Summer is here! The Morning Thing shares ideas for FREE Summer Fun.

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Summer break has begun and the kids are home. Don’t worry about the kids getting bored, we found a list of FREE things to do with your kids this summer!

These are great ideas from www.thekrazykouponlady.com for families including visiting museums, free bowling, $1.00 movie tickets and factory tours.

The WNZR crew will be busy this summer with “On The Road with Big Blue”. Our calendar is full of fun family events happening in our community.
Keep up to date on these events at our website – http://wnzr.fm/on-the-road-with-big-blue.html

We also have an online calendar highlighting events with local non-profit organizations, churches, schools and community events.

Here is a preview of what is coming up for the summer of 2017:

Danville/Howard Turkey Festival – 6/15 – 6/17
Relay for Life (to benefit the American Cancer Society) – 6/16 – 6/17
Centerburg Heart of Ohio USA Days Festival – 6/21 – 6/24
4th of July Celebration at Ariel Foundation Park – 7/4
July First Friday – 7/7
Knox County Fair – 7/22 – 7/30
The Ohio State Fair – 7/26 – 8/6
August First Friday – 8/4
Hartford Fair – 8/5 – 8/12
Dan Emmett Music and Arts Festival – 8/10 – 8/13

 

 

June First Friday is tonight in downtown Mount Vernon!

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WNZR is honored to partner with Main Street Mount Vernon for June First Friday.

Downtown Mount Vernon will be busy with activities tonight (6/2) for June First Friday.

Look for Big Blue near the public square.
Stop by and register to win a special “Clean Up and Dress Up” prize basket for the family featuring:

  • An entire house cleaning from Carefree Cleaning Company. Amy Kessler gives you 4 hours of house cleaning! (Valued at $100)!
  • Two $15.00 gift certificates for Premier Designs Jewelry with Amberly Frye
  • Plus WNZR goodies including an “On the Road with Big Blue t-shirt, jar openers, keychains, candy jar, Frisbee, guitar flyswatter and more! The prize package is valued at over $135!

First Friday events are from 6 to 9pm in downtown Mount Vernon. The family-friendly activities include balloon sculptor Rex Naylor, corn hole, a classic car cruise-in and music from Kokosing River Surf Club on the public square stage.

WNZR R.E.A.L. (Rachel Rinehart, Eddie Dilts and Lilly Buckley) will perform at the south stage – MVNU’s Buchwald Plaza Gazebo.

Click HERE to hear a conversation with Rachel, Eddie and Lilly.

Other activities include:

– The America Red Cross Centennial (100th) Anniversary Celebration. Enjoy a slice of the anniversary cake on the Public Square. Pick up displays and information on the Red Cross at their table. Talk with current volunteers to learn more about our local American Red Cross of Knox County. Activities and giveaways will be available for kids.

– “Water Works” exhibit at MVNU’s Schnormeier Gallery. Artist Barry Gunderson imagines key moments of his life in relation to specific bodies of water and the metaphors that arise from each. The show continues until 6/23.

– Food vendors on the square

It is family fun at Mount Vernon’s First Friday presented by the Heritage Center Association – an Ohio Main Street program.

Traffic will be closed one block north of the Public Square, around the Square and on South Main Street down to Ohio Avenue starting at 4:30 p.m. (on Friday 5/5). (Gambier Street will remain open). Rain location for the band is the CA & C Depot at 501 South Main Street. If you have questions, please contact Brianna Cooper-Risser, Executive Director, at 740-393-1481. More details about First Friday can be found at www.mainstreetmountvernon.com.

The mission of Main Street Mount Vernon is to create and enhance the economic, historic and social development of the central business district and downtown Mount Vernon. First Fridays are held the first Friday of each month May through October.

June MVNU Presidential Update with Dr. Henry Spaulding

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The Morning Thing featured a conversation with Dr. Henry Spaulding today.
For our June MVNU Presidential Update, Dr. Spaulding discussed campus improvement projects, upcoming events for June, MVNU’s new Speech Therapy Clinic and the Spaulding’s busy travel schedule.

Click HERE to listen to June’s update on what is happening at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

It is National Doughnut Day! Let’s celebrate!

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It is National Doughnut Day! Doughnut Day celebrates this wonderful treat, it’s history and a special holiday brought into being to honor a special group that arose during World War I.

(from www.daysoftheyear.com)

History of the Donut

The history of the donut isn’t clearly known, but what is known is that their iconic look started making an appearance in the United States in the mid-1800’s. Rumor has it a gentleman by the name of Hanson Gregory invented them, out of a distaste for the undercooked centers and greasiness of the existing shapes and options. The shape was said to be obtained by punching a hole in the center with a tin pepper box.

There are many varieties of donuts outside of that most commonly known, including twist donuts, fritters, and the hugely varied and popular filled donut. Filled donuts come in a huge variety, including the very popular Devil Dog, a chocolate covered delight filled with a rich cream. Glazed donuts filled with all sorts of delicious fruit, with raspberry being a runaway favorite throughout the world, and lemon filling being an equally popular.

History of Doughnut Day

Doughnut Day came to pass, in part, due to the efforts of a doctor in the military in the first World War who sought to brighten the day of the wounded soldiers he worked on. On his first day to the Military Base, he purchased 8 dozen doughnuts and gave one to each soldier he worked on. After giving one to Lieutenant General Samuel Geary, who received it with great mirth and appreciation for the doctors work, Samuel decided to start a fundraiser, letting the young doctor, Morgan Pett, to continue to provide doughnuts to his patients.

This fundraiser began working together with the Salvation Army who, after a fact-finding mission, determined that many needs of the soldiers could be met by creating social centers that would provide all sorts of amenities, including the doughnuts. The Salvation Army sent 250 volunteers to France to help put these huts together, which soon became a mainstay of military life. One record of a day in the huts recorded up to 300 donuts and 700 cups of coffee being served as part of their service. Due to the majority of the workers being female, the Salvation Army workers started to be known as “Doughnut Dollies.”

These huts went a long way to improving the overall life of the soldiers during the war and has become a tradition that the Salvation Army continues to this day as a fundraiser for this wonderful organization. A great way to celebrate Donut Day is to volunteer to help this amazing organization on the day they’ve held for years in support of our armed forces. Just a few hours of your time or a donation towards their organization will ensure they continue to be able to do their good work the world round!

In honor of Doughnut Day, the WNZR Staff shared their favorite doughnut flavors for The Morning Thing Fave 5.

James Hubbard

Lilly Buckley

Rachel Rinehart

Eddie Dilts

Marcy Rinehart

Are you ready for Memorial Day?

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The Morning Thing is helping you get ready for the Memorial Day Weekend.

There are many wonderful activities going on this weekend for you and your family.

The 43rd annual Sertoma Ice Cream Festival in Utica kicks off Saturday 5/27 and continues through Memorial Day.

The annual parade starts on Saturday morning at 11 in the village of Utica. The parade will form at the Utica High School located at the intersection of Church and Jefferson Streets and travel throughout the downtown streets of Utica.

Sunday, there will be a car show, displaying over 450 classic cars. Other activities include pony rides, an ice cream eating contest, and a balloon toss.

The festival will be held on Ohio 13 one mile south of Utica, on the grounds of the Energy Cooperative and Velvet Ice Cream Company.

The times for the Festival will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Look for the Big Blue Crew at the Utica Ice Cream Festival on Saturday for the parade. We will be throwing out candy! We will also take our Big Blue crew to the festival from
2-5pm. Come see us in the parking lot of Ye Olde Mill. Sign up to win a gift certificate for Velvet Ice Cream or Ye Olde Mill!

Click here to see a map for the parade.

Click here for the complete festival schedule.

Many Memorial Day celebrations are planned
There are several Memorial Day ceremonies for communities throughout Knox County scheduled for Monday.

In Mount Vernon, there will be a parade starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday starting on East High Street. The parade is followed by a dedication ceremony on the steps of the Memorial Building at 11:30 a.m. and an open house until 2:00 p.m.
Click HERE to hear our conversation with Kevin Henthorne, Executive Director of the Knox County Veterans Service Office. Kevin shared details of Monday’s special service in Mount Vernon.

Click HERE to see the changed route for the Mount Vernon parade.

There will also be a special re-dedication and open house for the renovated Memorial Building in downtown Mount Vernon. You can enjoy tours, theater programs and FREE refreshments from 11:30 a.m – 2:00 p.m. Click HERE to hear a conversation with Sara Lynn Kerr, Executive Director of the new and improved Knox County Memorial Building.

Centerburg will have a parade at 10:30 Monday morning, starting at the post office. Services at Eastview Cemetery will begin at 11:00.

In Fredericktown, events begin at 9:30 Monday morning at the east side of the square. The flag will be raised at 9:45, followed by the playing of the National Anthem. The parade will begin at 10:00 moving to Forest Cemetery.

Danville’s Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. on the square, heading to Memorial Park. Millwood Church of Christ pastor Dave Jones will be speaking at the park.

We also shared some yummy recipes from www.allrecipes.com for your Memorial Day picnics and gatherings.

Sensational Sirloin Kabobs

Steve’s Bodacious Barbecue Ribs

Cola Beans

Classic Macaroni Salad

Happy Memorial Day Weekend from WNZR!

 

It’s Brothers Day! Celebrate with The Morning Thing.

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Picture of the “Street siblings” – Marcy (Street) Rinehart, Becky (Street) Perdue, Carina (Street) Deal, Gregg Street and Eric Street

Brother’s Day celebrates the family – specifically, brothers. Celebrated on the 24th of May, it’s a great day to let your brother know how much he means to you.

Even though he may sometimes drive you crazy, your world wouldn’t be the same without him. Who would you take on your adventures? Who would be a part of some of your most treasured memories? Who would fiercely protect you and your secrets?

How to Celebrate Brother’s Day (from www.daysoftheyear.com)

This is simple – it’s time to get in touch with your brother or brothers and spend some time with them!

Have a few brothers? Get together for dinner, or go catch a film together. Just the one brother? Give him a call and catch up, or pay each other a visit. Or maybe just irritate him a bit by texting him lots of GIFs, whichever you feel like.

If it’s been a long time since you have seen your brother, perhaps it’s time to get back in touch. This is the perfect day to do so. There could be lots of things that you’ve missed!

Make sure you use the hashtag #brothersday when you talk about today on social media, and maybe you can share some of the stories you have about your brother growing up just to embarrass him!

Danielle Crisafulli came up with a list of 11 pros of having a brother. Click HERE to see her complete list.
Here are a few of our favorites:
* You don’t have to wait to use the bathroom in the morning to get ready since boys take less time.
* Brothers are always protective over their sisters.
* Brothers teach you to not be so sensitive.
* They are always there for you.

Marcy Rinehart has 2 brothers – Gregg (5 years older) and Eric (7 years younger).
She has SO many stories.
Click HERE to hear Marcy talk about her brothers.

Eddie Dilts is a brother to his sister, Carolyn. Click HERE to hear him talk about being a brother and how his Uncle has impacted their lives.

Joe Rinehart is 1 of 3 Rinehart boys. He shared some fun stories about his brothers Jim and Jeff. Click HERE to hear Joe’s stories.

Celebrate #BrothersDay today as you show love to your wonderful sibiling/s!

Today is Pizza Party Day! Celebrate with The Morning Thing

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It’s Pizza Party Day!

There is nothing more delicious than a large pizza with its doughy yet crisp base, and its choice variety of savory toppings, hot melted cheese and a group of friends to join in your eating experience.

(from www.daysoftheyear.com)
Here are some ideas on how you might mark Pizza Party Day:

  • Have your own pizza party and invite all your friends to your house to make their own pizzas or at least choose their own toppings. Inexpensive and fun!
  • Visit a local pizza restaurant, ideally one where the chefs toss the pizza dough about in front of you, for an authentic Italian pizza-eating experience.
  • Spend the day meditating about great pizzas you have enjoyed in the past, maybe compiling an all-time top ten of your favourite toppings.

Buon appetito!

The Morning Thing shared some weird and wacky pizza inspired recipes.
Click HERE to see 40 different recipes that can put a new and fun twist on your pizza.

For The Morning Thing Fave 5  – the WNZR DJs shared their favorite pizza toppings.

James Hubbard

Rachel Rinehart

Joe Rinehart

Eddie Dilts

Marcy Rinehart

Its Bike Month! We talk about tips on Biking and more!

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Today for Bike Month Eddie and Marcy talked about biking. The bike has been around since 1839 when Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the first bike in 1839, and since then it has become the fasted form of human-powered transportation.  Biking is a popular hobby with many, so we shared tips about biking for both beginners and veteran bikers.  For the full list of tips click HERE!

We also got a chance to chat with bike expert Bill Dilts, who happens to be Eddie’s Dad!  If you’d like to listen to the interview click HERE!

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