The 7 most-watched Rock River Current videos of 2022
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — In our most-watched video this year, a professional mermaid encourages viewers to “be whimsical every day.”
That advice came from Olivia Gaumond, a 25-year-old dog groomer whose side-hustle is as a professional mermaid. We met her at Arts Happening Downtown, a one-day block party with large, living and evolving public art installations. Gaumond was part of an installation with an aquatic theme.
While most of our storytelling is written at rockrivercurrent.com, we also create occasional videos when we feel it’s the best medium to convey part of the story.
Related: Each month’s most-read Rock River Current stories in 2022
Today we’re sharing with you the seven videos you watched most on our YouTube channel. Here they are:
‘Life’s too short to not be magical’: Meet Rockford’s professional mermaid
More than 76,000 people watched the story of Olivia Gaumond, who is building a career as a professional mermaid a la the famed Weeki Wachee Springs State Park actors in Florida.
She shared the long process of getting ready for the role and why “life’s too short to not be magical.”
Chuck E. Cheese in Rockford gets a makeover. Here’s what it looks like now
Chuck E. Cheese revealed its new look at 3600 E. State St. in Rockford in late August.
After 34 years in business in Rockford, the family entertainment venue was revamped with more than 15 new games, an interactive dance floor, more seating for larger groups, charging stations for mobile devices, a new video wall and new carpeting.
But it’s what went missing that generated a lot of interest in this video.
“It’s sad to see the animatronic show is gone,” one person commented on YouTube. “That’s the only reason my kids love going there. Sadly, we will never go back.”
More news: Josef’s Steakhouse & Oyster Bar in Rockford to close
The video generated a few dozen comments, most of which were about the demise of the rocker stage.
“NOOOOOOOO THE ROCKER,” one person wrote. “I’m going to cry bro,” another said.
‘A sea of people’ fill downtown Rockford for 10th annual Stroll on State
This year was the 10th annual Stroll on State, the one-day holiday festival that takes over downtown.
We made two videos from the event, and both wound up on our most-watched list. This video captures highlights from the entire day, including the parade, tree-lighting ceremony and end-of-night fireworks.
More Stroll on State: Photos from the 10th annual Stroll on State
Our routine for Dancing with the Rockford Stars
This year’s Dancing with the Rockford Stars event set records for attendance and fundraising, and the Rock River Current played a small role in its success.
Chelsea Meyer from B103’s Morning Routine and I teamed up to perform a routine inspired by old-school hip hop as part of the show.
Who is the crying girl meme? Meet the Rockford student behind the viral picture
Nevaeh Johnson became a viral meme at age 5.
She was having a rough first day at school and former Rockford Register Star photographer Max Gersh captured a moment of distress. We caught up with Nevaeh for this video and story, which was also one of our most-popular reads of the year.
Related: Rockford’s ‘crying girl’ became a viral meme. Here’s what she’s up to now
What is the Rock River Current? Here’s what our news organization sets out to do
As a startup news organization, we’re often telling our own story about why we exist and what we’ve set out to accomplish.
This brief video interview explains our mission.
2022 Stroll on State Parade
This was the second of our Stroll on State videos to make the list.
This one focused solely on the parade and gave a small slice of nearly every portion that passed through State Street.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.
