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!
The Morning Thing Friday Favorites 7/5/24 – What do you love to grill?
For our Friday Favorites this week, we celebrated National Grilling Month. The holiday weekend is the perfect time to fire up the grill and make some yummy food!
The Morning Thing hosts shared their favorite foods to eat off the grill. Let us know what you decide to cook this weekend, wnzr@mvnu.edu
Red, White and Delicious!
Feeling extra patriotic this Independence Day? We’ve got just the recipes for you! Today on The Morning Thing we took a look at different Red, White and Blue infused recipe to add some color and tastiness to your Fourth of July.
Click HERE for the full list of recipes!
Here’s a few of our favorites just to excite your appetite
4th of July Fruit Kabobs

Strawberry Graham Cracker Bites

Red, White and Blue Strawberry Shortcake

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
Date Night Ideas With The Morning Thing
If you’re anything like us, you might have occasional problems with finding ideas (and time) for dates. But we found a great resource to help us out! Today on The Morning Thing we took a look at 10 Fun Summer Date Night Ideas from Crosswalk.com that can help to keep the spark alive in your relationship. These are fun, simple ideas that you and your special someone will love!
Click HERE to read the full article!
Some date ideas include:
- Making a bucket list together
- Getting out on the water
- Cozying up in the backyard
- Taking to the road
Plus more! Make sure to listen in for more fun and tips on The Morning Thing, weekdays 6-9am on 90.9fm WNZR!
The Morning Thing Friday Favorites – Summer is here!
Today (6/21) is National Daylight Appreciation Day.
For our Friday Favorites today, The Morning Thing hosts are celebrating and sharing how they will enjoy the longer summer days.
Forgiveness In The Morning
God’s mercies are new each and every morning, so for National Forgiveness Week we decided to talk all things forgiveness on The Morning Thing.
National Forgiveness Week, which begins June 16 and lasts until the 22nd, encourages people to seek forgiveness for both themselves and others. The significance of this week lies in its ability to improve both mental and physical health. Studies have shown that forgiving others can lead to lower stress levels, reduced anger, and even better heart health (daysoftheyear.com).
The week was first observed in Fiji in 2004, but has since expanded its reach to places like America.
Click HERE to read the full article from Days Of The Year.com and learn more about National Forgiveness Week’s history!
Plus, we found an amazing article detailing examples of forgiveness all throughout scripture! Forgiveness and its examples are found all throughout the Bible, including verses like these:
- If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9)
- Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all. (Psalm 65:3)
- But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. (Romans 4:5)
- Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)
- Then Peter came to Him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:21-22)
Click HERE to read the full article!
Make sure to tune into The Morning Thing weekdays 6-9am on 90.9fm WNZR!
The Morning Thing celebrates National Mascot Day
There’s plenty of crazy mascots out there, but perhaps none are as crazy as these! For National Mascot Day on The Morning Thing, we shared the history behind this day as well as some of the funniest and most wild high school mascots from around the country!
Click HERE for the full history of National Mascot Day!
Ever imagined playing against a high school called the wooden shoes? Or the unicorns?
Click HERE to see some crazy high school mascots (yes, they’re real)!
A few of these mascots include:
Teutopolis Wooden Shoes, Teutopolis High School, Illinois

New Braunfels Unicorns, New Braunfels High School, Texas

New Berlin Pretzels, New Berlin High School, Illinois

Cairo Syrupmakers, Cairo High School, Georgia

Tune into The Morning Thing for more fun weekdays 6-9am on 90.9fm WNZR!
Monday Motivation With The Morning Thing
Need some motivation to jump start the week? Today on the show we shared encouraging thoughts for you and your family! Good Housekeeping has compiled a list of Monday Motivation Quotes.
Click HERE to see the list.
Here are a few of our favorites:
- Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier and healthier life. — Germany Kent
- It’s Monday. Get a new perspective. Whatever obstacle you’re facing — it’s not permanent. — Unknown
- Every morning, you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them. — Carmelo Anthony
- You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
- You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. — C.S. Lewis
- Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. — Maya Angelou
- Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities. — Robert H. Schuller
- Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. — Joel Arthur Barker
Listen for more encouragement weekdays 6-9am on The Morning Thing!