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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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:
Click HERE to learn more about the Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival!
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!
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
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.
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!
Rise and Shine 