ST. JOHNS, Mich. — This Saturday, July 9, has been designated as the first ever Roger Dershem Day in St. Johns.
Although Dershem passed away on May 25 at the age of 76, his legacy will live on in St. Johns where he was a community icon.
Dershem and his wife Mary owned Dershey's Cafe since 1997, but that's just one of many reasons he is well-known in the community. He was a member of the St. Johns Lions Club, a member of the Knights of Columbus, a 50-year-member of the American Legion and the manager of the St. Johns Recycling Center.
"We are going to shut down our street here and we're going to have a big celebration of life for Roger," Megen Hurst, Roger's friends and owner of OhMi Organics next door to Dershey's Cafe, said. "We're going to raise a bunch of money for the recycling center."
Megen and her husband Brent said the St. Johns Recycling Center draws people from across Michigan to recycle things like car batteries, styrofoam and scrap metals.
"A lot of people use the recycling center," Brent said. "It accepts a lot of materials that most don't."
The celebration will take place on west Higham Street in St. Johns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be food trucks, live music and cornhole.
"Chuckie D's is going to come out, and they're going to grill up burgers, and then they're going to open up the fryers at Dershey's Cafe, and we're going to make a bunch of money for them too," Megen said. "It's going to be a giant street party, and we'd love for everybody to come out."
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