Chicken, Community & Caring for Neighbors

It's Chicken BBQ week in Big Rapids! This week on What’s Up Big Rapids, we talk summer heat, golf, county fair week, Five Below, and somehow find time to laugh at a picture of Dom dressed as a giant chicken. Our guest is Kim Easler, Executive Director of Angels of Action, who shares what it takes to organize one of the community's biggest fundraisers, how the organization continues to grow, and the many ways volunteers make a difference throughout the year. If you've ever wondered where your Chicken BBQ dollars go—or how you can help your neighbors—this is a great conversation. ⏱️ Timecodes 0:00 – Intro & welcome 1:15 – Surviving the summer heat & Chicken BBQ volunteer tips ☀️🍗 3:39 – Golf season is in full swing ⛳ 4:45 – Dom... in a chicken costume 🐔 5:32 – Conor McGregor discussion 6:18 – Five Below grand opening review 🛍️ 9:18 – Featured Creature: African Pygmy 🐟 11:05 – Guest intro: Kim Easler (Angels of Action) ❤️ 12:30 – Is the Chicken BBQ the biggest fundraiser? 13:00 – Behind the scenes of organizing community events 13:54 – How many dinners were served last year? 14:50 – Pat declares this year's chicken the best ever 🍗 17:20 – Shoutout to Mancino's for donating bread 🥖 18:22 – Chris rolls the dice on eating lettuce 😄 20:13 – How many chickens does it take? 22:32 – Kim's journey with Angels of Action 23:25 – What she's most proud of 24:00 – Growing the Literacy in Action program 📚 26:00 – Why literacy matters 27:40 – What's next for Angels of Action? 28:00 – Virtual cooking classes for families 👩‍🍳 29:30 – Volunteers are always needed 30:40 – Other ways to support the mission 33:10 – Christmas in July Golf Scramble 🎄⛳ 35:05 – Managing multiple golf outings 36:40 – Back-to-school event coming soon 🎒 36:58 – Looking ahead to Light Up the Night ✨ 37:50 – Final Chicken BBQ days! 38:18 – How to volunteer or donate 39:30 – Special Olympics Ice Cream Social 🍦 40:13 – High Strung Steel & Whorled at Quinn's 🎶 41:50 – Pat's movie ticket giveaway 🎬 43:54 – Pocket Park concert series continues 🎵 44:42 – Blue Water Ramblers at the Bandshell 45:15 – Fair Week is here! 🎡 47:21 – Thursday Night Concerts begin next week 49:12 – H.O.B.O. Basketball Camp 🏀 50:35 – Chris doesn't have room for another cult 😂 50:55 – Cornhole tournament at The Peaks 52:12 – Quantum Wellness Summer Bash 52:40 – Eagles 80th Anniversary Open House 54:06 – Pork for a Purpose 🐖 54:51 – AI imagines Big Rapids 🤖 57:02 – Daylight Saving Time update ⏰ 58:25 – Outro & goodbye 📣 Hashtags #WhatsUpBigRapids #BigRapidsMI #SupportLocal #CommunityStrong #AngelsOfAction