WNZR Congratulates the 2024 Little Miss and Mr. Knox County Fair

On Sunday, the Knox County Fair hosted the 32nd annual Little Miss Knox County Fair contest and the 3rd annual Little Mr. Knox County Fair contest.

Congratulations to the 2024 Royalty:
Girls –
2024 Little Miss Knox County Fair/Winner – Natalie Kuhlman
1st runner up – Scarlet Anne Gray
2nd Runner up – Kaylee Conaway
3rd Runner up – Emberly Fowler

Boys –
2024 Little Mr. Knox County Fair/Winner – Judson Durbin
1st runner up – Blaine Doup
2nd Runner up – Dane Allbaugh
3rd runner up – Mason Smith

WNZR’s Joe Rinehart had a chance to talk with the winners. Click HERE to enjoy the fun conversations!

Enjoy the pictures below. You can see a full gallery from Sunday at the Knox County Fair on the WNZR Facebook page – HERE.

The Morning Thing Friday Favorites – let’s go to the Knox County Fair!

We are so excited to go On the Road with Big Blue to the Knox County Fair!
For our Friday Favorites today, we shared our favorite events at the Fair.
Click HERE to hear from Alyssa, Judah and Marcy.
We hope to see you there. Find Big Blue beside the Junior Fair Booth building, up the hill from the main Fair Board office.
Also, get registered for our amazing prizes at www.wnzr.fm

The Morning Thing shares highlights of July First Friday

The Morning Thing talked with Lacey Filkins, Executive Director for Experience Mount Vernon about July First Friday.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.
Lacey shared highlights of the schedule, best parking places, live music, food truck options and many fun family activities.
The event is from 6pm – 9pm in downtown Mount Vernon.
July’s Theme is “Summer Camp”.
The Big Blue Crew will be in downtown Mount Vernon tonight. We hope to see you there!
Click HERE to see a full list of activities and details about WNZR’s “Drink Up, Soak Up and Frame Up” prize basket. We will give this away tonight before 8pm!

What’s your family doing for Independence Day?

Today on The Morning Thing we shared some highlights of local activities happening in the community this upcoming Independence Day. Check out the details below. If you know of other events and activities happening in our community, please email us at wnzr@mvnu.edu

We hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July!

June 2024 Spotlight on Mount Vernon with Mayor Matt Starr

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr shared updates on the City with The Morning Thing on Friday, 6/28/24.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

Topics included:

  • A discussion about current construction and maintenance projects for the city. He shares the progress of these projects:
  • Catherine Street Community Development Block Grant
  • Center Street
  • North End Project near Dan Emmett Elementary School
  • The City has 9 active projects going on now. They are close to closing out 3 of those projects. 
  • Mayor Starr gives a reminder to have patience during the summer cycle for current construction and maintenance projects.
  • He also talks about his philosophy of working in residential areas around the city.
  • Mayor Starr shares information and updates from the Mount Vernon Street Department. He shares updates on these projects:
    • Brick Street Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
    • Catch Basin Repairs on the south end of town
    • Street Sweeping
    • Spraying for Weeds
    • Bee City USA Program for Mount Vernon
    • Tree Trimming
    • Pothole Patching – You can call 740-393-9501 to report a pothole
  • Mayor Starr shares information and updates from other City Departments. He shares updates on these projects:
    • The Mount Vernon Public Buildings and Lands Department
    • Maintenance and cleaning of the fountain on the Public Square
    • Flags on the graves of veterans
    • Work on City Offices – HVAC system, deep cleaning of floors and carpeting and putting up blood-borne pathogen kits.
  • Mayor Starr shares information and updates from other City Departments. He shares updates on these projects:
    • The Mount Vernon Utilities/Water and Wastewater Department
    • They are working with a new Communications System that helps control the city’s water and wastewater capabilities. It is a computer based that monitors all devices and greatly assists the gathering of information.
    • The Water Plant Clarifier Tank is now up and running.
    • Lime Treatment System
    • Having redundancy systems in place in case of a water emergency
    • Utilities Technician Test is being offered in July
    • Working with Ohio Means Jobs for a fire hydrant painting program
    • Hauling Lime
  • Mayor Starr shares an update on the upgrades that are being made to the public parks, including the Hiawatha Water Park and Pool. He also addresses the problem of vandalism at the parks and how the city is managing this issue.
  • Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Municipal Planning Commission.
    • Earlier this month, they voted unanimously to recommend that Mount Vernon City Council adopt the updated zoning code as presented.
    • Mayor Starr shares the background on the need to update our current zoning code and the process of the update.
    • He also shares the timeline of future readings with City Council and the upcoming hearing for public comment.
  • Mayor Starr shares updates from Mount Vernon City Council:
    • City Council gave approval to proceed with a grant application for USEPA funding. The Mayor tells us more about this process and how these funds will help the community.
    • City Council’s decision on recreational marijuana
    • City Council’s adoption of legislation to construct a new salt barn. The Mayor shares more details on this project and how it will help the City face winter weather.
  • Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Police Department.
    • State Senator Andrew Brenner’s announcement that funding will be coming to our city. The Police Department will receive $2 million dollars from the One Time Strategic Community Investment Fund.
    • PAK (Police and Kids) United is having some fun events this summer
    • Assistant Chief Andy Burns will be sworn in soon.
  • Mayor Starr shares an update from the Mount Vernon Fire Department.
    • A new Assistant Fire Chief has been sworn in – Josh Lester.
    • Contract negotiations for the next 3 years.
  • Mayor Starr shares an update and details about the 4th of July Celebration at Ariel Foundation Park. He talks about parking, times of the celebration, when streets will close, location of restrooms, food trucks and the best exit plan for families. The Mayor promises that the fireworks will start at 10pm this year!
  • Mayor Starr shares a list of events planned for the City in July.
    • July First Friday
    • Sundays on the Public Square
    • Farmers Markets
    • Blues, Brews and BBQ Event
  • He will put a lot of his efforts into the budgeting process. It will start in July this year. They will be looking at 2025, 2026 and 2027.
  • Goals for July:
    • Close out some active projects
    • Finalize the grant for the inflation reduction act
    • Get the new neo-gov software in place to help with the city’s human resources and payroll systems
    • Writing the ballot language for the Edgewood Road improvement project
  • He also shares how we can pray for him and his team.

    To stay in touch with the City, go to:
  • Website – http://www.mountvernonohio.org
  • Facebook – The City of Mount Vernon
  • Twitter – CityMV1805
  • YouTube – The City of Mount Vernon
  • LinkedIn – City of Mount Vernon, Ohio

Kicking Off Dad Week!

It’s Dad Week on The Morning Thing! We’ll be sharing all things dad related on the show to get you ready for Father’s Day Weekend, and we kicked things off today by looking at 5 Biblical Fathers Whose Actions Influence Dads Today. The article, from Crosswalk.com, details the stories of five biblical father’s and the impact they had and can have on fathers today!

Plus, in true Dad fashion, we shared some terrible dad jokes along the way. Here’s a few to give you a quick laugh and eye roll this morning:

  1. Why do Swedish warships have barcodes on them? So when they dock they can Scandinavian.
  2. The recipe said: “set the oven to 180 degrees.” But now I can’t open it because the door faces the wall.
  3. What happens if a frog parks illegally? It gets toad. (Get it?)

Tune in for more fun and laughs weekdays mornings 6-9am on 90.9fm, WNZR!

Summer Time Fun!

Summer is finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited! With great weather and more free time, we’re always looking for something to do! That’s why today on The Morning Thing we took a look at 15 Fun and (mostly) Free Things to do with the whole family this summer!

Click HERE to read the full article!

Whether you want to cool off at a splash pad, explore a new nature trail or discover a new story, there’s something here for everyone!

You’ll find activities like…

  1. Visiting a botanical garden…
  2. Roaming through a zoo…
  3. Stepping inside a factory…

And so much more!

Make sure to listen to The Morning Thing weekdays 6-9am for more fun and encouragement on 90.9fm WNZR!

Kevin Henthorn of Knox County Veterans Services talks about Memorial Day

Alyssa Sidle talked with Kevin Henthorn, Executive Director of Knox County Veterans Services about all the activities happening around the county for Memorial Day.
He shares the details about Mount Vernon’s parade and special service at the Knox Memorial.
He also shares the true meaning behind this holiday. Kevin talks about how we can better honor and remember the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom.

Hear the entire conversation HERE.

You can connect with the Knox County Veterans Services Office HERE.

WNZR presents the May 2024 MVNU Presidential Update

MVNU’s President, Dr. Carson Castleman stopped by the WNZR Studios to talk about the academic year and to celebrate the Class of 2024.

Dr. Castleman shared his thoughts about the 2023-2024 Academic Year.
He talked about the most significant moments during his time as President.
He also discussed the plans for increasing student enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Dr. Castleman shared his top priorities for MVNU as we head into Summer 2024. He will be traveling quite a bit over the next few months.

Dr. Castleman offered a special message for the Class of 2024 as the campus celebrates graduation this weekend. He also has messages for returning underclassmen, and faculty and staff.

Dr. Castleman told us how we can pray for MVNU and his family throughout the summer months.

Click HERE to hear the entire conversation.

Click HERE to stay up to date with news from MVNU.

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