St. Croix Stories

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. C...

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...

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 brewe...

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 baker...

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: "...

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 co...