A podcast about the people and places of Kankakee County, IL. Hosted by, Jake LaMore.
Episodes
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Kankakee resident, Derek Grant, is a walking miracle. After hearing his life story on this episode of Kankakee Podcast, you'll be wondering how in the world is he still alive. If you ask Derek, he'll tell you that he's unbreakable and that it's all part of God's plan. That's where his apparel brand and life statement, Apply Pressure, comes from.
Thank you Derek for sharing your life story with me. You've inspired me to do better and be more kind to others in my life. I'm thankful that you're still alive and sharing your powerful story with others.
Much Love,
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Staci Wilken, Executive Director of the Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau just moved to a new location in downtown Kankakee. Not only that, Executive Director, Staci Wilken, has hired on a new team to launch the bureau into a new era. They are having a meet and greet at The Majestic on Schuyler Avenue in Kankakee this Wednesday, November 17th from 7:30am to 9:00am. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Much Love,
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Blane & Natalie White of Steam Hollow Brewing Co. in Manteno, IL.
This Thursday, November 11th is Veterans Day. It presented the perfect opportunity to speak with two Navy veterans, Blane & Natalie White, who own and operate Steam Hollow Brewing Company in Manteno. The brewery also has a few special events planned to celebrate Veterans Day this week, including a Veterans Showcase this Saturday, November 13th.
I want to personally thank all of our veterans for serving our country. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have the freedom to do what I love to do each and everyday. Like this podcast for instance. I hope you know how grateful I am for your service and sacrifice. Thank you!
Much Love,
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
St. Joseph's "Mammoth" Double Spired Church. It burned down July 29th, 1898.
Early Postcard of the Church's exterior with Our Lady Academy Administration building to the right. There are no known photos of the church before the Academy's construction in 1907.
Early postcard of the Church's interior, when the church had gas lights.
Side view of the first Our Lady Academy building.
My oldest brother, Josh LaMore, just released a new book about St. Joseph Church in Manteno entitled, Coming Home: The Story of Manteno Saint Joseph Church and Our Lady Academy. Not only will you hear Josh talk about how he wrote the book, you'll also hear clips of conversations I had with five of the church's parishioners. In 2019, I helped Josh record oral histories from Richard Balgeman, Franklin & Anna Weber, Elmira Wilkey, and Pete Henrisey. Each one of them has a unique view point of the parish's history. Richard Balgeman passed away early this year in February. It's especially bittersweet to hear his voice on this episode. Josh's book focuses more on the history surrounding the church rather than the Catholic faith. So no matter what your beliefs are, I think you'll find Coming Home to be a very fascinating read.
Purchase a copy of, Coming Home: The Story of Manteno Saint Joseph Church and Our Lady Academy, by clicking the image below.
Josh LaMore
Much Love,
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Jenny Schoenwetter, Executive Director of Harbor House.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Since the pandemic began, the amount of domestic abuse cases seen in the Kankakee County Courthouse have increased dramatically. With that being said, I thought this would be the perfect time to sit down with, Jenny Schoenwetter, who is the executive director of Harbor House. The nonprofit organization exists to empower individuals, families and communities by providing domestic violence programs, advocacy and prevention.
I learned a lot about domestic violence through this episode and I enjoyed learning a little about Jenny's life. Thank you for all the incredible work you do for our county, Jenny!
To learn more about Harbor House, visit harborhousedv.org.
If you would like to make a donation to Harbor House, click here.
Much Love,
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Radeke Brewery, west side of Dearborn Avenue, south of River Street Photoengraving from 1900 pictorial booklet, Souvenir of Kankakee by Irvin W. Powell.
Hey! I hope you've been enjoying the fall like weather we've been having lately here in Kankakee County. Before we dive into this week's episode, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came by and said hello at the Kankakee Podcast booth this past Sunday at Halloween Downtown. I had such a great time catching up with old acquaintances while making new friends. Also, thank you to Amy Laws of Rotary 609 for allowing me to have a vendor space at the fest!
Long before the days of Brickstone Brewery in Bourbonnais, Kankakee County was home to another successful beer brewing company, Radeke Brewery. It was located on the west side of Dearborn Avenue, south of River Street in Kankakee, from 1873 until 1922. Jack Klasey and Veronica Featherston of the Kankakee County Museum were kind enough to walk us through the entire history of The F.D. Radeke Brewing Company. The museum has a wonderful exhibit of the brewery that I highly suggest checking out.
Kankakee County Museum Website: www.kankakeecountymusuem.com
Facebook.com/kankakeecountymuseum
Instagram.com/kankakeecountymuseum
Read Jack Klasey's articles in The Daily Journal here: https://muckrack.com/jack-klasey/articles
Much Love,
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Bill Yohnka. Photo by, Scott Dombrowski.
Bill Yohnka has become such an intricate part of the greater Kankakee area. It’s not because he’s an incredible morning radio host on X-Country 106.5 FM or the announcer at the Kankakee County Motor Speedway. It’s because of his never ending love for the city of Kankakee and the people in it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone as passionate about Kankakee as much as Bill is. This why I and several other people in the area have dubbed him, “Mr. Kankakee”. There are so many things Bill is involved in that we didn’t even come close to covering everything on this episode. So he will definitely back for round two down the road! This is without a doubt one of my favorite conversations I’ve had on the podcast so far. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did.
Bill, thank you for everything you do and the kind words!
Much Love,
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Todd Hazelrigg
Kankakee County is home to so many incredibly talented singer-songwriters. I was lucky enough to get one of them, Lupe Carroll, to write the theme song for Kankakee Podcast. If Lupe turned me down or for some reason wasn't an option, I would have asked, Todd Hazelrigg, in a heartbeat. Thankfully, Todd isn't sore at me for not asking him first and was happy to be a guest on the podcast to share his story. It turns out Todd was born in Wilmington, but credits the Kankakee area for crafting his musical style. His original song, "Kankakee", proves that. Todd actually performs the song for us on this episode. Please enjoy!
Thanks for being on, Todd!
Much Love,
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Jordan Chapman, Director of The Kankakee County Humane Foundation.
Hey! Welcome to the episode of Kankakee Podcast that's dedicated to all animal lovers in the county. Surprisingly, baseball gets brought up as well. Jordan Chapman, the Director of the Kankakee County Humane Foundation was kind enough to drop by the studio to tell us all about how the foundation helps animals in need. Thank you for being on the podcast, Jordan! I enjoyed this fun, informative, and heartfelt conversation.
Learn more about the Kankakee County Humane Foundation at k3humanefoundation.org.
Much Love,
P.S. Thank you to everyone who showed up at our booth at Manteno Oktoberfest this last weekend! I had so much fun meeting new people and catching up with old family friends. We plan to be out at more events soon! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your love and support.
Monday Sep 20, 2021
Monday Sep 20, 2021
B. Harley Bradley House, 701 S. Harrison, taken in July,1952, following the death of Joseph Dodson, who lived there for many years. The photos were taken for newspaper sale advertisements. The house was purchased by two men from Michigan, who opened a restaurant called Yesteryear. The house was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Mr. and Mrs. B Harley Bradley of Kankakee.
Hey! Welcome back to our monthly episode of Kankakee Podcast with The Kankakee County Museum! Unfortunately, we didn't have an episode with the museum last month because of some technical issues on my part. It feels good to be back on track. Thank you for your understanding!
On this episode we are joined by local historian, Jack Klasey, and museum executive director, Veronica Featherston, to discuss the colorful history of one of Kankakee's most famous landmarks, The B. Harley Bradley House.
To learn more about the Kankakee County Museum or the French Heritage Museum, visit kankakeecountymuseum.com.
Much Love,