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 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 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 annual “I Got Your Six” Walk/Run will take place at Perry Farm Park in Bourbonnais on Sunday, May 17th at 8am. This 5K was created in memory of Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic and in honor of Sergeant Tyler Bailey of the Bradley Police. To register, visit “RunSignup (dot) com”, click “Find a Race”, then search for “I Got Your Six Bourbonnais”.
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.
Nonprofit organization “Our Aging Services” will host another “Cafe of Mistaken Orders” on Tuesday, May 19th at Bourbonnais Grove from 10am until noon. This is a Riverside Senior Life Community located at 85 Burns Road. During this event, brunch and beverages will be served with a side of joyful mixups as individuals living with dementia take your order and serve your meal. Those who attend are aware that the mixups are unintentional, and this experience celebrates dignity, patience and connection. Tickets are $15 per person, available under the Community Outreach tab at “Our Aging Services (dot) org”.
The first Manteno Cruise Night car show of the season will take place Tuesday, May 19th on Main Street in downtown Manteno. All makes and models are welcome. Enjoy free family fun from 6 to 9pm with cool cars, 50’s music, door prizes, and a split-the-pot raffle.
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 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 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 Bourbonnais Township Park District will host its annual “Family Night Out” at Perry Farm Park on Friday, May 29th from 6 to 8pm. The kickoff event of the summer will feature inflatables, live entertainment, carnival-style games, face painting, food trucks and more. The cost to attend Family Night Out is $10 per carload or walking group.
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.
Peotone Community Garage Sales will be held Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th. Maps will be available at the Village Hall on June 8th. Peotone residents who would like their sales to be included on the map must register by June 3rd at “Village of Peotone (dot) com”.
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”.
Project Headspace and Timing will host “Heroes, Hogs and Hot Rods” on Sunday, June 14th at the Square on Second and Main Street in downtown Manteno. This annual community festival to celebrate our heroes will take place from noon to 8pm with a car show, barbeque and strongman competitions, bean bag tournament, craft vendors and food trucks, live entertainment, a mental health and community resource fair, fishing tournament, and more. Admission is free for this family-friendly festival, but a $10 wristband will be required for outdoor bar service. For more information, visit: “Project Headspace and Timing (dot) org”.
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.