Category: Interview

WNZR talks with members from Hospice of the Western Reserve!

We got to sit down with Tara Severence and Danielle England from the Hospice of the Western Reserve! Tara and Danielle provide us with information about themselves, their organization, and all the services they provide. They also detail their open house they have coming up, where you can learn about hospice, meet team members, and check out their new facilities!

Hospice of the Western Reserve Invites You to an Open House 

Mount Vernon, OH— Hospice of the Western Reserve in Mount Vernon (formerly HNCO/Hospice of Knox County), invites you to join us for an open house event on August 21, 2025 from 11am-3pm. 

HNCO/Hospice of Knox County was acquired by Hospice of the Western Reserve on August 1, 2024. We are an Ohio-based non-profit organization dedicated to end-of-life care in the community for over 40 years. This partnership allowed us to expand our services and comprehensive care. 

The open house is an opportunity to bring the community together to learn about our hospice and palliative care services, meet our local team members, and to see our newly renovated space. 

During the open house you can enjoy local food trucks, music, and light refreshments while touring our facility and learning about the care, comfort, and support we provide for patients and families. A table of informational materials will be available as well as goody bags for the first 100 visitors. 

We will also share ways you can make a difference as a volunteer. 

On the Rise Bar-B-Que and Round Hill Dairy will be selling and serving food and ice cream from their food trucks. The local band Side Effects is scheduled to perform from 11am-1pm followed by Granny Creek from 1pm-3pm on our back patio, a relaxing space with a beautiful view of nature and a granite water fountain. 

All are welcome to attend! 

Hospice of the Western Reserve is located at 17700 Coshocton Road in Mount Vernon. We are just past the health department on the right-hand side of the road. There is a big blue sign in our yard that you cannot miss! 

To RSVP or for questions, contact Tara at 740-507-0072 or tseverance@hospicewr.org. 

To learn more about their organization, click HERE!

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Praisestock is here!

WNZR gets to talk with Ben Staats and Dave Ewert from the team at Praisestock! They share with us all of the information on this year’s Praisestock event. There will be speakers, worship, ministries you can visit, and a ton of events for kids! Your not going to want to miss this year’s event.

To learn more about Praisestock’s mission and their annual event, click HERE!

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WNZR learns about Habitat for Humanity’s amazing ministry!

We got to sit down with Terry Schulz and Sarah Scott from Habitat for Humanity! They tell us all about Habitat’s mission and goals to help in our community.

They also highlight their new Welcome Home Ohio Project which is in the works right now and will help numerous people. There is a lot of work going into right now and it is for a great cause!

To stay connected with their ministry, click HERE!

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The Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival Kicks off Today!

The Mount Vernon Music Festival kicks off today and runs through Sunday.

Click HERE to hear all of Thursday’s Interviews!

We talked to a number of folks associated with the festival about the entertainment, music, food and fun:

  • Joe Rinehart who serves as Board Chair
  • Noelle Walton, Festival Director
  • Trina Trainor, Board member
  • Ashley Smith, KidsFest Coordinator

Click HERE to learn more about the Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival!

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WNZR talking with members of the MVMAF Board!

Marcy got to chat with two wonderful women, Debbie Ruggles and Noella Nzishura, both are members of this years Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival Board!

Debbie tells us about the different vendors they will have at this years festival, as well as the many food options there will be.

Noella describes how great it is to be a volunteer and she highlights her journey from volunteer to board member. She will also be participating in the West African Percussion performance on Saturday at 4pm!

For more information on the festival, click HERE!

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The “Biggest Little Fair In The World” Is Back!

The 167th Hartford independent fair kicked off Sunday and runs through August 9th, packed with family-friendly fun events every day.

WNZR’s Eric Brown spoke with Fair Manager Roger Smith about fair.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

On Saturday, Kylie Holman and Ethan Goodwin were crowned the 2025 Hartford fair queen and king.

This week’s big attractions include the high-energy monster truck show on Wednesday and the ever-popular rough truck contest on Friday night.

Admission is $10 at the gate or $9.50 online, with weekly passes also available.

The fair takes place at the Hartford fairgrounds on Fairgrounds Road outside Croton (or Hartford, depending on who you talk to).

Click HERE for the full schedule and details

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Conversations with our 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award recipients!

Congratulations to the the city of Mount Vernon, Ohio, Volunteers of the Year for 2025.
These outstanding volunteers were announced and recognized by Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr at August First Friday. They tell us more about what they do in our community and give us some advice on getting involved!

Here is some more information on each of them:

• Paul Acitelli, who died on June 18 of this year, consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to helping others, particularly individuals with disabilities. In addition to adopting a family every Christmas through the Salvation Army or Interchurch Social Services of Knox County, he continually raised thousands of dollars to support disabled people in need of housing assistance, utilities or to fund recreational access via pool passes.

• Heather Barbour, the physical education teacher at Twin Oak and Columbia Elementary Schools, has been responsible for bringing many sports programs and activity initiatives to Mount Vernon. She’s done this through her volunteer work with Lifepoint Church, the City’s Recreation Board and more. Bicycling is a priority for her, and she has helped many kids learn how to ride a bike via the All Kids Bike program and as the bike safety coordinator for Mount Vernon’s Safety Town.

• Jeff Williams and Courtney DeCosky, through their Nellie Six Productions, have made a huge impact on the arts scene in Mount Vernon and Knox County. Within just a few short years, they have turned the Summer Front Porch Concert Series into one of the City’s top cultural events of the year. As founding members of the Kokosing Valley Arts Alliance, they have worked to create opportunities and remove barriers for local and regional artists to develop and share their art.

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WNZR gets to talk with Tauren Wells!

Marcy and Xander got some time to chat with Christian artist Tauren Wells!

Tauren is performing at the Ohio State Fair on Monday, July 28th and we super excited about it. It is truly inspiring to listen to Tauren tell us a little about his life and his heart for God.

We highlight everything including his church, his new book, and even his remix of “Take It All Back” with Skillet!

To get tickets, click HERE!

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WNZR shines the spotlight on the 2025 Knox County Junior Fair Board, Species Ambassadors and Liaisons

WNZR talked with members of the 2025 Junior Fair Board about their experience, responsibilities and what they are learning in their positions. We also recognize the 2025 Species Ambassadors and Liaisons. The students shared about the process of their competitions, memories they have of the Fair and how this experience is impacting their future. We congratulate these amazing young leaders!

Click HERE or click the Play button below to hear these conversations.
The pictures below are from the Junior Fair Breakfast hosted by the Knox County Chamber of Commerce and CES Credit Union. The Junior Fair Board received a donation of $3,000 at that breakfast!

WNZR will bring your coverage of the 2025 Knox County Fair all week. Listen for our live broadcasts from 4pm – 9pm each day. Keep checking back on our blog for your chance to meet more of the amazing youth participating at this year’s Fair. There are 1,477 participants!

2025 Junior Fair Board Members:

  1. Hudson Adrian
  2. Shae Amstutz
  3. Kennedy Auker
  4. Dalton Bailey
  5. Catlin Ball
  6. Ellie Boggs
  7. Raegan Blanchard
  8. Michael Brady
  9. Luci Byler
  10. Meira Bryant
  11. Nason Bryant
  12. Ryleigh Scarpitti
  13. Logan Daubenmier
  14. Jenelle Doup
  15. Lane Dugan
  16. Joslin Frazer
  17. Addyson Gerhart
  18. Kinley Grogg
  19. Peyton Harris
  20. Blake Hegemier
  21. Bristol Hegemier
  22. Lane Hillier
  23. Phoebe Hults
  24. Trevor Mills
  25. Macy Miller
  26. Emily Norris
  27. Ava Page
  28. Sierra Shields
  29. Will Stokes
  30. Haley Unger
  31. Taylor Vance
  32. Anysten VanHouten
  33. Alayna Wittel
  34. Annalia Wolf
  35. Sophie Wolf
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July First Friday is tonight! Join WNZR and kick-off a great Independence Holiday weekend!

The Morning Thing talked with Lacey Filkins, Executive Director for Experience Mount Vernon about July’s First Friday. It IS happening on a Thursday (7/3/25).
Click HERE to hear the full conversation, or click the link below.

Lacey shares the details about this exciting event for families. She gives us highlights of the schedule, entertainment, food choices, parking and the theme – Red, White, & Blue Party! The event happens tonight from 6pm – 9pm in downtown Mount Vernon. We hope to see you there to celebrate our Independence Holiday.

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