Tag: travel

The KCCC Food for the Hungry Basket Auction 2025 Is Now Live!

Jim Riggle, the Principal of Academics, Attendance, and Discipline at the Knox County Career Center, recently chatted with WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart about this year’s big event.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

Jim has been involved with the basket auction for seven years and shared why it’s such a highlight for the community. The auction officially kicked off at midnight on Cyber Monday, and bidding will wrap up on December 12th.

  • Here is a complete list of the baskets up for bid during the auction!
    • Click HERE for Care Care 1 Basket
    • Click HERE for Care Care 2 Basket
    • Click HERE for the Downtown Date Night Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Family Fun Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Foodies Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Gallagher Center Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Hers basket.
    • Click HERE for the His Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Kid’s Electric Bicycle Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Lashley Training Center Memberships.
    • Click HERE for the Mohican Getaway Basket.
    • Click HERE for the Northern Getaway basket.
    • Click HERE for the OSU Basket.
    • Click HERE for Pork BBQ Basket 1
    • Click HERE for Pork BBQ Basket 2
    • Click HERE for the Wood Pellet (1 ton) Basket.

Jim Riggle shared some insights about the Food for the Hungry Basket Auction. He explained how easy it is to check your bids and get involved, and he made sure to give a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who helps make the auction possible.

He also talked about why these baskets are such a big deal. They give students in different Career Center labs a chance to showcase their skills, gain hands-on experience, and have some fun in the process. Jim highlighted how incredible the students are and shared a special moment from the first Chance Application Night, where former students returned to make the evening truly memorable.

Wrapping up, Jim expressed his gratitude for the community’s support. He said he feels especially blessed this year and is excited to celebrate 44 years of the Food for the Hungry program. He also reflected on what FFTH’s slogan means to him, emphasizing the sense of community and shared purpose behind the auction.

Click HERE to find out more about Food For The Hungry!

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“Once Upon a Holiday” Brings a Fairytale Winter to Downtown Mount Vernon

Downtown Mount Vernon is getting ready to sparkle—fairytale style. Lacey Filkins, Executive Director for Experience Mount Vernon, recently sat down with WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart to share everything we can expect from this year’s Winter in Downtown theme: “Once Upon a Holiday.” Think whimsical storefronts, magical parade floats, and that cozy, storybook feeling that only small-town holidays can deliver.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

Small Business Saturday: Shop Local, Find Treasures

The celebration kicks off with Small Business Saturday, which Lacey describes as part shopping event, part treasure hunt. The goal is simple: support the heart of Mount Vernon—our small businesses and local shop owners. Many stores downtown will be open and offering surprises throughout the weekend.

Sunday’s Holiday Parade & Downtown Festivities

Sunday’s schedule is packed with charm and activity.

  • The Holiday Parade begins at 4 PM, running north and ending at Public Square.
  • With 52 entries—including floats, trucks, and of course, horses—it’s shaping up to be one of the biggest parades yet.
  • Parade judges will be out selecting winners for several award categories, each supported by local sponsors.

For safety, visitors are asked not to park downtown due to the number of horses, vehicles, and people involved. The best viewing spots? South Main Street and around the Square.

Free Photo Booth Fun

From 1–6:30 PM, stop by the lower level of the Mount Vernon Grand for a free photo booth experience—complete with themed props provided by community sponsors. It’s a great chance to capture those holiday memories with friends and family.

Lighting of Public Square & Santa Sightings

Immediately after the parade—around 5 PM—the community will gather for the lighting of Public Square. Santa himself will help flip the switch to kick off the season.

You can also snag free photos with Santa:

  • Sunday, after the lighting ceremony until 7 PM
  • Wednesday, December 10, from 5:30–7 PM, both at the Mount Vernon Grand

If you’d like to give back, you can bring Food for the Hungry donations to designated collection points downtown. FFTH will also be represented with a parade float.

Festival of Lights Returns

Another much-loved tradition is back: the Festival of Lights.

  • Registration to participate is open until December 8.
  • Community voting happens December 12–14.
  • You can vote and view the full map of participating homes and displays at: experiencemv.org/2025-festival-of-lights.

Lacey also explained a few voting guidelines to keep things fair and fun for everyone.

Rain Plan

If Sunday’s parade gets rained out, it will be rescheduled to the following weekend. However, the lighting ceremony will still take place Sunday night, rain or shine.

A Look Ahead

Before wrapping up, Lacey shared gratitude for Experience Mount Vernon’s partners and team members whose work makes all these events possible. She also hinted at big things coming in 2026, including First Fridays and celebrations tied to America’s 250th birthday.

To stay connected, follow Experience Mount Vernon on social media or visit their website for updates, volunteer opportunities, and event announcements.

This season, Mount Vernon isn’t just celebrating the holidays—it’s stepping right into a storybook. And you’re invited to be part of every chapter.

Click HERE to learn more about Winter in Downtown!

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Flying Horse Farms Makes Magic for Special Kids

WNZR’s Eric Brown speaks with Stacey Keyser with Flying Horse Farms. Stacey talks about the camp located near Mount Gilead and is a medical specialty camp. They serve kids with chronic and serious illnesses that can’t go to traditional camp settings.

Click HERE to hear the full interview

She talks about how the camps has grown in 15 years and has served over 10,000 campers including having family camps in both the spring and fall.

Stacey says camp is not just good medicine for kids and families to heal and grow, but it is great medicine. She says camp gives these kids a sense of belonging and just focus on being a kid.

She says this past summer marked the most camp sessions in the camp history including adding more opportunities for family camps.

Stacey says 1/3rd of campers experience camp for the first time at Flying Horse Farms and she talks about being a part of these kids “firsts.” She said they see as many tears from parents as they do from the campers.

She says that trust is a huge part of making the kids and families trust the staff.

She said they have campers from 15 different states due in part because camp is COST FREE thanks to donors of the farms.

Stacey says that demand exceeded availability this year and explains who their new rolling admissions works and how it allows more campers to attend camp.

She says that family camp welcomed 19 families this summer. She says when a child experiences an illness, the whole family is impacted. When families come together, the entire family can bond with different families, and it can grow into friendship.

Stacye says they had over 300 volunteers contributed this summer and how they build the “magic” for campers so they and their families can have fun and are the “Lifeline of what they do.

Stacey says that Flying Horse Farms recently joined the ACA’s Program quality cohort and explains how that benefits the campers and their families.

Stacey explains a unique ceremony they do at Flying Horse Farms to celebrate the campers dreams, hopes and essentially a way for you to pray for the Farms

Click HERE to find out more about Flying Horse Farms!

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April 2025 Spotlight on Mount Vernon with Mayor Matt Starr

On the Morning Thing Friday, Mayor Matt Starr talked to Marcy Rinehart about the issues facing Mount Vernon.

Click HERE to hear the entire conversation.

He talks about major construction projects on Mansfield Avenue and Fairgrounds Roads. He also talks about a comprehensive infrastructure initiative regarding water lines and culvert replacements. The bid for the shared use path is also now open.

Mayor Starr then talks about the current municipal building and the safety of the building. He says that they need to move from the building as soon as possible.

Mayor Starr says renovations at Memorial Park have started and things are moving along nicely. The Harmony Playground is doing well and at Riverside Park the Splash Pad is almost done and should be open in May and the opening of Hiawatha Water Park.

Mayor Starr talks about Issue 2 which is on the statewide ballot this May. Issue 2 is a proposed change to the constitution that would let the state government borrow $2.5 billion over ten years—up to $250 million each year—to help local governments cover costs for public infrastructure projects.

Mayor Starr gives an update on city council. He talks about council working on a grant for the police station. He also says that a property transfer to the Land Bank has been a hot topic, an update on the Knox County Comprehensive Plan.  

Mayor Starr gives an update on the police department and their new facility.

Mayor Starr gives an update on the fire department and the large amount of training they have been doing. They’ve also applied for a First Responder grant.

Mayor Starr says that one of his goals for May is coming up with a plan to vacate the municipal plaza building. He also talks about some other projects around town.

Mayor Starr says that they are going to be applying for a $2.5 million grant for the Waste water Treatment Plant.

Mayor Starr talks about upcoming events for the city including the Yard Sale Trail which is this weekend.

Mayor Starr talks about how we can pray for him, city council and others trying to improve the lives of citizens of Mount Vernon. He also shares how you can stay up to date online.

Click HERE to visit the City of Mount Vernon’s website.

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Winter in Downtown Mount Vernon is coming this weekend

Lacey Filkins, Executive Director Experience Mount Vernon stopped by WNZR to give us a highlight of Winter in Downtown Mount Vernon.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation or click on the link below.

Lacey talked about this year’s theme – A Vintage Holiday Celebration.
She highlighted the exciting schedule:
Saturday 11/30 – Shop Small Saturday
Sunday 12/1:
3:45pm – Annual Holiday Parade
4:15pm – Festive Family Fun
5:00pm – Lighting of the Public Square
5:30pm – 7:00pm – Pictures with Santa at the Mount Vernon Grand Hotel

Lacey shared about the parade route and the best place to be seated. There are 60 different floats signed up for this year! There are 10 different awards including Best Overall, Judges Choice and Best Youth (sponsored by WNZR/MVNU). The parade is a Food For The Hungry collection point. FFTH will push carts in the parade so that people can donate while they walk through downtown. If there is rain, the parade is rescheduled for Sunday, December 8th at the same time and location.

Lacey talks about the Festive Family Fun. After the parade the public square will be filled with the Dogwood Blossoms singing carols. There will be ornament craft tables, letters to Santa, three different food trucks and a holiday market.

The lighting of the public square will take place when it gets dark. Santa and Mayor Star will be there. Santa is in the lower lobby of the Grand Hotel at 5:30-7:00pm. Pictures with Santa are free!

Lacey also talks about the Festival of Lights. This is the 5th annual Festival of Lights. You can register your display until December 9th on the Experience Mount Vernon website. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScksKY80Qo8FnzLeeEp9BbkAEaXPGRSvN830GMtkzjOHTl43A/viewform

The event starts at 6:00pm on December 14th. They have four different categories. Best Storefront, Best Classic White Light Display, Best Vintage Inspired and Best Light Up the City Display.

The public is invited to vote as well as the assigned judges. The 14th, 15th and 16th are the voting dates.

The winners will be announced on the Experience Mount Vernon Facebook page on the 17th by 5pm. Winners will also be emailed directly.

Lacey wants to thank Park National Bank, Burrata Woodfired, Knox Community Hospital, Dumbaugh Insurance, Shelter Insurance, Ariel Corporation for their sponsorship. She would also like to thank the City Streets Department and MVPD for coordinating the parade. Lacey would like to thank their volunteers and for Santa.

Lacey would like to thank True Cut Landscaping and for volunteers for hanging the lights and ornaments in the square.

Lacey talks about future events that Experience Mount Vernon is planning for 2025. They are already planning their First Fridays. July First Friday will take place on a Thursday in 2025 to plan around July 4th weekend.

You can signup to the Experience Mount Vernon newsletter to keep up to date on all Experience Mount Vernon events. They also post updates on their website and Facebook page. https://www.experiencemv.org/

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Today is Cheap Flight Day. Where would you like to go?

Today, The Morning Thing talked about travel. Since it is Cheap Flight Day, we shared 50 of the best places to visit in the USA (in case you want to book your next flight).

Check out the list HERE from www.townandcountrymag.com

We also shared the 10 best places to visit in Ohio, so you can skip the plane ticket and take a car ride with the family.

Click HERE to see where you can take your next trip inside the Buckeye State!

We hope these lists will spark your idea for the next road trip or weekend getaway for you and your loved ones.

Let’s TRAVEL!

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Spring Break: How Are You Going To Relax?

The Morning Thing got to share some awesome ways to spend time with family. Just in time for spring break!

Hunter & Lexie love the ideas from their source, http://www.allprodad.com. check out the article they read from HERE.

They also mentioned camping! Both Hunter & Lexie are both enthusiastic about camping and think it would be a great bonding experience for spring break coming up!

 

Photo from allprodad.com

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The Morning Thing wraps up Travel Week with our Friday Favorites and more stories from MVNU students

The Morning Thing focused on travel this week.

For our Friday Favorites this week, we shared our favorite travel destinations.

1.4-Grand-Teton-1_forweb

Hunter loves the Grand Teton National Park. Click HERE to hear Hunter.
Click HERE to find out more about this amazing place.

Guadalajara,_México

Marcy loves Guadalajara, Mexico. Click HERE to hear Marcy.
Click HERE to find out more about this amazing city.

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Rachel loves Orlando. Click HERE to hear Rachel.
Click HERE to find out more about this amazing city.

We talked with two more MVNU students about their travels and mission trips.

Todd McKinley

Todd McKinley shared his memories from trips to Paraguay and Haiti.
Click HERE to hear his stories and some encouragement to anyone that is considering taking a mission trip.

 

Shelby Erlandson shared her memories from trips to Costa Rica, Texas and Belize.
Click HERE to hear her stories and what she learned on the trips.

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The Morning Thing kicks off Travel Week!

This is Travel Week on The Morning Thing. All week we are going to share stories of trips – to the mission field and beyond.

On Monday, we talked with Hannah DeWalt about her trip to Costa Rica. Hannah  traveled to Costa Rica when she was a student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. She stayed in San Jose, Costa Rica where she studied at the Spanish Language Institute. Hannah shared stories and memories of the trip with us.  Click HERE to hear her share with WNZR’s Rachel Rinehart.

WNZR’s Joe Rinehart joined us on the show to share travel tips for trips out of the country.  Joe is a missionary kid that has great advice if you are planning a trip outside the USA. Click HERE to hear his conversation with Rachel.

We also shared a prayer request for an upcoming mission trip to Honduras. Members of the Fredericktown United Methodist Church are preparing for a trip in August. WNZR’s Rachel Rinehart talked with Robin McClay, Todd McClay and Heather Brake about their upcoming trip to Honduras. They will be working with Kids Ark International – a big Vacation Bible School for kids. Please keep the group in your prayers as they prepare to leave in August.
Click HERE to hear the conversation.

Photo by Victor Freitas

 

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