🎶🚴📰 Heroes, Homecoming & Headlines | What’s Up Big Rapids Ep. 35 (9-10-25)
This week on What’s Up Big Rapids, we bring you a sneak peek at the brand-new Hand of Giants song Hate vs Heroes! 🎶 Chris recaps an inspiring marathon weekend with Shavon, and the guys cover everything from Homecoming to history: 9/11 reflections, community events, and $41K raised by Pork for a Purpose. 🙌
We also look ahead at:
🚴 Big Dam Bike Ride
🎥 Movie Night at Roben-Hood (Top Gun!)
🎶 Save the Ponds concert & Folk Jamboree
🍦 Half-off ice cream at the Milkshake Spot
🎭 Comedy at The Peaks featuring a Kill Tony star
⚓ The real — and dangerous — Mecosta County Regatta
Our special guest is Darren Iozia, Editor-in-Chief of the Pioneer. We dive into his journey from Stonehenge to Cambridge to Big Rapids, the evolution of newsrooms, standout stories, and where traditional media is headed. 📰
Stick around until the end for the world debut of “Hate vs Heroes” from Hand of Giants! 🎶🔥
0:00 – Teaser: Hand of Giants – Hate vs Heroes 🎶
0:29 – Intro & Welcome 👋
1:50 – Chris supports Shavon’s marathon run 🏃♀️
3:10 – Shavon completes her first marathon 🎉
7:33 – Chris on his new Concept 2 Rower 🚣♂️
9:19 – Homecoming is here! 🎓
10:10 – 9/11 reflections 🕯️
12:51 – Big Rapids Homecoming dance 💃🕺
13:18 – Wrong Number documentary debuts locally 🎥
20:40 – Uplifting moment: $41K raised by Pork for a Purpose ❤️
21:40 – Big Dam Bike Ride this Saturday 🚴♂️
23:30 – Movie night at Roben-Hood: Top Gun ✈️
24:09 – Save the Ponds concert at Paris Park 🎶
25:20 – Canadian Lakes Folk Jamboree 🎵
26:30 – Ice cream lovers: 50% off at the Milkshake Spot 🍦
28:07 – Comedy Night at The Peaks with Kill Tony star 🎭
29:08 – Light Up the Night returns in new format 💡
30:00 – Baker Group Car Show for Angels of Action 🚗
31:44 – Res Run & Skeleton Skurry coming soon 🏃♂️
33:07 – The Mecosta County Regatta is real — and dangerous ⚓
33:50 – Guest: Darren Iozia, Pioneer Editor-in-Chief 📰
35:36 – From Stonehenge to Big Rapids? 🌍
37:47 – Studying in Cambridge 🎓
40:00 – Florida vs Michigan ☀️❄️
41:32 – What did you want to be as a kid? 👦
42:40 – Photography journeys 📸
45:58 – Leaving photography for the editor’s chair 🪑
47:15 – How newsrooms have changed 📰
50:15 – A standout story that grabbed attention 📰🔥
51:48 – Facing distrust in “the media” 🤔
54:52 – Does the editor lay out the paper? 🗞️
58:30 – Where is traditional media headed? ⏩
1:03:35 – Longest episode yet? Thanks, Darren! 🙌
1:06:30 – “There are many Grand Rapids, but only one Big Rapids!” 🐦
1:07:49 – Dom’s corrections & tangents (Salisbury steak, Tiger Woods, 80s/90s cartoons) 🤓
1:11:30 – Stay tuned for the Hand of Giants video 👀
1:12:25 – World debut: Hate vs Heroes by Hand of Giants 🎶🔥
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