FM96 to broadcast morning show live from St. Marys on Friday, May 18

Residents invited to enjoy a free “Breakfast on the Bridge”

Earlier this month, St. Marys emerged victorious in FM96’s “Small Town March Madness” competition. The contest involved 64 communities competing to be voted the “best small town” in the London-based radio station’s listening area.

After a nail-biting final matchup against Thamesford, St. Marys took the title. As a result, FM96’s popular morning mainstay “The Taz Show” will broadcast live from the Stonetown on Friday, May 18 – and all residents are invited to come enjoy the spoils of victory.

“We decided to make the broadcast a thank-you to residents for securing our win,” says Mayor Al Strathdee. “As The Taz Show airs in the mornings, what better way to show our gratitude than to start the day with a free breakfast?”

In what’s being billed as “Breakfast on the Bridge,” Water Street North from Queen to Parkview will be closed to traffic the morning of May 18, with the FM96 mobile truck broadcasting from the Green Bridge. Thanks to the generosity of many local businesses, a free breakfast will be served on a first-come, first-served basis during the show, which airs from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. The rain location for the event will be the Pyramid Recreation Centre.

“May 18 is also the start of the Victoria Day long weekend,” notes Strathdee. “The broadcast will be a great kick-off to the summer season in St. Marys.”

In addition to a delicious local breakfast and this historic broadcast, a few surprises are planned to show why St. Marys won the contest.

“This will be a one-of-a-kind event for St. Marys,” adds Strathdee. “I hope many will come check out the broadcast and be part of this historic morning.”

“FM96 has the second-largest radio signal in Canada so we know there's a lot of great small towns listening, but St. Marys rallied together as a community to dominate over the competition,” says FM96’s Taz. “Obviously the people of St. Marys are proud of what their town has to offer, and we can't wait to experience it!"

Jim Kelly, Taz’ co-host, says “I've been to St. Marys a lot in the past to go tubing, or to play high school sports -- the Mitchell versus St. Marys soccer rivalry was intense -- but it'll be nice to go back and discover some hidden gems I've missed."

Leading up to the May 18 broadcast, residents can expect to see the FM96 crew in town, discovering some of those hidden gems as they tape broadcast and social media segments.

More details will be announced as the event approaches. In the interim, if service clubs or community groups would like to help serve breakfast, contact Town of St. Marys Event Coordinator at 519-284-2340, ext. 249 or amacko@town.stmarys.on.ca.

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Contact

Andrea Macko | Events Coordinator

519-284-2340, ext. 249 | amacko@town.stmarys.on.ca