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Before 2024 officially comes to a close, we at the Daily Journal invite our faithful readers to reflect with us on the stories that made us feel good this year, as well as the ones that piqued our curiosity the most.
Kankakee County and the surrounding region certainly had its fair share of feel-good and unique moments this past calendar year: from a determined young boxer who refused to let life’s obstacles get in the way, to the Kankakee Fire Department helping its oldest living retiree celebrate his 100th birthday in a special way, to a pizza restaurant opening in one of the last places anyone ever thought possible — Pembroke Township.
More than one large-scale green statue made headlines this year. And as always, local residents have found more than one way to connect with and share their love for animals.
THE BOXER: AMPUTEE TAKES TO THE RING
Kankakee High School freshman Jose Vasquez stepped into a competitive ring for the first time this summer, boxing in the Illinois Junior Olympics in Rockford and finishing with a runner-up trophy.
Every time Jose steps into the ring, he is overcoming more than the average fighter.
A freak lawnmower accident when he was 3 caused him to lose the lower portion of his left leg, just below the knee.
Fitted with a carbon fiber prosthetic lower leg, Jose practices in Bradley’s Gold Star Gym.
Boxing instructor Jesus Martinez describes him as an “aggressive fighter.”
Jose has been boxing at Gold Star for two years, working out Monday through Thursday each and every week, but he wanted to box in an actual competition.
Martinez finally got Jose his license. He is the lone amputee boxer.
“He said he could do anything that the others do and he can,” he said. “He’s only getting better.”
FORMER KANKAKEE ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF TURNS 100
Richard Guimond, the oldest living retiree of the Kankakee Fire Department, wanted to relive old times with a ride on a fire truck to celebrate his 100th birthday.
On Oct. 12, Guimond’s wish was granted when the department picked him up for a ride from his Kankakee home.
“I feel pretty good,” the World War II veteran said about turning 100.
His first day as a firefighter was the day of the Great Flood of 1957, when he almost drowned while rescuing people from their homes.
Guimond became the department’s first full-time fire inspector in 1961 and was appointed to the rank of assistant fire chief in 1974.
For years, Guimond was historian of the department; his scrapbooks are now kept in the Kankakee County Museum.
Guimond retired in 1979 with 21 years of service to Kankakee.
ST. ANNE ERECTS STATUE OF LIBERTY
An 8-foot-tall aluminum replica Statue of Liberty was installed Oct. 3 in the middle of St. Anne’s Ron Grubbs Park Ponds.
The idea came from Carol O’Connell, who is the wife of St. Anne Mayor Dave O’Connell, and the acquisition of the statue was made possible by resident Bill Jennings.
O’Connell was visiting the East Coast and passing by the monument, and for some unexplained reason, it spoke to her.
“I just believe we need something to remind us of our freedom and what we have,” she said.
Jennings had a replica statue placed near his St. Anne property for 10 years before having it taken down sometime around 2012 or 2013 and put into storage.
Jennings had invested about $800 in the statue, but agreed to sell it to the village for $400.
GRANT PARK FAMILY RECEIVES DISNEY MAKE-A-WISH
Josiah Estby, now 9 years old, of Grant Park, the son of Cory and Christena Estby, had his wish for a family trip to Disney World granted in February by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Josiah was diagnosed as a 3-month-old with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an inherited disorder of progressive muscular weakness.
A lifespan with the disorder has been extended through research and medical advances, but most die in the mid-20 to early-30 age range.
Josiah’s older brother, Samuel, 10, has also been diagnosed with the disorder. Both boys were adopted from the same biological mother and father. Samuel was granted a wish through Make-A-Wish in 2021.
Josiah was most excited about the rides and the food, specifically ice cream and pretzels. He said his favorite Disney characters are the villains, but he loves all the animals in the movies, too, and credits his cat, Pebbles.
BOURBONNAIS WOMAN REUNITED WITH MISSING PUPPY
On Nov. 8, Bourbonnais resident Kris Molina took her two miniature poodle puppies, 8-month-old Birdy and 7-month-old Frankie, to the Kankakee River State Park.
Coming upon two unleashed dogs, Birdy was scared out of her harness and ran up a hill when one of them rushed playfully at her.
Though Birdy did start to make her way back, the larger dog attempted to get near Birdy again, causing her to run off a second time.
Molina searched until 11:30 p.m. She posted to Facebook, put up fliers and hosted a search party.
Almost a month later, a couple reached out to Molina.
They had seen a photo of a dog who looked like Birdy posted to a Bloomington-Normal-based lost-and-found Facebook page.
Birdy wandered into the yard of a Bloomington couple who brought her to a shelter.
On Dec. 8, Molina drove to Bloomington to be reunited with Birdy.
PICKLEBALL MESSENGER STOPS IN MANTENO ON 50-STATES JOURNEY
Chong Kim, who goes by “CK,” stopped at Manteno’s Thies Park in October on his mission to not only spread the word of the nation’s fastest growing sport, but also to carry the message of mental health awareness.
Kim, the husband of former Grant Park native Cara Hoevet, set out to play pickleball in all 50 states to cast positivity far and wide.
Upon his Kankakee County pickleball contest, CK had completed about 5,400 miles of his quest. He estimated the entire journey will be about 11,000 miles.
CK was inspired to take the journey after losing a friend to a mental health condition.
The first state was Alaska. His final stop was slated to be Nov. 12 in Texas.
Illinois was state number No. 22, right after Wisconsin.
GEMINI GIANT RETURNED TO WILMINGTON POST
Wilmington’s beloved, 30-foot-tall Gemini Giant returned to his post overlooking historic U.S. Route 66 during the town’s Christmas festivities. He now stands at Wilmington’s South Island Park.
The 201 Bridge Street site is about a half mile from the landmark’s original location outside The Launching Pad Drive-In, where it stood from 1965 until earlier this year after the restaurant’s current ownership closed the business and put the Gemini man up for auction.
After a grassroots campaign to save the giant garnered widespread attention, the Joliet Area Historical Museum put up the winning bid of $275,000, made possible through a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The giant was donated back to the city of Wilmington and restored with help from the American Giants Museum.
GIRL DONATES HALF-BIRTHDAYS TO HELP ANIMALS
Waveland Stroo, a now-6-year-old Momence resident, celebrates her birthday the day after Christmas, but she has celebrated her half birthday in a unique way since before she could walk or talk.
With the assistance of her parents, Heather and Neil, Waveland uses her birthday party to collect donations for River Valley Animal Rescue.
The Stroos then take an annual trip to the Momence-based shelter where they bring items from dog food to paper towels to cleaning supplies.
The donations in lieu of birthday gifts began as an annual tradition with Waveland’s year-and-a-half birthday in June 2019.
Because Waveland’s actual birthday falls on Dec. 26 and the schedule is hectic with holiday happenings, honoring her half birthday in June allows time for celebration.
When Mom mentions to Waveland the possibility of petting cats next year when they visit with more donations, that suggestion is met with an excited gasp.
GARDNER CELEBRATES UNIQUE ZIP CODE DAY
On June 4, the village of Gardner celebrated its Zip Code Day, a milestone reached by a municipality once every 100 years as the date mirrors the local zip code.
In Gardner, that is 60424.
The day kicked off at 6:04.24 a.m. with a one-mile walk around town which began at the Gardner Post Office.
Visitors were encouraged to collect a free postcard from businesses along the main drag and head to the Post Office to receive an official 6-04-24 stamp.
At 6:04.24 p.m., 12-year-old Gardner resident Harley Kral sang the national anthem to kick off the quarter-mile long kiddie parade from the Gardner Fire Department to the post office.
Gardner Mayor Mike Serena then locked a Zip Code Day time capsule, filled with items collected by the Zip Code Day committee, to be opened on the village’s bicentennial in 2054.
PIZZA RESTAURANT OPENED IN PEMBROKE TOWNSHIP
Jose and Eva Garfias opened Eva’s Pizza at 13161 E. Central Ave. in Pembroke Township on Nov. 2.
For the long impoverished community, the venture marked a seismic shift.
“We are used to our people leaving town for something like this,” said Hopkins Park Mayor Mark Hodge. “Now people are coming here … It’s been a long time coming to reverse the tide.”
Hodge said this is more than likely the first pizza restaurant ever in Pembroke Township.
Jose and Eva, 57 and 61, moved to the area in August 2023 to help look after their grandchild.
With some prior restaurant experience, the couple took a chance on making pizzas from their home kitchen before opening Eva’s.
The business’ ovens are powered by the recent arrival of natural gas.
Without natural gas service, Hodge said, this business would never have started. The supply of propane gas would have been too costly.
EDUCATION ALL IN THE FAMILY FOR THE PALANS
Longtime area educators John and Lee Ellen Palan have passed the teaching torch to their twin sons, Daniel and David.
The Palans discussed the “family business” this December for a feature in the Daily Journal.
John is superintendent of Grant Park School District, and Lee Ellen is a teacher and reading specialist at Grant Park Elementary School.
Daniel and David are both in their second year of teaching physical education, with Daniel at Beecher Junior High School and David at Chebanse Elementary.
“When they decided they wanted to go into teaching, when they got their degrees and got their first jobs, we always joked around, ‘Welcome to the family business,’” John said. “Because that’s what we do.”
The parents are often asked if they tried talking their boys out of the field of education, but they did the opposite — they encouraged it.
LOCAL SHELTERS RESCUE 120 CATS FROM HOARDING SITUATION
Nearly 120 cats were rescued in April from a hoarding situation in Iroquois County.
River Valley Animal Rescue, of Momence, and Iroquois County Animal Rescue, of Iroquois, each took in dozens of cats from a two-bedroom apartment in Danforth.
The shelters appealed to the community to help with donations and pet adoptions.
RVAR took 47 cats, including three mothers with a total of 17 kittens.
The next day, ICARe stepped in and took the remaining 70 cats, nearly doubling its number of felines overnight.
About 50 of those 70 cats were female, and almost all of them were pregnant — meaning the Iroquois County shelter’s numbers would soon multiply again.
Rescuers said the animals were in fairly good condition despite the less than ideal situation they came from. All received veterinary attention.
Spaying and neutering was done as soon as possible, but the endeavor was expected to take many months.
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