17 comments

I don’t get it? What makes Big Rapids better than Remus? Wal-Mart? The cartoonist should have used Mecosta for an example of (where you don’t want to live)!

Well Mr. John, before you were born, or came around these parts, and prior to FSU, our local towns and Villages were fine. 
We were a thrieving community, the Village of Mecosta lost the County seat by one vote, as far as what would Big Rapids be without FSU, well FSU has not created any more work, or much for the local residents, there is always give and take, and from being around these parts for over forty years I can say for most of us we can do without FSU, and you, The area has only went down hill over the years, with city like ethics coming to our towns. Our towns ,where everyone knows one another, helps one another, our towns when you have a flat or are in the ditch the local farmer pulls your A.. out of the hole, helps you out and gets you on your way again, and when you go to hand him money 99.9% of the time,tells you to keep it, its because of the ethics we were brought up with, so the next time you want to put your award winning funnies in the paper, remember more than just you city folk attend FSU,or reads the Torch, and also remember in the back of your mind, the next time your crossing M-20 between Big Rapids and Mt. Pleasant and have road problems. Maybe,just maybe, the local boy did not see your comic strip.
-Patrick Rhéaume
Mecosta, Michigan

Hey Johnny, 
Remember when you drove an hour to come save us when Tom’s car died in the middle of nowhere during a thunderstorm, and then you drove us all the way to our destination in South GR and back…musta been them damn city ethics of yours. 

O.K. so maybe Big Rapids would be better off without the school. However, the students do bring in a lot of business into an otherwise dead town with very little tourism interests locally located. Sure there’s some nice camping nearby but that isn’t much of a draw. From what I can tell, big rapids is a town that sprung up out of farming communities whose only real incentive for any growth or development had been provided by the school itself, and is pretty much going to stay that way for a while. And while the school may not benefit the city- if the response to last week’s Greek comic shows anything, the sororities and fraternities do more for this town in the form of volunteerism than any other one school-affiliated organization.

That aside, the residents of Big Rapids have a great business opportunity that can arise from the students. A constant complaint of many Ferris residents is that there is very little to do in the town. Locals could monopolize on the fact that there is a mass influx of people into the area all looking for something to do and maybe provide better entertainment options. Maybe update the movie theater so we don’t have to drive to Grand Rapids to get a quality experience worthy of what little money we have. The downtown provides more eateries, businesses of service (grocery, banks, insurance, and the ilk), and niche stores than it does provide a form of entertainment or activity.

But back to the point: the comic is not about whether or not Big Rapids would even be here without us- it’s about a severe lack of respect that the year-round residents have for the students. Your claim of “… I can say for most of us we can do without FSU, and you.” just exemplifies the ill will the locals harbor for the students. Your negative reaction is validating the very argument the comic is making.

O.K., sure- a lot of us students are not model citizens by any means and don’t deserve respect. But there are also residents who are genuinely wonderful people that just seem to get, metaphorically speaking, spat on wherever they go. The small-town ethics you refer to may be about lending a helping hand to all those in need, but it would seem that there are quite a few who don’t even want to give the students the time of day.

As a side note, you also say “Well Mr. John, before you were born, or came around these parts, and prior to FSU, our local towns and Villages were fine.” You couldn’t possibly know that- the university has been around since 1884.
And if you’ve ever been to the mecosta county historical museum on Stewart- you would realize that this town was not anything special. It was just a cluster of stores that sprung up around a farm community. And guess what- the basic size of the area has stayed roughly the same with the only sprawl coming from residential development. Chew on that, townie.

I lost track of what you were talking about halfway through your rambling. Maybe you should finish high school and then go to college? stop wasting your time doing tractor pulls. 

Mr. Patrick Rhéaume,

Your argument would be more credible with correct grammar & spelling. Also, less ironic.

lets find his address, and then during the big event we go over there and clean up every property surrounding it, but leave his untouched.

LOL, his address is listen on his facebook if you look on his wall…he should learn the dangers of the internet.

How’d you get the internet all the way out in Remus? Don’t tell me you made a special trip in to town!

ya dun goof’d, Mr. Vestevich. You an your booklearnin’. Have fun getting your PFD or what the hell ever. Why can’t you just chill out, smoke some dope, get drunk have a good time yeah? instead of making fun of locals why don’t you go to a tractor pull. Big Rapids was just fine before Ferris University came along. The good old boys could go to the local barber shop and get a trim without having to worry about these college buckaroos hangin out going to that dance club. 

Hey Bulldogs,
Don’t let one person’s snarky comment reflect on the whole community. There are plenty of “townies” who like you. In fact, many of us prefer Fall-Spring, because during the summer the town slows to a crawl. We like having your energy, assistance and input. And yes, many businesses thrive because of the money you spend here. For every person like Patrick, there are 50 of us who are proud of Ferris, and very happy you are here. If you explore town a bit you will find that many, many local business owners either grew up here and attended Ferris or attended Ferris and decided to stay here after graduation. It could be that Patrick (just maybe) is being a jerk.
Dave Clark, editor in chief, Pioneer newspaper (www.bigrapidsnews.com)

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