Record stories that captured people's attention in years passed.

Joliet is one of five cities that will host a festival to kick off the 100th Anniversary of historic Route 66.

Museum's Waterbury doll sent out for repair; plans in the works to plant prairie flowers around Aplington House.

The former Boulder Hill Stock Farm—purchased from the Bereman family in 1955 – transformed into the Boulder Hill subdivision and today the unincorporated community is home to more than 9,000 residents.

Members of the Crystal Lake Community High Class of 1965 were nearly done with high school when the Palm Sunday tornado struck that spring. They recalled the impact during their reunion this weekend.

Visitors will discover the wildlife that called the area that would become Will County home and view these creatures from the past through their fossils.

The new owner of a 160-year-old building in downtown Cary, now apartments, hopes to restore the exterior to its original state with help from a village grant that's usually reserved for businesses.

Former Plainfield resident shares how her childhood memories of the Plainfield tornado lead to her career in meteorology.

Tim Carlin now is a member of the Joliet Certified Emergency Response Team, a corps of volunteers trained and ready to help when disaster strikes.

The F5 tornado on Aug. 28, 1990, started inear Oswego in Kendall County before cutting through Plainfield, Crest Hill and Joliet in Will County. A total of 29 people – none in Kendall County – were killed in the tornado and another 353 injured in Kendall and Will counties.

It's been 35 years since a violent F5 tornado ripped through Will County destroying parts of Plainfield, Crest Hill and Joliet, and Oswego killing 29 people and injuring 353. Here are some images captured from that date, Aug. 28. 1990 and the days following.

Mound Grove Cemetery in Kankakee came alive with the sounds and stories of Kankakee County’s history during the biennial Cemetery Walk: Voices of the Past on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025.

The Polo Historical Society is having its picnic on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at Henry School. The picnic starts at 6 p.m. Bring a dish to pass and your own table service.

Mound Grove Cemetery in Kankakee came alive with the sounds and stories of Kankakee County’s history during the biennial Cemetery Walk: Voices of the Past on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025.

The Grayslake Historical Society will again host the popular Reminisce discussion group Saturday, Aug. 23, talking about the well-remembered Last Chance saloon in downtown Grayslake.

Tap into history at a free informational event at an event hosted by the Downers Grove Historical Society and the village of Downers Grove at 7 p.m. Sept. 24.

The 135-year-old tin shop building at 106 N River St. in downtown Batavia will be demolished by mid-November to install public restrooms.

Lincoln spoke in Oregon in August 1856 while on the campaign trail for Republican Presidential hopeful John Fremont. Lincoln came to Polo the night before the meeting and was the guest of Senator Applington.

Residents can take a step back in time this month during the “Oswego History Tour – Downtown,” beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23.

The Class of 2025 was the last class to march into the future in Savanna, as its city prepares to say farewell to its high school before it moves to Mount Carroll.

The Class of 1970 had all sorts of questions about Aplington House and the restoration of it many years ago.

Learn how the city of Joliet earned the nickname City of Stone and Steel during a tour of the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site.

About 30 vehicles rolled in to the Kankakee County Museum for the Cruise-In Night at the Museum on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025.

Bring your questions and family stories about Lee County cemeteries to share with others.

The DuPage County Historical Museum is hosting a traveling exhibit, “The American Revolution Experience” Aug. 17-28.

World Tournament of Historic Baseball honors long legacy of 'base ball' in the Midwest.

Oregon's vintage 'base ball' team ended its run at the World Tournament of Historic Base Ball with a 1-2 record on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025.

Roberts Armory World War II Museum in Rochelle will be open to the public from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 16, 2025, during the Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival.

Oregon's vintage base ball team, the Ganymedes, won a game and lost a game, on the opening day of the 22nd World Tournament of Historic Base Ball, held at the Henry Ford Museum's Greenfield Village on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Dearborn, Michigan. The Ganymedes fell to the Columbus Ohio Buckeyes 22-13 and beat the Bay City Independents 22-7. The tournament continued on Sunday.

After 111 years, the former Dixon National Bank building has been restored to much of its 1914 grandeur. The building will hold a public open house from 2-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, that will run concurrently with the grand opening of the new first-floor tenant, Sleek Salon.

Montgomery was transformed into Valhalla as the Sons of Norway brought back to life ancient Viking games. Replica codfish were tossed, plastic axes were heaved, yarn fjord horse heads were weaved and plastic ninja throwing stars were darted.

“A History of the Lincoln Highway” will be presented starting at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Land Center, 611 E. Third St., Sterling. The event is sponsored by the Sterling Rock Falls Historical Society.

Starting immediately, the Little White School Museum in Oswego has changed its Friday hours.

Village Clerk and Office Manager Maureen Johnson said that work is underway to inspect the Lyndon Bridge’s more than 700 planks for weather deterioration and replacement.

Record stories that captured people's attention in years passed.

The Lombard Historical Society will hold a brand new tour designed specifically for children aged 4-10 will at 11 a.m. Aug. 9.

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 Village of Lyndon continues to raise funds to maintain its historic bridge.

Antique farm equipment in a rainbow of colors from original rust to shiny yellow and green filled the show grounds from July 25-27, 2025, on the Bos Brothers Historical Farm, located on Springhill Road south of Erie.

To celebrate its 150 years of ministry, Messiah Lutheran is hosting a special anniversary service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, followed by a catered lunch for $5 per person.

While old-time wheat threshing was the main dish at the Bos Bros Fall Harvest Show from July 25-27 near Erie, broom making, blacksmithing, basket weaving and other “hands on” historical skills were all on the menu.

Old-time wheat threshing was the big event at the Bos Bros Fall Harvest's old-fashioned threshing bee south of Erie from July 25-27, 2025.

The City of Lockport has created an interactive scavenger hunt to take players through its businesses and historic sites. The promotion runs through Sept. 1.

Beth Wiegmann of Polo will shed some light on the Underground Railroad in the Sauk Valley area at 7 p.m. Monday, July 28, at the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society in Dixon.  

The DeKalb community is getting ready to celebrate the birthday of a woman who could be considered the matriarch of the city’s agricultural history. Saturday will mark what would be her 160th birthday, and the Glidden Homestead is hosting a free event for the occasion.

“Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium,” a photographic exhibit will open Friday at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

The Ganymedes, Oregon’s official vintage “base ball” team, won the first game 5-1 and trailed by three runs in the seventh inning in the second game before rallying to tie the game and force extra innings

Extra innings were not enough to determine a winner in a classic, cross-county rivalry between the Oregon Ganymedes and Creston Regulators, at Solar Reef Field at Oregon park West, Saturday, July 20.

The Anything That Floats races were held from 1978-1986 each year in Peru. Check out photos from the event procured by photo editor Scott Anderson. The photos were found in La Salle NewsTribune archives. Participants needed to build a raft less than 50 feet in length. Rafts were made from styrofoam, inter tubes or barrels. A minimum of two paddles were required on each float. Contestants received a free case of Old Style beer upon entering. Rafts were launched at the Starved Rock Boat Ramp and floated to the finish line at the Peru boat launch area. Despite its success and community appeal, the event eventually became too large to manage and organizers had to scrap it.

The Lombard Historical Society invites the public to a Victorian Garden Tea Party from 2:30 to 4 p.m. July 26, at the William J. Mueller Gazebo, 23 W. Maple St. in Lombard.