Approximately 6,000 meals will be provided to area families in need, as a result of the seventh annual WBNX/Akron Middle Schools Food Drive.  This year’s two-week campaign netted 7,660 pounds of non-perishable goods for the Akron-Canton Regional foodbank, boosting our program’s overall total to nearly 49 tons of food donations.  That translates to more than 76,000 meals since the Food Drive partnership began in 2002, and ranks as one of the local Foodbank’s top annual holiday collection efforts.  As an incentive, students and teachers compete against other homerooms and the other middle schools to see who can collect the most items.  The winning class at each school receives a Gionino’s Pizzeria party, with the overall winning class featured in a WBNX promo on-air.  Congratulations to Mr. Steve Frantz’s 6th-graders at Roswell Kent, who are #1 in the district for the fifth time in seven years, more than doubling the collections (1,192) from any other participating Akron classroom.  And a special shout-out to Litchfield Middle School, which tallied 2,942 items overall.  We’re proud of the sharing spirit these young people exhibit each holiday season, and are honored to be involved in such a worthwhile community project.

Two weeks from tonight, Northeast Ohioans can meet three major stars from Degrassi: The Next Generation in-person!  Shane Kippel joins Mike Lobel and Melissa McIntyre at the milestone 150th Portage County Randolph Fair, Thu., Aug. 21 from 9-11pm.  Mike and Melissa were in town for the event last year and had a blast greeting fans, signing autographs and tossing out prizes at the Teen Night dance barn.  As popular hottie “Ashley Kerwin,” Melissa often has the chance to showcase her strong rock-n-roll voice on the show; while Mike assures us that off-camera he’s nothing like his shady “Jay Hogart” character.  He’s been touring Toronto venues with his new indie-country/acoustic band, Boys Who Say No.  Shane’s on-air persona, “Spinner,” has been a lightning-rod for controversy at Degrassi High, first as a school bully and later for his inadvertent role in the shooting which left his best-friend, Jimmy, paralyzed.  While at times an outcast for his zigzag choices, viewers also feel compassion for Spinner when he flashes his big heart.  Spread the word—here’s your chance to meet and take photos with three favorites from one of the longest-running teen series in television history.

Last week a handful of WBNX staffers were honored to take part in “V.I.P. Day” at MDA’s Camp Cheerful in Strongsville.  Eighty-four kids with muscular dystrophy enjoyed a week of camping festivities, with the support of 90 volunteer counselors and other workers, including a team of nurses from MetroHealth Medical Center who take time off to provide the best medical assistance possible.  It’s hard to tell who had more fun, the youngsters or those helping out!  Former Cavs great Jim Chones was on hand to greet the campers, and the Norwalk Fire Fighters rolled in on nearly 60 motorcycles as part of their annual Hope Ride, which raises funds for the kids’ vacation—offering campers a side-car ride on their Harleys and serving up some great picnic food.  On Sep. 1, WBNX celebrates a ten-year partnership with the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, an event that raised over $63-million in 2007 for service and research programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  A nationwide survey shows that Americans view Jerry as the most influential celebrity driving change for the cause he supports.  And spending time with Northeast Ohio youngsters who bravely face the illness makes you appreciate all the work being done on their behalf.

The WBNX crew has a busy Saturday fast approaching. As part of an all-new morning of cartoons, we’ll “flip the switch” on two World Premiere events: the debut of The Spectacular Spider-Man series, followed by the one-hour series finale movie special, The Batman: Lost Heroes. It’s a “new millennium Spidey,” the first animated take on the Marvel webslinger in nearly a decade. The three big-screen films with Tobey Maguire have, of course, snared well over a billion dollars in the meantime, so the superhero has his legion of fans. During the first seven episodes, our young Spiderman will face off with villains like Vulture, Electro, Green Goblin, The Lizard, Sandman, Rhino and The Shocker. One interesting footnote for trivia buffs: the only U.S. live-action Spiderman TV series, produced in ‘77, starred Nicholas Hammond—better known to most as eldest son “Friedrich von Trapp” in The Sound of Music movie. The Saturday crimefighting ends at noon, just as Akron’s 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is stepping off on South Main St. at Cedar St. Scooby-Doo will join WBNX on-air personalities Ali and Melanie Murphy (Miss Ohio 2006) in the big event, which features marching bands, mascots, classic vehicles, leprechauns and all things Irish! An “I Wish it Were Spring” Farmer’s Market will also be held at downtown’s Lock 3 Park, and there’s an after-parade party (open to the public, with cover charge) at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Glenmount Ave.

WBNX is hosting a special visitor this week, superstar “mystery solver” Scooby Doo!  Recent polls list the jovial Great Dane as one of the most-recognized cartoon characters in the world.  Not bad for a pooch who debuted in 1969, and has starred in a dozen variations of Doo series—ranking 2nd in TV history (behind only The Simpsons) with more than 300 animated episodes.  Yesterday, Scooby and Ali spent the day at Childrens Hospital visiting with the sick youngsters.  Imagine what an unexpected thrill like that means to the kids!  And this Saturday, Scooby and Ali will be riding aboard the WBNX unit in the “Welcome to Santa Holiday Parade” in downtown Akron.  Not only will there be marching bands, celebrities and floats among the long line of participants, but four giant 50-foot helium balloons—like the ones you see in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade—are scheduled to be floating down Main Street!  The parade steps off Saturday at noon, beginning at the corner of Main and Cedar Streets.  This is a great annual event that the whole family can enjoy together.  Click here for more info, and remember to give a shout-out to Ali, Scooby Doo and, of course, Santa!  See ya there…

“They’re closing the schools!” my co-worker marveled.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because of the fair.”

And with that odd exchange, I learned that the 158th annual Wayne County Fair is a pretty major deal. I sure can’t recall any of my schools in Summit County ever giving us a “Fair Day,” but that’s exactly what happens in Wooster this Monday—when over a dozen districts in Wayne County send their students off to learn about agriculture, animals, and…well, have fun at the fair. What a blast! Our WBNX crew will be on hand Saturday to host two first-time events: a Scavenger Hunt with Scooby-Doo and Ali for kids 12 and under (the first 700), from noon til 2; and a Teen Night dance party from 7-10pm. Our buddy, Kevin, from Main Attraction DJ Service will be spinning the tunes, and Niel will have some nice giveaways.

I’ve eaten hamburgers that cost more than the fair’s general admission price of $2. A nice bargain for a full day of entertainment. (Oh, and education! — pop-quiz on Tuesday) Need more info on the fair? Click here!

“DEGRASSI-Mania” spread throughout Northeast Ohio recently, with four stars from the series joining WBNX at the Portage County Randolph Fair. Mike Lobel (bad-boy Jay), Ryan Cooley (J.T.), Melissa McIntyre (Ashley) and Amanda Stepto (Spike) greeted hundreds of excited fans at the fair, autographing free photos and interacting with the teens at the annual dance party. Living in the Toronto area, the group had never been to a down-home county fair, and they really enjoyed the attractions — including deep-fried Oreos! Amanda is a huge animal-lover, so petting the various farm critters was a treat.

Earlier in the day, Mike and Amanda gave a nice interview to the Plain Dealer’s Julie Washington; while Melissa and Ryan hit the airwaves with KISS-FM’s evening jock, Java Joel. You can find the podcast of their chat here and the Plain Dealer’s article here. The actors also taped some revealing Q & A’s on-camera with WBNX to post on our website. Amanda, who many fans also remember from Degrassi Jr. High in the ‘80s, mentioned that she and a friend are pitching a new show to producers in Canada. And yes, her familiarity as “Spike” on one of the country’s most popular shows definitely helps to open some doors.

The Degrassi kids couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating during their brief visit to Cleveland. From here, they flew to Minneapolis for appearances at the Mall of America and the Minnesota State Fair. Then it’s back to the set, where Season 7 of Degrassi: The Next Generation is now in production.

Over the years, WBNX has given you the chance to meet some great network talent here in Cleveland, such as Scott Patterson, Stephen Collins, Nikki Cox, Nicholas Brendan, Beverley Mitchell, David Gallagher, Wesley Jonathan, Jesse McCartney, Jamie Foxx, Eden’s Crush, Nick Wechsler, Zen Gesner and others. Continue to watch or logon for future visits. Be sure to take advantage of these local appearances, because a lot of cities never get star visits. Did you come & meet the Degrassi actors? Share your comments!

Beginning Sept. 8: Degrassi: TNG airs on WBNX: weekdays at 5pm, Sat. noon-1pm & 3-4pm; and Sun. at 3:30pm

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