This episode is an out-of-the-office, off-the-grid adventure as we dive into this year's Montcalm One Book One County selection! We are joined by Brooke Whipple, native Stantonite and star of The History Channel's Alone and National Geographic's Yukon River Run. Brooke has a million fascinating stories about adventuring and surviving under harsh conditions, and this episode features my conversation with her as well as highlights from her presentation at the One Book One County kickoff. We're also joined by (almost) all of the library directors in Montcalm County. We hint at (and then finally reveal) this year's selection title, then talk about creative and unique projects and items for checkout that each one offers. We recorded before the kickoff, so sections about the OBOC book this year were added later, so don't be alarmed when I start to go a little NPR on you. Put in your earbuds and go for a walk with this special outdoorsy episode of Flat River Front Porch!

The "body safety" in this episode is not the fleeing-from-Freddie-Krueger kind! We honor Sexual Assault Awareness month (which, to be fair, was April) by sitting down with Alexis Thane, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for RAVE, Relief Against Violent Encounter. Their organization provides support, shelter and counseling for survivors (of all ages and genders) of sexual assault and domestic abuse. While these topics are rarely easy, open discussion of them is so important to try to reduce the stigma of honesty around them. This is essential if we want to prepare and support young people (or anyone) in their relationships, and promote body safety awareness. We hope our episode will encourage you to start your own honest discussions. Also, we sit down with staff member, Danielle, and her visiting daughter, Megan, who make me work exceptionally hard to get them to talk. Megan was with us for job shadowing, but tells us about the horror film-inspired career aspiration she prefers over becoming a librarian. Then I attempt to get Megan to try her hand at podcast hosting (with mixed results). This episode is a hodge-podge mix of silly and serious, but then that's the best kind. Join us on the Front Porch!

We appreciate your patience as we get out this last episode, and it is a doozy! This is the second half of our two-part series with the Outmans, our local state legislators. This time we are joined by Rick Outman, senator for the 33rd district. Rick talks his grudging entrance into politics years ago, the history of redistricting in Michigan, his chihuahua Chico, and his serious fandom of the cartoon Bluey (which he admits he may watch even with the grandkids aren't around).   We are also joined by Marketing and Outreach Librarian Cassie Vargo, who talks seed libraries, the Career Fair, and our shared nostalgia for all things Time-Life. Tune in as we talk all these things (and more!) on the Flat River Front Porch.

Our guest this week takes a break from partisanship to join us for a low-key conversation on the front porch: State Representative Pat Outman! We talk parenting young kids, outdoor hobbies, childhood aspirations, travel spots, and the challenges of representing all the voices from a rural district. Then we play the first half of a father-son version of the Newlywed Game, to see how well he and his dad know each other (to be concluded when his father, Senator Rick Outman joins us here in a few weeks). Also joining us this week is Montcalm Area Reading Council Director, Amanda Lee, and she and Stef talk about a whole array of ridiculous things (as usual). We run the gamut of topics, from Princess Kate (who announced her cancer diagnosis a couple days after we recorded) to celebrity memoirs, vacation prep, upcoming concerts, vegan diets and swishy pants. Lots of fun as always, and TONS of book recommendations... so settle in and join us!

Our community and front porch are stretching this week to bring in an (uncaped) crusader from up north, Michele Howard, the director of the Traverse Area District Library system! I met Michele at this year's Michigan Library Association conference in October. Her story of firing up organizations in her city to dig in and work together to make change inspired me to make her my first recorded interview for the podcast (if not our first episode). Michele's great work brings hope that any community can start a conversation that overcomes barriers and brings life-changing results with the right motivation. We are also joined again by Cara McGee, our in-house comic creator, who was gearing up for Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle. She gives some hints on her current projects, talks the best cities to stock up on too many specialty foods, and shares her favorite celeb comic con encounters. And somewhere in there we try to solve the mystery of an obscure, possibly German dessert multiple decades after it was served. There's something for everyone this week on the Front Porch!

We're working outside the box in this very special episode, featuring a cavalcade of guests from the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District. Our five guests include: Kyle Hamlin, MAISD Superintendent; Cindy DeYoung, Early Childhood Special Ed Supervisor; Kristen Larson, principal of the Seiter Center and Special Ed Supervisor; and Shannon Tripp, Associate Superintendent of Career Tech Ed and Early College. And joining us fashionably late is Penny Dora, Director of Communications and soon-to-be highlight of Dancing with the Local Stars! We go all out to introduce the MANY incredible things the ISD does for Montcalm Area kids, and shine a light on the educational magic they sprinkle over the county and beyond. They are hard-working rock stars with a passion for what they do, whether it's helping infants learn to walk, or teaching children with the most significant needs, or preparing high schoolers for careers in welding, marketing, education, and more. By the time they're done, you'll be saying, "Holy cow! HOW do they do all that?" They also explain their bond proposal on February 27th (their first in 62 years!) to reinforce their buildings and facilities. Come and be amazed, and get to know your ISD on the Flat River Front Porch!

We're making up for lost time with an early release of Episode 7! This is an all-singing, all-dancing, theatre-all-the-time edition of Flat River Front Porch featuring Maddi Huntoon, Theatre Coordinator for the Hans Christian Anderson Theater department of Greenville Area Recreation and Community Center. HCAT puts together family-friendly shows that are acted and produced by kids and community members. Maddi is a drama geek through and through, and shares her passionate journey coming up through acting and producing to running the whole theater. We test her knowledge of Hans himself, hear about High School Musical Jr. playing February 15-18 (this week, so get your tickets NOW!), and learn the one thing Maddi spends her time doing when she's not on stage. Put on your costume, enter stage left and join us on the Front Porch!

It's extremely fitting that our technology episode was delayed a week by technical difficulties... though we learn by trial and error, right? This episode is the perfect mix of tech adventures and human error as we're joined by Steve Schofield from Montcalm Community College to talk about Tech Fest, the upcoming event on February 8 on the Sidney Campus. It hopes to appeal to future tech professionals and the generally tech-interested alike by giving them a hands-on opportunity to experiment with technology and risk breaking things in a safe environment. We see how this event came together and learn about Steve's outreach history in Greenville and his blue Ford truck. Cassie also joins us again and we talk lost yearbooks, deer season, how not to play video games with our kids, and where your hands should be on the steering wheel (and whether it's acceptable to hold a coffee mug simultaneously). We get a little silly, but after all the snow and clouds we all need a little pick-me-up. Enjoy the weather respite and join us on the Flat River Front Porch!

With all this snow and cold, when you don't want to go into the community, let the community come to you on Flat River Front Porch! This week we spend time with Terri Legg and Bethany Broom Dombrowski from United - Montcalm Ionia Way Counties. They are gearing up for tax season with the VITA program, which brings free tax prep to anyone eligible in our area and nationwide. While they're here, we get a taste of the myriad other things their organization does for our community, and they give us insight to the experiences of local youth, housing insecure, and ALICE individuals in those counties (and what ALICE is, if you've never heard of it). And we still find time to talk travel trauma, JNCO jeans, and more. We also talk with Veronica Pitchford, long time FRCL staffer and Assistant Director. She fills us in on Winter Reading, learning how to invest, and her old house plans. It's a long one, but it's more to keep you busy in this chilly weather. Cuddle up and join us!

Let's start the new year with this "All Directors" episode of Flat River Front Porch! Brian Blomstrom, the Director of the Greenville Department of Public Safety and the Montcalm Township Supervisor, joins us to talk the challenges and joys of serving our community, why he chose Greenville, and how he spends his (extremely limited) spare time. We also get to sit down with Amanda Lee, the Director of Montcalm Area Reading Council, a reality TV and royal family addict with an amazing drive to make a difference in her hometown. We get silly and serious, and challenge our listeners to start the new year with a drive to help others in our community. Sit down and join us!

Welcome to the Flat River Front Porch! We are joined this time by Cory Smith, Senior Staff Writer for the Daily News, and I force him to put away his journalistic persona and express some opinions of his own (if only on his favorite reality TV shows). We also sit down with Cara Mikaelian, the other half of the two Cara's on our circulation team, who is a history nerd, marine biologist wannabe, Missourian and archival librarian-in-training. If you ever wondered if there was a Bass Pro in the United States that is also attached to an aquarium, that mystery is solved. Pull up a rocking chair and join us!

We're joined by Cara McGee, new circulation assistant, who manages to go ten minutes before bringing up her "other" job, and later explains how she bailed on Los Angeles to settle in her family home on Baldwin Lake. Then we interview Dave and Michelle Seppala. Michelle works at the library as well, and has made friends with most of our patrons in the past year. We let her husband Dave tag along. Dave works as a lender for Isabella Bank, and is on the boards for Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Montcalm Economic Alliance, and probably a few hundred other things. This episode is full of Greenville transplants who just happened to fall in love with this community.

We're joined by youth and adult services staff, Tiffany and Katrina, as well as the conclusion of the interview with the Chamber of Commerce crew.

In our first episode, Director Stef Reed is joined by Marketing and Outreach Librarian Cassie Vargo, then Paul Sischo and Katrina Snyder stop by to talk about the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and the joy of making connections. We got so immersed in conversation that we went long, so stay tuned for episode 1.5 for the conclusion of our interview!

In our first episode, Director Stef Reed is joined by Marketing and Outreach Librarian Cassie Vargo, then Paul Sischo and Katrina Snyder stop by to talk about the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and the joy of making connections. We got so immersed in conversation that we went long, so stay tuned for episode 1.5 for the conclusion of our interview!