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Episode 26: Steam Hollow Brewing Co. – Blane & Natalie White
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. …
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Episode 25: Manteno St. Joseph Church with Josh LaMore
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…
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Episode 24: Jenny Schoenwetter 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…
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Episode 23: Radeke Brewery
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…
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Episode 22: Bill Yohnka
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…
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Episode 21: 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…
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Episode 20: 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…
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Episode 19: B. Harley Bradley House
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…
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Episode 18: Darrell Damper – Comic Book Creator
It never ceases to amaze me just how many talented people live here in Kankakee County. Another person to add to the list of incredible artists in Kankakee is comic book creator, Darrell Damper. I follow the Kankakee hashtag on Instagram and came across one of Darrell’s drawings one day. It was a drawing of…
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Episode 17: Jim Ridings
Jim Ridings has written and published more than 20 books of local Illinois history. Several of those books are specifically about Kankakee County history. I’ve been reading, Kankakee Stories: A Third Volume of Wild Kankakee Stories, and it’s mind blowing just how much has happened in our county’s history. It was an honor to have…
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Episode 16: Jake Lee – Kankakee County Auditor
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized more and more that I don’t know much about how our local government works. I also know I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand local government operation. So once in awhile on Kankakee Podcast, we will talk with local government officials. I promise it won’t be as boring…
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Episode 15: Heroes, Hogs, & Hot Rods 2021
On Saturday, August 14th, 2021, we recorded our very first live episode of Kankakee Podcast at Heroes, Hogs, & Hot Rods in Manteno, IL. Considering this was the first time I had ever done something like this, I think it went well! If you were one of the people that attended, thank you fro coming!…
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Episode 14: Franklin Weber – The Prairieland Printer
Franklin Weber age 88 of Manteno, operating his Miehiel Vertical Letterpress in July 2021. You may know him as Mr. Weber or Franklin but I know him as Papa. Born in 1933 and raised in Manteno, it didn’t take Franklin Weber very long to discover what he was truly passionate about: printing. While visiting his…
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Episode 13: Nick Huffman – Beyond The Looney Bin
Nick Huffman at The Looney Bin in Bradley, IL. I’m sure you know who Nick Huffman is or have at least heard his name. I feel like most of us have talked with close friends who have told us stories about Nick over the years. I’ve met Nick a few times over the last three…
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Episode 12: Preservation Realty – Downtown Kankakee Economic Development
Old Midland States Bank Building at the corner of Schuyler and Station Street in Kankakee. Pope Brace Building on South Washington Avenue near Court Street in Kankakee. We take a deep dive into the major economic developments that are currently happening in downtown Kankakee with Preservation Realty. Joining us on this episode is Lisa Wogan,…
