🏃🎶🏛 Races, Records & Revising the Charter | What’s Up Big Rapids Ep. 37 (9-24-25)
This week on What’s Up Big Rapids:
🏡 A late-season boom in real estate
🎶 Weekend plans, gigs, and Columbia House memories
🏃♂️ Upcoming 5Ks: Res Run, Crossroads, and Skeleton Skurry
🎃 Fall events: Trunk or Treat, Pumpkin Roll, and more
Our special guest is Jen Cochran — former City Commissioner and current Charter Revision Committee member. Jen shares her story from growing up near A Christmas Story’s setting to helping build Ferris’ FLITE Library, earning multiple degrees, and now guiding the future of Big Rapids through the charter process. 🏛
From French poetry to civic engagement, this one’s got it all.
0:00 – Intro & Welcome 👋
1:15 – Real estate’s late-season boom 🏡
1:55 – Weekend plans: Max McKnown at The Intersection 🎶
3:15 – Pat attends a wedding in sneakers 👟💍
4:00 – Chris is officiating a wedding ❤️
6:32 – Res Run 5K this Saturday 🏃♂️
8:40 – High Strung Steel gig in White Cloud 🎸
9:15 – Pat’s house projects + Murph’s Sneaker Shop 👟
11:00 – Chris’ one-generation solution to roadside litter 🗑️
12:15 – Detroit sports talk ⚾🏈🏀
14:15 – Ferris football: 97-point favorites 🐾
14:55 – Thanks to Alicia Pillbeam from The Peaks 🙌
16:20 – Good Neighbor Day – Sept 27 @ Library 📚
19:00 – Grammy-winning songwriter at Ferris 🎶
20:35 – First music purchases & Columbia House nostalgia 💿
25:00 – How music downloading changed the game 💻
26:50 – Fairgrounds winter storage + Mecosta vs Cancer beer crawl 🍺
28:20 – Crossroads 5K – Oct 4 🏃
28:40 – Skeleton Skurry 5K – Oct 25 🎃👻 (costume ideas?)
30:13 – Trunk or Treat signups 🎃
31:00 – Celebrity Pumpkin Roll – new format 🎃😂
32:40 – Guest intro: Jen Cochran 🎙️
34:38 – Jen’s first music purchase 🎵
35:25 – Growing up near A Christmas Story 🏠
36:10 – Helping build Ferris’ FLITE Library 🎓📚
37:37 – French, ESL, Doctorate = wow! 🎓
41:55 – Chris recalls his “fat vegan” era 🥗😅
42:35 – Jen’s parents & family background 👨👩👧
44:42 – Meeting her husband through French poetry ❤️📖
50:00 – Commission candidate forum tonight @ City Hall 🏛
52:52 – Charter Revision Process explained 📝
1:01:35 – How listeners can get involved 🤝
1:03:25 – Keeping track of the process 📲
1:06:12 – Public comment: your voice matters 🎤
1:10:14 – Thanks to Jen for inspiring higher education 🙏
1:12:00 – Dom’s corrections: Chris wins big 🏆
1:15:08 – Outro 👋
Big Rapids podcast, Jen Cochran interview, Big Rapids Charter Revision, Big Rapids City Commissioner, FLITE Library Ferris, Res Run Big Rapids, Skeleton Skurry 5K Angels of Action, Crossroads 5K, Good Neighbor Day Big Rapids, Max McKnown Intersection show, Murph’s Sneaker Shop, Big Rapids fall events 2025, community podcast Michigan
#WhatsUpBigRapids #BigRapidsMI #JenCochran #CharterRevision #CityCommission #FLITELibrary #FerrisState #ResRun5K #SkeletonSkurry #Crossroads5K #GoodNeighborDay #BigRapidsEvents #LocalPodcast #MichiganPodcast #CommunityVoice
Want me to also draft a 30-second social teaser that highlights Jen’s charter insights + the fun fall events (like costumes & pumpkin roll)?