Elvis Presley may be the king of rock n’ roll, but Bob Earley is the king of Rockin’ on the River in Cuyahoga Falls. Earley has been the event coordinator for the past six years, though the concert series has been around for the past 23. Rockin’ on the River is held outdoors at Falls River Square, every Friday night, from the end of May until the end of August.
Earley says that under his leadership the event offers something for everyone. “It’s family friendly and a social get together,” Earley said. “The social interaction is the big success of it.” Besides being a fun event to attend on Friday nights, Rockin’ on the River supports local nonprofits. Volunteers work each week and their organizations receive a portion of the proceeds for their involvement.
Not only does Earley seem to take over Cuyahoga Falls on Friday nights, he has begun to take over the WNIR 100 FM radio station on the weekends. He recently began hosting his own radio show on Saturday and Sunday nights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Earley describes his show, “Earley in the Evening,” as a potpourri radio show. “I talk about everything from politics, to entertainment, to sports,” he says, “but my primary focus is on local news stories.” A regular fill-in for Howie Chizek and Bob Golic, Earley was no stranger to the radio station when management approached him about the show.
Because of his active involvement within the community, Earley was awarded Cuyahoga Falls 2009 Business Person of the Year Award. “It was the greatest honor of my life,” he says. “It really meant a lot to me and it was nice to be recognized for what I do.”
Although Earley is grateful for the community recognition, he says he couldn’t have accomplished his achievements without the help of his wife, Sandy. And he doesn’t take his success for granted. Earley says he wakes up every morning and thinks, “I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
