Happy Jim Columbus Day!

By Jennifer Poenix

This morning may not have been Columbus Day to you, but here at KAXE, it was Jim Columbus Day. So, we celebrated the best way we know how: with food. (See, I just can’t not blog about food.)

Cooks John Bauer, Heidi Holtan, and Penny Holcomb were busy in the KAXE kitchen when I arrived with my son Zane at 7:30 this morning. Maggie and Dan had already cooked up a storm yesterday afternoon. I brought fruit salad (yes, that fruit salad). We also had pancakes, two kinds of sausage, two kinds of egg bake, plus milk, coffee, and juice.

The guest of honor, Jim Columbus, arrived with 7 of his coworkers just as the first pancakes were coming off the griddle.

If you don’t know who Jim Columbus is, I will tell you. Jim works for the city of Grand Rapids, in the public works department. Jim and his crew are very devoted to KAXE. They listen to KAXE when they’re driving their snow plows and even communicate to one another about things they hear on their CB radios.

Ever since KAXE moved to our building on the Mississippi River, Jim and the guys have been very helpful. KAXE is spelled out in bricks on the sidewalk out front thanks to them. They brought us a lot of mulch when we put our rain garden in this summer. Then, when there was leftover mulch, they placed it around all the spruce trees we have. They make sure the fine details are taken care of when we have an event, like the 91.7 KAXE Mississippi River Festival.

In late August, KAXE was without water for three weeks. The details as to why are now fuzzy, but I do know that this was not Jim Columbus related. It was the other guys. When multi-daily trips to the Grand Rapids Area Library for water got to be too much, who was the person who helped us out? That’s right. Jim Columbus.

Thank you Jim Columbus and to your mighty crew for all you have done for KAXE!

"Just think," Jim said this morning, "if my last name was Carlson, none of this would be taking place." Not true, Jim. We think you're a great guy whatever your last name is.