 million casino development. Here is a look back at the neighborhood in the years leading up to the arrival of MGM Springfield.