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 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.
(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”.
MAY
As we approach Memorial Day, volunteers are needed to help place American flags on the graves of those who served our country with courage and sacrifice. No experience is needed, just a bit of your time. To help out, just show up to Mount Calvary Cemetery on East Court Street in Kankakee at 8am on Thursday, May 21st. Once completed, the group will head to Mound Grove Cemetery along East Brookmont Boulevard. Volunteers will be needed again when the group resumes work at 8am on Friday, May 22nd at Memorial Gardens, located on Route 17 by Lowe Road in Kankakee. Let’s honor our nation’s heroes.
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 Bradley Lions Club will host their next all-you-can-eat breakfast on Saturday, May 23rd from 7:30 to 11am inside the Bradley Community Center at 428 West Broadway Street. They’ll be serving pancakes and sausage with biscuits & gravy for $8 per person. Kids 5 and under eat for free. To have 5 orders or more delivered locally, call (815) 932-9180. The Bradley Lions do not charge a delivery fee.
In honor of our fallen heroes, members of the Manteno American Legion Auxiliary and Legion Families will be stationed throughout Manteno at several locations on Saturday, May 23rd where they will be handing out poppies in return for any donation amount from 8am to 2pm. You’ll be able to find them at both Casey’s stores in Manteno, Yanni’s on Main Street, Ace Hardware on Route 50, and at Phantom Harley Davidson. There will also be several self-serve locations available around town.
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 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 75th annual Aroma Firefighters Association Dance will take place on Saturday, May 23rd at the Aroma Park Boat Club. This is normally a fundraiser for the fire department to be able to purchase equipment, but this year’s event will be free to attend due to the devastation left behind by the recent tornado and they will not be asking for money donations from village residents. Also new this year, it’s going to be a community event with a car show from 4 to 6pm, food trucks, a cash bar and raffles. The dance is from 7 to 10pm with live music from “The Compass Band”.
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.
Join the 5K “Pancake Run” and enjoy a pancake breakfast on Monday, May 25th in Grant Park during the town’s Memorial Day festival. This run/walk or ride begins at 8am at Lake Metonga Trail. A $10 registration fee includes breakfast. Those who do not participate in the 5K can pay $10 to enjoy the breakfast as well. It starts at 9am in Community Park.
Memorial Day Ceremonies will take place in Kankakee on Monday, May 25th at Memorial Gardens on Route 17 near Lowe Road beginning at 9am, and on the Kankakee County Courthouse lawn at 10:30am with Eric Peterson from the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County and Project Headspace and Timing as master of ceremonies. Vietnam Veteran Jim Wasser will deliver the Memorial Day message.
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.
Downtown Kankakee will host a North Sunset Stroll on Friday, May 29th in the 200 block of North Schuyler Avenue, in front of Paramount. The fun begins at 6pm with adult beverages, food vendors, a mobile cigar lounge, Intrinsic Arts fire show, and live music from local band “Not Yet”.
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
Local no-kill animal shelter “New Beginnings For Cats” will host a family Fun Night on Thursday, June 4th from 6 to 9pm in the Municipal Center at 700 Main Street Northwest in Bourbonnais. Enjoy a coloring contest, puzzles, card games, bingo and more. Prizes will be awarded and food provided. Admission at the door is $5 per person or $10 for a family of four, plus another $2 for each additional kid. The money raised during this event will be used to care for the cats living at the shelter.
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 Bradley Public Library invites you to attend its “Summer Reading Parking Lot Party” on Friday, June 12th from 6 to 8pm. Registration is not required for this annual all-ages event with food, bounce houses, a plant swap, face painting, games and more. This will be held outside the library at 296 North Fulton Avenue in Bradley.
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 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 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.
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.