The obstetrics and gynecology team at OSF Saint Katharine in Dixon is inviting the community to a 5K walk/run celebrating the strength, love and dedication of every parent who has provided breastmilk to their baby, and the family and friends who support them.

Holiday Food Baskets include a new coat, hat and gloves or mittens for each child in the household, gifts for each child and food for a holiday meal.

The city of Joliet won't comment on status of the park manager, but says it has hired outside lawyers to look into operations at Bicentennial Park.

Local artists, musicians and supporters converged for the 5th annual Kankakee Estival Festival over the weekend to celebrate the creativity across Kankakee County.

Based on the comic strip by Harold Gray, “Annie” won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and features well-known songs such as “Tomorrow.”

Dixon Stage Left’s first Senior Theatre showcase performance, “We Still Got It!”, will be Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, at The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First Street, Dixon.

The Whiteside Forum will kick off a new season with a presentation on “The History of Pizza” by guest speaker Wolf Koch at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in the Community Room of the Odell Public Library. The library is located at 307 S. Madison St. in Morrison.

The workshop is 2-4 p.m. Saturday at the Joliet Public Library.

Daniel Markun, a former academy coordinator at Joliet West High School and now a teacher a Lincoln Academy, brought the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy to thet attention of Lincoln School Principal Rick Bain.

The 27th version of the Manteno Oktoberfest begins Thursday and runs through Sunday in the heart of the village's business district.

The Kendall County Health Department started the survey in mid-July. Department officials are hoping to get as many people as possible to answer the survey in order to get a good, diverse mix of people.

The Harmon United Methodist Church is hosting its fall bazaar from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at 202 N. Grove St., in Harmon.

September is National Senior Center Month. The Hub City Senior Center at 401 Cherry Ave. in Rochelle provides community, exercise, transportation and more to area seniors to improve their quality of life, HCSC Executive Director Diana King said.

Busy day of running, shopping, kids’ activities and live music offered.

Wadee Alfayoumi was stabbed to death on Oct. 14, 2023. He was 6 years old.

Join the Ashton United Methodist Church on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, for a light dinner and a concert. The Alleluia Quartet will be sharing their Christian music with all who attend.

The Fulton Association for Community Enrichment recently gave numerous cash awards to a variety of organizations.

The Plainfield Community Homecoming, which began in 1952, will wind through downtown Plainfield. It now serves as a community celebration, featuring entries from all grade levels.

American Legion Post 12 will be serving roast pork, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, vegetable, salad, and dessert from 5 p.m. through 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.

C&C Vision Gallery in Joliet . in Joliet offers bilingual staff, medical and refractive eye exams, diagnosis and treatment of dry eye syndrome, contact lens expertise and a wide variety of frames to fit a wide variety of budgets.

Pastor DJ Freemyer has been appointed interim pastor at Plano Methodist Church following the transfer of longtime pastor Steve Saunders to North Carolina in May.

Community members are encouraged to bring items such as old bank statements, medical records and tax documents to this shredding event on Oct. 11.

Trinity Services began in 1950 when a group of parents started a school for their children, who had developmental disabilities and no options for education. By 2017, Trinity Services had become a statewide organization with 1,200 employees and a $56 million budget.

Earthmover Credit Union, the Village of Montgomery and state Rep. Matt Hanson are partnering to offer residents a free paper shredding event on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Shorewood resident Kim Whisenhunt founded Blue Heron Bagels in October – with her own funds — to give back.

The village of Herscher hosted hundreds once again for its 104th annual Labor Day Celebration on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.

Small town communities and long-running annual celebrations seem to go hand in hand. The village of Herscher fully embodies that notion, having hosted its 104th annual Labor Day Celebration over the weekend - the longest running annual event in Kankakee County.

Dixon has unveiled a comprehensive plan to address needs and wants in the community to improve the lives, and future, of its residents.

Yorkville celebrated the last holiday weekend of summer with its annual Hometown Days festival, held over Labor Day weekend, Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 28-31, at Beecher Community Park, 908 Game Farm Road, Yorkville.

As part of Yorkville's annual Hometown Days Festival, with events running from Thursday to Sunday in Beecher Park, Friday Night belongs to the Swifties.

The community gathered for the Guns Save Life event held in Utica on August 21, 2025, at Jamie's Outpost State Rep. Jed Davis and John Bosch spoke at the event.

The village of Romeoville is hosting the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall Friday through Sunday, Aug. 22-24, offering residents and visitors an opportunity to honor veterans of the Vietnam War. Viewing will be open daily from dawn to dusk, concluding at sunset on Sunday.

Crowds came out to enjoy the food, music, carnival and more over the three days of Montgomery Fest, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 15-17, 2025.

Boats will roar on the river once again as the Kankakee River Valley Regatta returns for Labor Day weekend.

After decades of dedication to nursing, Lanetta Whitlock is marking a milestone in her profession – 50 years as a nurse, including 43 years at KSB Hospital, now OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon.

The gift, to be paid over five years in annual August installments, reflects the company’s commitment to investing in Dixon’s future by supporting local families and young learners, according to company officials.

The new Joliet Certified Emergency Response Team is developing a group of bilingual members to reach out to Spanish-speaking residents.

Venetian Night in Dixon on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, featured magicians, street performers, face painting, a spaghetti eating contest, mini boat races, a drone light show and more. The Discover Dixon event was held along the riverfront.

Building community was an overwhelming theme last week in the Sauk Valley as seen in this collection of Photos of the Week.

You can help Kendall County families to keep their children clean, dry and healthy by participating in the community diaper drive at the Plano Library.

The city of Joliet Neighborhood Hero Award program celebrates residents who take great pride in maintaining their properties

Community leaders and residents gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Spring Valley Community Center on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.

Bethesda Lutheran Church in Morrison will host an open house Aug. 31 to honor Pastor Tammy Anderson on her retirement and to celebrate her 5 years of ministry in Morrison.

It was a National Night Out designed to bring folks together, from community members and the law enforcement who serve them, to Eli, the Yorkville Police Department therapy dog, and an in-person Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Joliet Police Department hosted its National Night Out event at Memorial Stadium on Jefferson Street on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Officers from the Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team, patrol division, K9 unit and recruitment team were present.

National Night Out, an event held across the country to create a casual setting in which people can mingle with police officers, is Tuesday

University of St. Francis president Ryan Hendrickson invites the greater Joliet community to partake in a special event at an upcoming Slammers game.

Tyler Simons of Wisconsin will host “Cars Behind Bars” from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Old Joliet Prison, 1125 Collins St. in Joliet.

The Joliet Hall of Pride induction ceremony for “community champions” will be Aug. 14. Reservation deadline is Friday.

A week of tennis concluded Friday, July 25, 2025, with a family fun day at the Emma Hubbs Tennis Classic in Dixon. Check out photos of the event from Shaw Local Photographer Alex T. Paschal.