As a high schooler, Mike Miller spent his summers helping do maintenance at Willow River Cemetery. It was a job he could walk to from his house and kept him active during the summer. But at the time, he had no visions of making a career out of it.

Fast forward to today, and Mike has now been the caretaker at Willow River Cemetery for over 30 years. Mike joined this week's episode of the St. Croix Stories podcast to share about what it's like being the caretaker at Hudson's only public cemetery, which also happens to be a non-profit. He also reminisces about growing up in Hudson, talks about the history of Willow River Cemetery, and much more during his conversation with host Tyler Mason. 

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After working for years as a chemist for 3M and then as an instructor at a technical college, Joyce Hall was approached about running for city council in Hudson — an idea she had never before considered. But she decided to run, and was eventually voted onto the council. She's now served on the Hudson City Council since 2015, making her the second-longest-tenured alderperson in the city.

Most people in Hudson know Joyce from that role, but she wears even more hats: a home business owner of more than 20 years, a volunteer with the Hudson Daybreak Rotary, a math lab tutor, and a grandma who takes her granddaughter all over Hudson. Joyce added one more role her already full plate: podcast guest. She joined this week's St. Croix Stories episode to talk about the role of the Hudson City Council, some recent items of business the council has helped advance, what she enjoys most about being so active in her local community, and more. 

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While working full-time as an attorney, Justin Terbeest became an avid home brewer — and he was good at it, too. Justin entered numerous home brewing competitions in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States and found success at it. That sparked the idea to eventually open up a brewery, and he chose Hudson, Wisconsin for the location of Hop and Barrel Brewing.

Hop and Barrel is one of two breweries currently in operation in Hudson, along with Pitchfork Brewing. Hop and Barrel helped bring beer back to downtown Hudson, where there were once multiple breweries more than 150 years ago. Hop and Barrel recently celebrated its six-year anniversary and has expanded its footprint to cover nearly every county in Wisconsin.

On this week's episode, Justin joins St. Croix Stories over a few beers at the Hop and Barrel taproom to talk about his journey in home brewing, what it was like to quit his job as a lawyer to focus on the brewery, and discusses his favorite (and least favorite) styles of beer.

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Charles Froke's career as a baker has taken him around the world. He's baked at high-end restaurants and for prominent figures. But with family ties to the Hudson area, he always had an eye on the riverside town as he thought to one day open his own bakery.

That time came in 2020, when Charles opened St. Croix Baking Company downtown Hudson. Despite opening during the pandemic, the bakery was an immediate success — he had a line around the block during the store's soft opening. Three years later, things continue to be busy for Charles and his team at St. Croix Baking Company.

On this week's St. Croix Stories podcast, Charles shares more about his journey as a chef, talks about his early childhood memories of visiting his grandparents in Hudson, offers advice to anyone who wants to become a home baker, and much more.

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When it comes to promoting Hudson, Wisconsin, few people do it quite like Chad Trainor.

As the co-owner and chef at Urban Olive and Vine downtown Hudson, Chad is a business owner who also helps out other local businesses. At the onset of the pandemic, he started posting about other restaurants on his social media pages, helping struggling business survive — and thrive. As Chad likes to say: "Community over competition."

Chad is the inaugural guest on St. Croix Stories, a weekly podcast dedicated to highlighting the people and places that make the riverside town of Hudson, Wisconsin unique. On this episode, Chad talks about the origins of his promotional social media posting, the type of restaurant he wishes Hudson had, a recent run-in with the Hudson police, and more. 

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Welcome to St. Croix Stories, a new podcast hosted by Tyler Mason that will tell the stories of Hudson, Wisconsin, by talking to the people who make this town great. From business owners to event organizers to Hudsonites who have plenty to share about the town’s history, the goal of this podcast is to entertain, to educate, and to shine a light on this riverside town. Each week will bring a new conversation with someone from the Hudson community. Subscribe to St. Croix Stories wherever you find your podcasts.

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Follow St. Croix Stories on Facebook and Instagram, and hear all episodes at stcroixstories.com.