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 – June 18th) The American Red Cross has recently experienced a severe blood shortage. You can help out by donating at an upcoming local blood drive. These will be held on Thursday, June 4th from 11am to 4pm at Northfield Square Mall in Bourbonnais / Friday, June 5th from 11am to 3pm in the Bourbonnais Municipal Center at 700 Main Street Northwest / Tuesday, June 9th from 11am to 5pm at Northfield Square Mall / Friday, June 12th from noon to 5pm at the Bourbonnais Fire Department / and Thursday, June 18th from 11am to 5pm at Northfield Square Mall. Find a blood drive near you at “Red Cross Blood (dot) org”.
(NOW – June 30th) The American Red Cross is in critical need of blood donors and you can help them keep their supply strong at an upcoming local blood drive. These will be held on Friday, June 12th from noon to 5pm at the Bourbonnais Fire Department / on Thursday, June 18th from 11am to 5pm at Northfield Square Mall / Friday, June 19th from noon to 5pm at Greater Hope M.B. Church on East Cedar Street in Kankakee / Monday, June 29th from noon to 6pm at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher / and Tuesday, June 30th from 10am to 3pm at Saint Mary’s Church in Kankakee. You can find a blood drive near you by searching for your zipcode at “Red Cross Blood (dot) org”.
(NOW – July 31st) The Bourbonnais Public Library invites you to join its “BOOKbonnais” Community Reading Challenge, a free program running from the first of June until the last day of July. It will offer challenges for readers of all ages with a chance to win prizes. Kids will record their reading on a paper log which can be picked up at the library beginning June 1st. Tweens, teens and adults will use the Beanstalk app. Find the details under the “Events” tab at ”Bourbonnais Library (dot) org”.
JUNE
The next “Manteno Market at the Square” will be held on Wednesday, June 17th from 4 to 8pm. You’ll find food trucks, unique local vendors, fresh produce, farm-raised meats, live entertainment and some positive community vibes at the Square on Second in downtown Manteno.
States Attorney Jim Rowe’s “Reel Justice Fishing Club” for kids and adults, held in partnership with the Northern Illinois Anglers Association, is a fun outdoor summer activity that is free to attend. The fishing poles, tackle and bait are provided. Parents and guardians are encouraged to come along. They will meet next on Wednesday, June 17th from 5pm until 7:30 at Turnberry Ponds, located in the Turnberry Subdivision of Bourbonnais. The skills focus will be on every species, using lures and plastics. For more info, visit “K3SAO (dot) com (slash) Fish”.
Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe’s Annual Senior Safety Fair will be held Thursday, June 18th from 9am to 1pm at the Quality Inn on Route 50 in Bradley. There will be over 70 vendors, along with speakers, raffle prizes, pastries and lunch. Stop by our Milner Media table and meet some of our on-air personalities. Admission is free. For more information, visit “K3 SAO (dot) com (slash) Seniors”.
The annual Highpoint Subdivision Garage Sale is taking place Thursday June 18th, Friday June 19th and Saturday June 20th from 9am to 3pm each day with over 20 homes participating. The Highpoint Subdivision is located near Aurelio’s Pizza in Bourbonnais.
The Lowell Chamber of Commerce invites you to visit Lowell, Indiana and the surrounding area for a Community Wide Garage Sale. This will be on Thursday June 18th, Friday June 19th and Saturday June 20th. To have your sale included in the print version of their map, you must sign up by June 1st. Details on the Lowell Chamber’s facebook page.
The “Small Town USA” Village of Bonfield Celebration of America’s 250th birthday will take place at the Bonfield Park on Friday, June 19th and Saturday, June 20th and it’s free to attend. Enjoy two days of fun with live entertainment, tractor pulls, parades, fireworks, a beer tent, car show, a kids fishing derby and other children’s activities, mud volleyball and more. More details and an entertainment schedule can be found on the “Village of Bonfield Celebration & Tractor Pull” facebook page.
The next “Coffee, Cars & Cigars” event in downtown Kankakee will take place on Sunday, July 19th from 9am until noon at the Harold and Jean Miner Festival Square. Enjoy a relaxed Sunday morning atmosphere with fresh coffee, breakfast options, a local cigar lounge and a car show.
Representatives from Heritage Woods of Manteno, an assisted lifestyle community for adults 65 and older, will be at the Ace Hardware store on Route 50 in Manteno on Friday, June 19th from 11am to 2pm raising money to fight Alzheimer’s by selling hot dog meals and bracelets made by their residents and staff. Every dollar raised from their “Hot Dogs for a Cause” event will go directly to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The Friday Night Concert Series returns June 19th with a Juneteenth Celebration featuring live music from Sweet Tee and T’Smoove with Melodic Industries and DJ Mondy at the Harold and Jean Miner Festival Square Hill Stage in downtown Kankakee. These Friday night events are from 6 to 9pm with rotating food and drink vendors. Bring a lawn chair. In the event of rain, the event would move to the train depot patio.
The Village of Manteno’s first “Rockin’ on the Square” this summer will be happening on Friday, June 19th from 7pm to 9:30 at the Square on Second in downtown Manteno. Enjoy a fun evening of live music from “The Simple Remedy” along with food trucks and BYOB.
The “Small Town USA Parade” will take place on Saturday, June 20th as part of the two-day Village of Bonfield Celebration. Line up is at 9am and the parade steps off at 10:30. They’re still looking for floats, bands, vehicles, organizations, tractors, golf carts and more to participate. If you are interested, please call Sherry Parks at (815) 932-9771 or visit the “Village of Bonfield Celebration & Tractor Pull” page on Facebook.
The City of Kankakee will host a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 20th starting off with a parade that will step off at 10am from downtown Kankakee to Pioneer Park. The parade will be followed by a day filled with music, food and family fun at Pioneer Park from noon until 9pm. The day’s festivities will conclude with a fireworks display at dusk.
Take a journey through Momence history on Saturday, June 20th during the city’s “Momence Museum Day” celebration. From noon to 4pm you can explore the Graham Historic House and Museum on Dixie Highway, the Earl Schaufener Farm Museum, the Train Depot Military Museum, and the Mount Airy Little Red Schoolhouse on West 5th Street.
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 River Valley Pregnancy Resource Center will celebrate 20 years of being in business with an Open House on Tuesday, June 23rd at 200 North Washington Avenue in Bradley. Stop by the celebration for light refreshments and check out the updates and changes that have been made to their facility from 10:30am to 1pm.
Grace United Methodist Church will be holding a sale inside the church at 735 Main Street Northwest in Bourbonnais from 7:30am to 7pm on Wednesday June 24th, Thursday June 25th, and Friday June 26th. It will also be open from 7:30am until noon on Saturday June 27th. They will be offering many different items at great prices.
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.
The Kankakee Kultivators Garden Club will host its signature event, the “Town and Country Garden Tour and Artisan Faire” on Thursday, June 25th at Small Memorial Park in Kankakee. The theme is “Liberty in Full Bloom”, celebrating America’s 250th birthday. The Artisan Faire will be free to attend and open to the public from 8:30am to 3pm. The Garden Tour runs until 4pm, will visit 8 area gardens and requires a $30 ticket to participate. This includes a boxed lunch. You can purchase these tickets at various locations, including Tholen’s Landscape and Garden Center in Bourbonnais, and Busse & Rieck in Kankakee. A portion of proceeds will fund scholarships for area horticulture students attending KCC.
The Bourbonnais Firefighter’s Association’s 51st annual Fish Fry will be held in the pavilion and concession stand at the Bourbonnais Friendship Festival on Friday, June 26th from 11am to 8pm. The proceeds will help fund Paramedic Education scholarships for future first responders.
You can stop by the Kankakee Public Library on Friday, June 26th for another “Smooth Fusion Open Mic”. An evening of rap, spoken word, song, comedy, motivational speaking and storytelling, you will be fed lyrically and literally. The event is from 6 until 8pm and the library is located at 201 East Merchant Street in Kankakee.
A Central Sunset Stroll will take place in downtown Kankakee on Friday, June 26th from 6 to 10pm on Central South Schuyler by the Kankakee Public Library. There will be vendors selling food and adult beverages, and live music by Caesar Anderson and Melvin Deal starting at 6:30pm. This is a family-friendly event that is free to attend.
The annual Veterans Luncheon will be held on Saturday, June 27th in the beer tent at the Bourbonnais Friendship Festival from 11am to 1pm. Honoring those who served, this meal is free to all military veterans.
The Village of Saunemin will host its annual “Saunemin Days” festival on Saturday, June 27th from 1 to 9pm in downtown Saunemin. This day of fun for all ages will include food and drink vendors, bounce houses, a petting zoo, games and other kids activities, a car and motorcycle show, and live entertainment by Jake Vaughn and the local classic rock cover band “High Anxiety”. Saunemin is located in Livingston County, Illinois.
Manteno will celebrate the U.S.A.’s 250th anniversary with a week of community, music and fun from June 28th through July 3rd. It kicks off with a Family Bike Slow Stroll on Sunday, June 28th meeting up at 1pm at Legion Park. Enjoy live music on the Square with The Silhouettes on Monday, June 29th from 7 to 9pm. The village will throw a Puppy Party on Tuesday, June 30th from 5:30 to 7pm at Legacy Park. You can Meet the Mayor while she passes out American Flags and poses for selfies at the Manteno Market at the Square on Wednesday, July 1st beginning at 4pm. Enjoy another night of music on the Square Thursday, July 2nd with Stevie Swing from 6 to 9pm. This week-long celebration wraps up on Friday, July 3rd at the Sportsman’s Club with the annual Manteno Fireworks display at dusk. You are encouraged to attend these events dressed in your best patriotic red, white and blue attire.
JULY
The Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society will host its next Les Artisans Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday, July 4th from 9am to 3pm inside the Expo Center at the Kankakee County Fairgrounds. You’ll find handmade crafts and original art, along with several vintage or unique items. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Admission is a suggested one dollar donation at the door to benefit their mission of preserving local history. More info on the organization at “Bourbonnais History (dot) org”.
A huge celebration for America’s 250th birthday will take place at the Jasper County Fairgrounds in Rensselaer, Indiana on Saturday, July 4th. This all-day event will include car and antique tractor shows, a 5K walk/run, breakfast and a tea party, food vendors, games for the kids, a veteran recognition ceremony, motorcycle ride, cornhole tournament, a beer tent, fish fry, live entertainment, a parade, fireworks at dusk, and so much more. To obtain a full “America 250” schedule of events, visit the “Jasper County 250” page on facebook.
The Watseka American Legion Post 23 will host a Family Day at Legion Park on Saturday, July 4th from 11am until 4pm. Community members are invited to the park after the Watseka Area Chamber of Commerce 4th of July Parade for fun festivities including live music, food vendors, free kids activities and games, a fun zone with bounce houses, a car show, disc golf tournament, and various Veteran’s Assistance booths. Stick around for an amazing fireworks display at dusk (9pm) from south of the Iroquois County Courthouse. Places to park during the fireworks include the County Administrative Building, the courthouse parking lot, and the Watseka High School parking lot by the softball field.
Enjoy “Sandwiches with a Side of Jam” on Wednesday, July 8th from 11:30am until 1pm with live music from John Till. This is a free and family-friendly lunchtime concert series with a rotating schedule of performers and food vendors. It takes place one Wednesday per month throughout the summer at the Festival Square in downtown Kankakee.
LoveALatte Coffee’s 5th annual Mini-Golf Fundraiser will take place on Saturday, July 11th from 10am to 1pm at Adventure Commons, behind Northfield Square Mall at 70 Ken Hayes Drive in Bourbonnais. This year the theme will be “Christmas in July”. There will be lunch, prizes, raffles and T-Shirts. Send an email to “LoveALatte Coffee (at) gmail (dot) com” for ticket and sponsorship inquiries.
The Central 5K Memorial Scholarship Foundation will host its 23rd annual “Running to Remember” race in Clifton on Saturday, July 11th at the Village Park. Awards will be given out in several categories for this champion chip-timed race. The registration booth will open at 7:30am and the Run/Walk begins at 8:30am. Kids can participate in a one-mile Run/Walk at 8:45am or a one-block dash that starts after the 5K race is over. This year’s race will honor the memory of Jeff Hanson. For more details, visit the “Central 5K Running to Remember” page on Facebook.
The Village of Manteno will hold its Free Community Shred Day event on Saturday, July 11th from 9 to 11am. Folks can bring their unwanted papers and confidential documents to the ProShred truck parked across from the Leo Hassett Community Center on Main Street, and they will be shredded safely and securely for free.
The Chebanse Lodge of St. Anne will host a Cruise-In on Saturday, July 18th from 4 to 7pm in the Freemasons’ parking lot on South Chestnut Street in Chebanse, across from the Casey’s General Store. Cars, trucks and motorcycles are welcome. There will be hot dogs, baked beans, popcorn and snow cones. Proceeds will help with Coins For Children, scholarships, food banks, women’s shelters and more.
The next “Coffee, Cars & Cigars” event in downtown Kankakee will take place on Sunday, July 19th from 9am until noon at the Harold and Jean Miner Festival Square. Enjoy a relaxed Sunday morning atmosphere with fresh coffee, breakfast options, a local cigar lounge and a car show.
The Manteno American Legion has organized a “Halfway To Christmas” event to make the holidays brighter for those who served and are asking folks to come together as a community on Saturday, July 19th and fill the Manteno Veterans Home with items that bring comfort, joy, and a reminder that they are appreciated and not forgotten. A drive-through drop-off site will be set up from 9am to 3pm near the volunteer entrance in back of the Veterans Home. They hope to receive donated cases of soda pop, jugs of Hawaiian Punch, coffee, individually packaged snack food and treats like chips, candy, snack cakes and cookies. A detailed list of suggested items can be found on the “Manteno American Legion Post 755, Auxiliary, SAL, Legion Riders” facebook page.
Comments