WFMJ’s Monstrola wins groom contest

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Mark Monstrola, meteorologist for 21 WFMJ-TV, is the winner of Brides magazine’s Groom of the Year contest. Monstrola learned Monday that he garnered 63 percent of the votes in the online contest at brides.com, beating out Victor Fuentes of Brooklyn, N.Y. He thanked Valley residents for voting for him.

The announcement was supposed to be made at 2 p.m. Monday but was delayed by a couple of hours, making for a nervous afternoon for Monstrola, of Poland, and his fianc e, Shannon McGarry, also of Poland. His father was the first to learn of the victory on Brides.com, and an email from the website came shortly afterward. “When my dad told me, we were jumping around and screaming,” said Monstrola.

The couple won a honeymoon package at a Secrets resort, a gift card from Shop at Brides, a wedding band, a big-screen TV and an Xbox with Kinect.