In celebration of the Fredericktown Tomato Show, our hosts have a special Friday Favorite – their favorite ways to eat tomatoes!
The Morning Thing Friday Favorites 9/5/25 – We love tomatoes!
MVNU Faculty invite you to the fun and interactive Education Fair at September First Friday
September First Friday’s theme is “Back to School”! MVNU Faculty members encourage you to join the focus on education in downtown Mount Vernon. Families are invited to participate in the education activity and department fair located in the Public Square. From 6pm to 9pm, you be able to visit multiple tables hosted by MVNU Departments. You and your kids will get the chance for hands-on learning and exploration. Find out more about MVNU and have some FUN this Friday 9/5 from 6pm – 9pm.
WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart talked with these professors:
Click HERE to hear their conversations.
Dr. Jose Oomman – Engineering – This department will offer tours of the newly renovated Hunter Wright Hub for Engineering and Computer Science. Stop by the basement of 18 East Vine Street.
Dr. Jon Bosley – Environmental Biology – Stop by their table to see rocks, minerals, fossils, plants and other items related to biology.
Dr. Dawn McKee – Communication Sciences and Disorders – Stop by and pick out a gently used book and a children’s book about stuttering. Find out about MVNU’s Speech Therapy Services.
Dr. Rachel Young – Social Work – Their table will focus on self-care! Stop by to pick up your own self-care bag!
Professor Amy Dubusky – Education – Stop by their table and make an origami bookmark. You can also sign up for a book giveaway and a book bundle.
Dr. Deb Garee – Nursing – Stop by their table and pick up a sensory bag filled with health care items. They will also be giving away gently used children’s books.
Don’t forget to stop by Big Blue and see talk to students in the Communication & Media (Digital Media) Major. You can be part of a live broadcast, sign up for a great prize basket and sing our Birthday song!
We will see you and your family this Friday from 6pm – 9pm in downtown Mount Vernon!
2025 Fredericktown Tomato Show Underway
The 2025 Fredericktown Tomato Show runs Wednesday through Saturday.
WNZR’s Eric Brown spoke to various members of the board about some of the events at the show.
Click HERE to hear all the conversations.
- Chris Well has been with the Fredericktown Tomato Show for 48 years. She oversees the little Miss Tomato Show and the Plate Auction, and she shares a bit of info about what that is as well as what she does with them. She goes into detail about the plate auction, its theme this year is America’s pastime, and how important it is for the continuation of the Tomato show.
- Lesley Ruggles has been a board member for the tomato show for 12 years; she is the director at large for the show. She is also in charge of the Baby Crawling contest and shares a bit about the fun event.
- Michael Maggard oversees the big wheel races and bathtub races. She talks about why it’s important for you to have a driver’s license.
- Todd Lindeman has been with the tomato show for 4 years. He is one of two directors in charge of the parade, and he talks about some of the logistical challenges to run a parade; he also talks about the 1.6 mile route for the parade. He talks about what he’s most looking forward to during the show this year
- Cale Grubb also talks about the rides and the fact that a recent project opened up the possibility of bringing bigger rides to the event.
Click HERE to find out more about the Fredericktown Tomato Show.
WNZR talks with Amy Seward from the Knox County Emergency Management Agency!
We got to talk with Amy Seward, who is the Deputy Director of the KCEMA! In honor of it being National Preparedness Month, Amy wanted to tell us why and how we should be preparing for disasters. She also details her role, what they do, and how you can stay connected!
For more information on National Preparedness Month, click HERE!
Click HERE if you want to know more about the Knox County Emergency Management Agency!
082925 Friday Favorites – Sports!
For this weeks Friday Favorites, The Morning Thing hosts focus on sports! To celebrate National Sports Day, our hosts share what their favorite sport is and why they love it!
August Spotlight on Mount Vernon with Mayor Matt Starr!
Mount Vernon’s Mayor Matt Starr joins us for our monthly update! He lets us know about many things regarding our community. The mayor details deer hunting, construction, his prayer breakfast that is coming up, and many more important topics!
Go check out the full conversation!
It is NEW Student Move In Day at MVNU!
WNZR joins MVNU’s celebration of New Student Move In Day.
We talked with Campus leaders about this special day and their goals for the 2025-2026 Academic Year.
MVNU’s Director of Residence Life, Sarah Mowry
MVNU’s NEW Executive Director of Enrollment, Jon Nicholas
MVNU’s VP of Student Life, Dr. Matt Spraker
MVNU’s VP of Spiritual Life and Church Relations, Dave Mills
MVNU’s Assistant Director of Traditional Enrollment, Ben Slater
UW of Knox County Gearing up for Day of Caring
The United Way of Knox County has had a busy summer!
Executive Director Katie Ellis talked to Marcy on the Morning Thing Wednesday about the recent grand opening of the Vine and Lawn.
She also talked about the day of caring coming up on Friday September 12th from 9am to 2pm.
It’s a day of collaboration for the United Way Agencies of Knox County and is the biggest community service day in the county.
The deadline to get registered is September 5th.
Click HERE to get registered for the Day of Caring.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.
How Do You Start Your Day?
There is an adage, “The Family that Prays Together, Stays Together.”
On the Morning Thing Wednesday, we shared 7 morning prayers for your family to start your day.
Experts from Crosswalk.org say by starting the day with prayer it helps your family find hope and encouragement with our most powerful tool – prayer.
Click HERE for the 7 prayers from Crosswalk.org.
August is Family Fun Month
We know activities start to snowball when school starts in the Fall.
But don’t forget your family still needs to stay connected.
On Tuesday’s edition of the Morning Thing, Eric shared simple ways to stay connected as a family during the school year.
Some of the ideas included:
- Plan a weekend activity like hiking
- Getting rid of technology for an hour
- Having at least one family meal together per week.
Click HERE for some more ideas from the website First Things
Rise and Shine 