Before he even graduated high school, Art Doyle had made a business out of repairing bikes. A modest bike repair business outside of Stillwater High School eventually led Art to opening his own bike shop downtown Hudson. Forty years later, Art Doyle's Spokes and Pedals remains an integral part of the Hudson community — and cycling remains a big part of Art's life.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Art shares more about his earliest memories of riding and repairing bikes, discusses some of his favorite places to bike in the St. Croix Valley area, and talks about the transformation of both the cycling world and of Hudson since he first opened his shop in town in 1984.

Art Doyle's Spokes and Pedals is located at 607 2nd Street in downtown Hudson, Wis.

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There's something special about being able to pick and eat your own farm-grown fruit. That's exactly the experience you'll get if you head east of Hudson just a bit to visit White Pine Berry Farm, where Greg and Andrew Zwald (known to regulars as Farmer Greg and Farmer Andrew) have continued to grow their U-pick operation since opening in 2012.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we're heading to the farm to sample some fruits and learn all about the history of White Pine Berry Farm — which was started by Greg after he wrapped up a 40-year run as a dairy farmer. These days, Greg and Andrew work together as a father-son duo to run White Pine Berry Farm, offering plenty for families to enjoy when they come visit.

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At the height of the pandemic, Amy Thurston started going a bit stir crazy and decided to do something with the Hudson history books she had at home. Amy launched the Historic Hudson, WI Facebook page to share about the town's history — the people, places, and events that shaped the town over the past 150-plus years. Four years later, the page continues to be a big hit as the daily posts get hundreds of interactions and dozens of comments from both Hudson natives and those who more recently moved to the city.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we hear more from Amy about what she enjoys most about Hudson's history, the time it takes to maintain daily posts on the Historic Hudson page, and what she thinks were the most impactful moments of the town's history.

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For five years, Val Aune owned and operated not one but two successful stores downtown Hudson. She became the owner of La Rue Marche in 2012, and five years later opened The Bees Knees, a gift shop that sells something for just about everybody. Val eventually sold La Rue Marche in 2022 to focus on The Bees Knees, and she has become a leader among the downtown business owners.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Val joins to share about what it was like to first take over La Rue Marche, the inspiration for both the name of The Bees Knees and the items she sells in the shop, and she discusses what it was like to watch La Rue Marche be prominently featured in the Roku Channel movie "A Christmas Wish in Hudson."

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If you were going to start your own food truck, what would you serve? For Hudson resident Derek Hom, the choice was simple: waffles. After the birth of his son, Derek quit his job to launch Wilder Waffle Co., a food truck serving delicious waffles in Hudson and the surrounding area. Since taking the leap of leaving his corporate job, Derek hasn't looked back. His schedule now allows for more flexibility with his family, and his waffle truck remains in demand in the community.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, hear from Derek about why he chose waffles, what exactly a liege style waffle is, and the lessons he's learned about owning and operating a food truck now that he's in his second year with Wilder Waffle Co.

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There are several great non-profits in the Hudson area helping residents with various challenges, and two of them will soon be under the same roof to better serve their clients. The Hudson Area Backpack & Food Program will be joining Operation HELP in the same facility as the two long-standing organizations will now have more space to operate.

The Hudson Area Backpack & Food Program began in 2007 as a way to ensure kids at Hudson schools had enough food to eat, and has since grown to serve an even wider group. Operation HELP has served the St. Croix County area for more than 30 years, offering financial assistance for things such as rent, utilities, car repairs and more.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we hear from Kris Knott of the Hudson Area Backpack and Food Program and Tim Puffer of Operation HELP to hear more about their respective organizations and learn what this move to a shared space will mean to both groups.

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A lightbulb clicked for Matt Darnold when the Hudson native attended a Pride Festival in Hastings, Minnesota: why couldn’t something like this take place in his hometown?

So Matt set out to create Hudson Pride Co., which last year hosted the first annual Valley Wide Pride Fest at Lakefront Park. The goal was to offer a safe space to members of the LGBTQ+ community in the St. Croix Valley area and to promote inclusiveness and acceptance.

The event is back for a second year, and Matt joins this week’s episode of St. Croix Stories to kick off Pride Month with an important conversation about what it was like for him to grow up in Hudson and how the Valley Wide Pride Fest is helping him strengthen his ties to his hometown.

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If you're like me, you sometimes don't feel like cooking dinner (or don't have time) but you still want a home-cooked meal. That's where Hudco To Go comes in. As a newer arrival to the Hudson food scene, Hudco To Go offers home-cooked meals that you can bring home and heat up. Chef Ben Jung and his wife Hannah opened Hudco to Go downtown Hudson earlier this year, serving up sandwiches and salads in addition to freezers full of take-and-bake items.

On this episode of St. Croix Stories, Ben and Hannah share more about the inspiration for Hudco To Go. Ben also shares more about his experience cooking in various Twin Cities restaurants and for kids at Camp St. Croix, and they both discuss what it meant to have support from other restaurant owners in town as they launched their new venture. All of that and more on the latest episode of St. Croix Stories.

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