Established in 1936 by Sylvio “Rip” and Emma Gualandri, the establishment in Ladd has been serving chicken, crispies, pickles, fried appetizers, beer and liquor for 89 years.

Check out this list of apple orchards in northern Illinois for perfect family fun this fall!

Gallery

Community members came out on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, to enjoy Food Truck Monday Mania in Mendota. Check out these photos from MaKade Rios. The event runs on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month until October. The event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at its new location on the 800 block of Illinois Avenue. The next event is set for Monday, Sept. 8.

Make the end of summer more memorable by planning a getaway at a unique resort or bed & breakfast in northern Illinois

Gallery

After five days of weather delays, 174 skydivers successfully broke the 10-year-old 164-way vertical skydiving world record on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa. The new record was set during a meticulously coordinated jump that brought together athletes from around the globe. Organizers confirmed the achievement on Facebook following official review, marking a major milestone in the sport. The previous record, set in 2015, had stood for a decade. Check out these photos from MaKade Rios.

Gallery

Take a look at some of the week’s best photos, captured by Illinois Valley photographers from Sunday, Aug. 17, through Saturday, Aug.23.

Country star Trace Adkins performs at the Bureau County Fair in Princeton Thursday, Aug. 21.

Gallery

A group of international skydivers attempted to set both a world and a state record during jumps over Skydive Chicago in Ottawa on Wednesday. Skydivers were unable to perform the attempt on Tuesday due to weather conditions. The first attempt aimed to break the world record for a vertical formation but was unsuccessful. Later, divers exited the aircraft again to surpass the Illinois state record for the largest belly-to-earth formation. That attempt also did not result in a new record. Skydive Chicago is a frequent host of large-scale skydiving events and record attempts.

One of northern Illinois' biggest car, truck and motorcycle shows is set for Sunday, Aug. 24.