Eaton Rapids
Riverside Café reopens as Smoke and Bones BBQ
The smell of cherry and red oak and house-made barbeque sauce are the new scent at the former location of Riverside Café and Catering. Stephen Szczepanski’s new restaurant, Smoke and Bones BBQ, is his latest venture in his over 30-year career as a chef. Ready to try...
Getting to know Robin Platt, director of ER Chamber of Commerce
Robin Platt is the new part-time director of the Eaton Rapids Chamber of Commerce. A longtime resident of Eaton Rapids, Platt returned after a few years of living in Nevada. She came back looking for work that would use her skills and talents, while also serving her...
Eaton Rapids poet publishes first collection of works
“An October sky- a lattice of ink and light folded over and over upon itself-…” Waiting for Orion, Richard Gilmore Loftus. Those first words of Loftus’ poem, “Waiting for Orion,” are a just a few in his new roughly 100-page book of poems. Loftus is a lifelong lover of...
Old Mill Furniture celebrates 50 years in Eaton Rapids
In 1968 Harold Hall was 21 years old. After working several other jobs, including one with his father’s own shoe repair business, he found himself working at Devereaux Furniture in Eaton Rapids. In 68 the owners were ready to sell the business, and Harold stepped up...
City of Eaton Rapids hires new city manager
2018 is the year of new leadership in the city of Eaton Rapids, as Paul Malewski took the mayor’s helm in January, the Eaton Rapids city council started searching for a new city manager. Working through their membership in the Michigan Municipal League, the city...
Getting to know Bryan Epling, owner of Legacy Barber Shoppe
With dark wood, leather aprons, repurposed Jack Daniel’s barrels, beard oils, and straight razor shaves, Legacy Barber Shoppe is a he-man’s delight. Owned and operated by Bryan Epling, it encapsulates the sights and smells of a garage, a woodshop, and of course a...
The Island City sees highest river levels of the last 40 years
Michiganders know too well the harsh realities of lots of snow right before a warm spell. The melting snow combined with consistent, heavy rain in mid February left towns and homes across the state flooded and soggy. Eaton Rapids and its surrounding towns were not an...
Donors and teens attend open house for Teen Center
Monday, Feb. 26, dozens of Eaton Rapids locals attended an open house at the Union Street educational building where they could go on brief tours of the new Eaton Rapids Teen Center while enjoying snacks and conversation. Through the specially designated entrance,...
Getting to know Angel Colizzi-McCrumb, new owner of Turtle Tom’s
Some of the most moving small town stories are the ones that involve family legacy, small business, and sweet treats. What better story could there be, then, but of a third generation local family owning a beloved downtown ice cream shop? Angel and Rich McCrumb...
Eaton Rapids enters first stages of Michigan Main Street Program
In May of 2017 Eaton Rapids was approved for the Michigan Main Street Program, a program offered through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to aid communities in revitalizing their downtown and commercial districts. The Eaton Rapids Marketing Alliance has...