Radio Host Keith Kennedy Shares His Favorite Green Area Spots

Updated 7/7/26

Even when radio host Keith Kennedy is enjoying nature — walking trails at Boettler Park in Green three times a week — he’s still working.

“I will listen to one of our shows in Cleveland, our show in Dayton or our show in Lima, and I take mental notes and send them notes back about their show,” says the 51-year-old regional senior vice president of programming for iHeartMedia.

Kennedy enjoys living in Green with his wife, Kara, their teenage son, Landon, and their dog, Opie — and having access to scenic parks like Boettler.

It took a lot of work to get where he is today. Raised by blue-collar grandparents, Kennedy grew up as Darrel Wallace in Orrville with his twin brother, Duane. Starting at just 13, Kennedy broadcast a radio show from a pirate station out of the Orrville Area Boys & Girls Club.

“We were basically emulating everybody we heard on KDD,” recalls Kennedy, adding that he listened to hosts like Matt Patrick and Danny Wright on 98.1 WKDD. “That was really how I cut my teeth.”

At 14, he got his first official radio job at Wooster 104.5 WQKT, and then, as a high school senior, he got a full-time job at Hot 95.9 in Canton. He moved around, including once to Wisconsin, but returned to Orrville — then Fairlawn and Cuyahoga Falls. He fell in love with Green and bought a house there in 2008.

“The park system is great. You’re close to the Portage Lakes. You’re close to the highway,” he says. “It’s a good community.”

He has been working at WKDD since December 1998. He was a morning show host from December 2009 to early summer 2026. Since July 6, 2026, Kennedy has been a morning show host on WMJI Majic 105.7 from 6 to 10 a.m. He is now on WKDD from 2 to 7 p.m. Mornings give Kennedy an open, relaxed format to connect with listeners.

“You’re giving people an escape. That’s what I love more than anything,” he says. “You get them for 15 minutes in the car, and they laugh or they smile at something you say.”

He manages 40-some stations in 14 regional Ohio and Pennsylvania markets. He loves it and doesn’t call it work, especially when he gets to do campaigns like Radiothon, which raises money for Akron Children’s.

“The biggest thing for me is how we impact the community,” he says. “To be invited to graduation parties for kids who were on Radiothon 10 to 15 years ago is cool. That’s how you know you’re doing the right thing.”

Boettler Park

Kennedy frequents the 82-acre Boettler Park in Green weekly, getting exercise while listening to iHeart shows. “I walk the trails into the marsh,” he says. Head to Boettler for pickleball, tennis, sand volleyball, disc golf, playgrounds, a fishing pond and more. Plus, there are 8 acres of protected wetland, a 1.2-mile asphalt loop trail and the 0.85-mile Willadale Trail.

5300 Massillon Road, Green

Waffle House

From 6:30 to 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Kennedy dines solo at the Waffle House on South Arlington Road in Akron. He’s even invited listeners to join him — and they have, three times. “It was like two old friends talking,” he says. He typically sits in the front-right corner booth, and staffers prepare his usual: raisin toast, scrambled eggs with American cheese and unsweetened tea. “I love getting up early on weekends. I came here one day, and I’m like, It’s actually pretty good,” he says. “So, I just keep coming back.”

3031 S. Arlington Road, Akron

Pancho’s Southwestern Grille

Another favorite restaurant is Pancho’s Southwestern Grille. Kennedy orders the grilled chicken skewers with jalapeno cream sauce. “[It] is the most addictive thing on the planet,” he says of the sauce. “The food’s good. People are nice. I’m an easygoing guy.” Also find fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, house-made tamales and Tex-Mex fare.

4335 Massillon Road, Green

Portage Lakes

In the warmer weather, Kennedy can be found cruising the Portage Lakes on his pontoon boat. “We had friends who had them, and we like that it was a de-stressor,” he says. “It was kind of our COVID purchase.” Kara and Keith depart from their Sandy Beach Marina dock, cruise the lakes and like to stop at Dano’s Lakeside Pub and Nauti Vine Winery, where they share a wood-fired pizza on date nights. When they boat with Landon, he wakeboards. “It gave us something to do, and we love it. It’s very relaxing. We just go out and look at houses we can’t afford,” Kennedy quips.

3719 S. Main St., Akron