Redeeming Life Ministries is still providing essential supplies for anyone in Kankakee County who was affected by the recent tornado. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm offering food, diapers, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, totes and more. If you are in need, do not hesitate to stop by at 2400 Waldron Road, Kankakee.
(NOW – May 9th) For those still recovering from the March 10th storm, the U.S. Small Business Administration has Low-Cost Disaster Loan Outreach Centers set up in our listening area that remain open every day through Saturday, May 9th. Small business owners, homeowners and renters may qualify for financial assistance. This includes Physical Damage Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Their centers in Indiana have closed, but Indiana residents are welcome to visit one of the Kankakee County centers in Kankakee, Bradley and Aroma Park. For locations and additional details, call (800) 659-2955 or visit their website at “SBA (dot) gov” and click on the SBA Disaster banner.
(NOW – May 13th) The American Red Cross has recently been dealing with a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating at an upcoming local blood drive. These will be held Thursday, April 30th from 8:30am to 2pm at Herscher High School / Friday, May 1st from 10am to 3pm at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee / Tuesday, May 5th from 10am until 4pm at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee / Wednesday, May 6th from 1 to 6pm at the Knights of Columbus in Kankakee / Thursday, May 7th from noon to 6pm at Northfield Square Mall in Bourbonnais / and on Wednesday, May 13th from noon until 5pm at the American Lutheran Church on Career Center Road in Bourbonnais. You can find a blood drive near you by typing in your zipcode at “Red Cross Blood (dot) org”.
(NOW – May 30th) The Bourbonnais Public Library invites you to join the “Love Your Library Scavenger Hunt”. It’s a celebration of community connection and the places that make the village so great. Words have been hidden at a selection of community spots and participants will visit each one to find these words and unscramble the message for a chance to win a prize basket. Visit the library during the month of May to pick up your game sheet and begin your hunt. Your cards will need to be turned in by May 31st. For more details, visit “Bourbonnais Library (dot) org”.
(April 1-May 31, 2026) Your local Menards home improvement store is again serving as a drop site for a local Humane Association for two full months! Located on Christine Dr in Bradley… Menards offers a wide variety of pet supplies that will be donated to a Humane Association including food, treats, feeders, collars, beds, storage containers, mats and so much more that can be found in the Pet & Wildlife Department for immediate donation. There is a large collection box near the exit doors at Menards to place donations until May 31, 2026.
MAY
The Village of Manteno will be hosting a fun, family-friendly market at the Square on Second from 4 to 8pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month from May through September. It will feature food trucks, farmers, ranchers, live acoustic music,seasonal vendors, fine artisans, and family-oriented activities. Opening night for the “Manteno Market at the Square” will be Wednesday, May 6th. Vendor application forms can be found on the Village Clerk page at “Village of Manteno (dot) com”.
Townwide Garage Sales will be taking place in the Village of Chebanse on Thursday May 7th, Friday May 8th and Saturday May 9th.
The Kankakee County Shrine Club will be selling their Vidalia onions on Thursday May 7th, Friday May 8th, and Saturday May 9th. You’ll be able to find them at Kankakee’s Meadowview Shopping Center from 9am to 5pm, at the Circle K on Route 50 in Manteno from 9am to 5pm, and at FCA Floor Coverings on Route 50 in Bourbonnais from 4 to 6pm.
The Tabea Altar Guild for Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church will be holding its semi-annual Rummage Sale on Thursday, May 7th and Friday, May 8th from 8am to 4pm both days in the downtown church location across from the Farmers’ Market site at 348 East Merchant Street in Kankakee. It is free to come and browse. They ask that you use the alley entrance.
Area residents still seeking disaster recovery resources following the March 10th tornado and hail storm are encouraged to attend “MARC”, which is a Multi-Agency Resource Center presented by the Kankakee County COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disasters) that will be set up at the Knights of Columbus in Kankakee on Friday May 8th from 4 to 8pm, and Saturday May 9th from 9am to 2pm. This will offer information on housing support and legal assistance, along with utility, financial, and physical cleanup assistance, mental and physical health services, as well as senior, disability and veterans’ services. Register now at “My United Way (dot) org (slash) Disaster Help”.
Ace Hardware on Route 50 in Manteno will host Ride4Life’s “Dollars 4 Dogs” event on Saturday, May 9th. Members of the organization will be outside the store that day from 10:30am until 2pm selling hot dogs for one-dollar each, along with chips, soda and Ride4Life merch. A division of RelayForLife of Kankakee County, all money raised during “Dollars 4 Dogs” will go directly to the American Cancer Society.
The Chebanse Lodge of St Anne #429 Freemasons will be selling chili and chili-dogs with cornbread on Saturday, May 9th from 11am to 1pm at 80 East First South Street in Chebanse, next to Casey’s off I-57. The meal will cost $10 per adult, or just $5 for kids 10 and under. Proceeds will go to support the lodge’s own “Coins for Children” program, along with community projects such as clothing drives, food banks and youth organization needs. This event is open to the public.
The nonprofit organization, “Fight Club Survivor” will honor moms and breast cancer survivors with its biannual Basket Bingo Fundraiser on Saturday, May 9th in the Community Center at 209 West Dixie Highway in Grant Park. The doors will open at 4:30pm with special games, food and raffles. Vendor goodies will be available for purchase. Bingo is from 6 to 10pm, unless the prizes run out early. The first 100 people to arrive will receive a free small gift of appreciation for their support.
Downtown Kankakee’s first “Cruis’n The Square” car show of the year will take place on Saturday, May 9th along South Schuyler Avenue at the Farmers’ Market site. This free community event features live music, food trucks and some of the coolest hot rods around. It’s from 6 to 8pm.
The New Horizons Band will perform in Olivet Nazarene University’s Larson Fine Arts Center at 1 University Avenue in Bourbonnais on Monday, May 11th at 7pm. Presented by the Bradley Lions Club, this show will feature jazz, contemporary and overtures. Admission at the door is $5 and the proceeds will be used for sight and sound projects.
The Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra Women’s Guild invites you to “Spring Into Style”, a fashion show luncheon on Thursday, May 14th at the Kankakee Country Club at 211 Cobb Boulevard. The doors will open at 11am with fashions, vendors and a raffle. This is a fundraiser for the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra. The cost is $55 per guest and tickets are available now through “KVSO (dot) org (slash) Events”.
The City of Kankakee Economic and Community Development Agency (ECDA) will host another Community Conversation on Thursday, May 14th at 5:30pm in the Bird Park Meeting Room at 893 West Station Street in Kankakee. The highlighted topic will be “Aging in Place”, in partnership with Home Helpers. Kankakee residents are encouraged to attend with the purpose of learning, while engaging with neighbors and providing personal perspectives about their neighborhoods.
The annual “Cop on a Rooftop” event will be taking place on Friday, May 15th at Dunkin’ locations all across the state. Stop by to grab a coffee or donut that morning and visit with local law enforcement officers as they raise awareness and collect donations for Special Olympics Illinois. Participating locations include the Dunkin’ on West Bourbonnais Parkway and the one on East Bethel Drive in Bourbonnais.
The “Caleb’s Prayer Foundation” will host its 16th annual Benefit Car Show on Sunday, May 17th to raise money for families impacted by cancer. It will take place at Phillips Chevrolet RV of Bradley, 1400 Locke Drive in Bourbonnais. Vehicle registration is $20 and will be held from 9 to 11am. The car show will be open to spectators from noon to 3pm and is free to attend. Lunch and drinks will be available. Email “A Hoggins 6 (at) gmail (dot com” for more information, call (815) 697-3001, or visit “Calebs Prayer Foundation (dot) org”. (Rain date would be May 24th)
The 36th Annual Rhubarb Festival will be held Sunday, May 17th from 10am to 4pm on the grounds of the Kankakee County Museum at 801 South 8th Avenue in Kankakee. Join them for a fun-filled day with great food, live entertainment, kids’ activities, vendors and local history.
States Attorney Jim Rowe’s “Reel Justice Fishing Club” for kids and adults will return for another season from May 20th through August 5th. In partnership with the Northern Illinois Anglers Association, this activity is free to attend with fishing poles, tackle and bait provided. Parents and guardians are encouraged to come along. The Season Opener will be on Wednesday, May 20th from 5pm until 7:30 at the Bird Park Quarry on West Station Street in Kankakee. The skills focus will be on using live baits. Visit “K3SAO (dot) com (slash) Fish” for more information.
The Village of Bradley Community Garage Sale will be held on Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th. Bradley residents may sign up their sales until May 22nd at the Village of Bradley Community Development Building at 111 North Michigan Avenue. For info, call (815) 936-5124.
The Ray Olley Memorial Project missions team invites you to attend a special Memorial Day Weekend event held on Saturday, May 23rd from 10am to 11:30 at their military memorial site located along Route 45/52 on the grounds of A.N. Webber in Kankakee. Titled “One Nation Under God – America 250, Honoring The Fallen”, this ceremony will feature inspirational guest speakers and prayer, a flag ceremony, colors, taps and a 21-gun salute, patriotic music, military vehicles, a wreath offering to the fallen, free Bibles and more. Event sponsor Riverside Healthcare will be on site for health screenings, “Truckin’ 4 Veterans” will provide an ordnance display, there will be a raffle to win a free inscribed brick for the monument, and ROMP officer Denny Case will serve as emcee.
The Poppy Princess and members of the Post 766 Auxiliary will be outside of the Bradley American Legion on Saturday, May 23rd from 9am until noon offering poppies for a small donation to the legion. A poppy is a veteran-made symbol of remembrance for those who served and died in all wars, honoring their service and sacrifice for our freedom. The legion hall is located at 835 West Broadway Street in Bradley.
The Manteno American Legion Color Guard will conduct a memorial remembrance featuring a gun salute and taps at 5 area cemeteries this Memorial Day (Monday, May 25th), followed by a ceremony at Legion Park in Manteno. The public is encouraged to attend and help honor our fallen and deceased military. They will be at Deselm Cemetery at 8am, Blooms Grove at 8:30am, Veterans Cemetery at 9am, Saint Joseph at 9:30am, and Elmwood Cemetery at 9:50am. Their final ceremony at Legion Park starts at 11am. The Manteno American Legion on North Walnut Street will also offer tours of its upstairs Military Museum along with free hot dogs and soda for attendees this Memorial Day from 12:30 to 4pm.
The Bradley American Legion Post 766 will host a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 25th at 10:30am featuring guest speakers, a laying of wreaths, an Honor Guard and rifle salute, taps and a prayer. The public is invited to attend in honor of the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This will take place at the Memorial next to the legion at 835 West Broadway Street in Bradley.
The Tyjuan Hagler Foundation’s 18th Annual “Kidz-Can-Do” Football and Cheerleading Camp will be taking place Saturday, May 30th from 8:30am to 3pm at Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee. The camp is free to all youth and spots are limited, so register today at “Tyjuan Hagler Foundation (dot) org”. This is not a school function.
JUNE
The Village of Bradley Community Garage Sale will be held on Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th. Bradley residents may sign up their sales until May 22nd at the Village of Bradley Community Development Building at 111 North Michigan Avenue. For info, call (815) 936-5124.
The 25th and final Ride4Life cancer run to raise funds for the American Cancer Society will take place on Saturday, June 6th with registration from 10am until noon at the Manteno Sportsman’s Club. This event will happen rain or shine, with a gun raffle drawing, a one-thousand dollar grand prize drawing, and music by NFP Rock Productions.
The Riverside Cancer Institute’s Relay For Life of Kankakee County will be taking place on Saturday, June 13th from 2 to 10pm at The Grove in Bourbonnais with games, music, food vendors, a kid zone and other family-friendly activities. Funds raised will help the American Cancer Society in its mission to improve and save more lives from cancer. Register today at “Relay For Life (dot) org (slash) Kankakee IL”.
The Merchant Street Art Gallery of Artists with Autism will be hosting its annual Run for Autism on Father’s Day, Sunday June 21st at beautiful Cobb Park in Kankakee. Check-in will be at 7:30am and the 5K run and 2-mile walk begins at 8am. Call or text (815) 685-9057 to volunteer. For registration information, visit “Merchant Street Art Gallery (dot) org”.
The Bradley American Legion and its Auxiliary Post 766 will be hosting daily Bingo at this year’s Bourbonnais Friendship Festival. Cash prizes will be awarded and you’ll be able to join in the fun and win big for just 50 cents a card per game. Bingo begins on Wednesday June 24th at 7pm, Thursday June 25th at 5pm, Friday June 26th at 4pm, and on Saturday June 27th at 2pm. It wraps up each evening at 10pm.
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