This One Time in Kankakee
This One Time in Kankakee is a storytelling podcast from the new WVLI Podcast Network, hosted by Jake LaMore. Each episode shines a light on the weird, wild, and unforgettable moments that make Kankakee County, IL what it is. These are short, punchy episodes where everyday people share true stories from their lives—funny childhood memories, creepy encounters, embarrassing slip-ups, or heartwarming experiences that stick with you forever. Think of it as a collection of the kinds of stories you’d hear at a family gathering, on a front porch, or sitting around a campfire—but rooted right here in the Kankakee, Illinois area. Each episode is quick to listen to, but long to remember. Whether you grew up here, just moved to town, or are simply curious about life in this corner of Illinois, This One Time in Kankakee is a way to connect through laughter, chills, and nostalgia. Real locals. Real stories. Always memorable. Have an unbelievable local story to share? Email jake@milnermediapartners.com to submit your story for consideration.
Episodes
Did flying saucers really buzz over Kankakee in the 1950s? On this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore explores local UFO lore based on research by the late Kankakee County Museum historian Jack Klasey. From switchboard-jamming cosmic ray balloons in 1952 to unexplained lights hovering over the Illinois Central Railroad tracks—and a legendary 1967 river crash prank—discover how mid-century "sauc...
On March 10th, 2026, an EF-3 tornado tore through the Oakwoods neighborhood along the Kankakee River, altering lives in a matter of two minutes. In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore sits down with long-time local resident and business owner Emily LaVoie to hear her harrowing story of survival, loss, and recovery.
After previously rebuilding her riverfront home from microburst damage, Emily found herself fac...
On July 20th, 2026, we said goodbye to Franklin Weber—my grandfather, a local Manteno native, and the voice behind the pilot episode of This One Time in Kankakee.
To honor his 93-year legacy, we returned to the original raw audio from our 2025 recording session to tell a fuller, deeper version of the story that launched this podcast. In July 1936, a three-year-old Franklin was run over by a 2,500-pound 1916 Fordson tractor on ...
What starts as a distraction in a summer math class quickly turns into a fourteen-year story full of bizarre coincidences, quiet tracking, and high-value holiday gifts.
In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore welcomes guest Will Rasmussen (host of Breakroom Sessions) to recount an unbelievable, completely true experience spanning multiple jobs, industrial freezers, emergency elevator stops, and an unexpected P...
In November 1961, Kankakee County witnessed an unprecedented legal showdown when sitting Sheriff Carl McNutt was arrested inside the courthouse. Facing 13 grand jury indictments—ranging from official misconduct to a vice conspiracy—McNutt's refusal to resign triggered a historic constitutional standoff that forced the Illinois State Police to step in and supersede local authority.
In this episode of This One Time in Kank...
What happens when a routine farm chore becomes a sudden battle for survival? In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we sit down with local farmer and volunteer firefighter Willy VanWassenhove to hear his extraordinary story of resilience. On September 20, 2024, while adjusting a load of hay on the side of the road, Willy was struck by a vehicle at highway speed, pinning him and crushing his legs.
Drawing on his first-re...
In this narrative episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we travel out to Hopkins Park, Illinois, to meet military veteran Jake Lee. On Mother’s Day weekend in 1991, a mischievous afternoon inside the family van took a near-fatal turn when the transmission accidentally engaged. What followed is a sequence of events so mathematically improbable it defies belief—involving a torrential downpour, a perfectly placed trench of...
"This one time in Kankakee... bodybuilding brought me back to life."
In this gripping bonus episode of This One Time in Kankakee, Kaelin Patterson shares the most harrowing chapter of his life. On August 28, 2008, at the intersection of Theodore and Larkin in Joliet, Kaelin was struck and run over by a drunk driver. For five minutes, his heart stopped. He was clinically dead.
What followed was a "resurrection" that defied every medic...
What happens when a single viral video transforms a devastating rare medical diagnosis into a half-million-dollar community miracle?
In this feature-length episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore sits down with local residents Hollie and Jesse Erickson for an incredibly raw, moving, and ultimately triumphant conversation about their youngest son, Bedford.
When Bedford was just a toddler, he was diagnosed with Schwartz-...
This episode of This One Time in Kankakee explores a pivotal moment in local history: the October 1872 fire that destroyed the county's first permanent courthouse. Drawing on historical research by Jack Klasey of the Kankakee County Museum, the narrative reconstructs the events of a windy Friday night when a landmark limestone building was nearly lost to the flames.
The episode details the challenges faced by the community before th...
What makes a gym more than just a place to sweat? In this special bonus episode of This One Time in Kankakee, Kaelin Patterson shares the story of Ken Castongia—known to the "Morning Crew" at Fit Body U as the Fitness Godfather.
Ken was a man living with Parkinson’s, but he refused to let his diagnosis define his spirit. Kaelin, a long-time employee of Fit Body U, recounts his friendship with Ken, the witty dry humor tha...
In the summer of 1997, Tom Klonowski was in his mid-twenties and just starting his journey as the owner of Pizza by Marchellonis in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It was a Friday night in August when a routine order for a pepperoni pizza turned into a life-altering encounter with a man the local press dubbed "The Pizza Bandit."
In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore sits down with Tom to recount the details of the ro...
On this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore turns the microphone on himself to share a hilarious and humbling "rookie mistake" from his early days in broadcasting.
Travel back to Valentine’s Day 2015. Jake was only three months into his career as an on-air personality at Milner Media in Bourbonnais. What started as a simple food delivery order quickly turned into a high-stakes dilemma involving a locked glas...
In this special bonus episode of This One Time in Kankakee, host Jake LaMore sits down with Navy veteran Kaelin Patterson for a raw, verbatim account of the 1999 Bourbonnais Amtrak crash.
On March 15, 1999, Amtrak’s City of New Orleans collided with a semi-truck driven by John R. Stokes, who was hauling 18 tons of steel. The resulting derailment claimed 11 lives and left a community in shock. Kaelin, just off a shift at the Km...
What does it take for a 14-year-old girl to raise over $100,000 for her community? In this deeply moving episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we sit down with Alexis McCullough and her mother, Cassandra, to discuss the journey behind the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at Marcotte Park in Bourbonnais.
Following the sudden loss of her father, Colonel Mark McCullough, Alexis transformed her grief into a mission. This isn't your ...
“This one time in Kankakee... I went to jail for hunting.”
In 1959, Lou Perakis was a seventeen-year-old Greek immigrant living on the South Side of Chicago. When his older brother, John, decided to head south for the opening day of pheasant hunting season, Lou tagged along for what he thought would be a simple Saturday morning in the country.
Instead, a series of events near Aroma Park led to a wrestling match with a gam...
In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, we sit down with Dr. Kalisha Hill, the Chief Medical Officer at Saint Mary’s Hospital. While many know her as a local healthcare leader, Dr. Hill stepped onto the national stage in 2020 when she appeared on CNN to provide expert medical analysis on the autopsy findings of George Floyd.
We go behind the scenes of that high-stakes interview—from the "emergency makeup kit" in he...
On a Saturday at noon in September 1966, Kankakee experienced a crime that felt like it was ripped from a Hollywood noir film. A gunman ambushed an armored car driver in an alleyway, abducted him, and made off with over $42,000 in cash.
But as Kankakee Police Chief Thomas Maass and his team began to investigate, they realized the call was coming from inside the house. The "victim," a young officer named Ronald Balthazor, wasn't just...
What really happened the night pop star Aaron Carter got into a brawl at a dive bar in Bradley, Illinois?
In this episode of This One Time in Kankakee, Jake LaMore sits down with local artist and musician Tommy Solis—the man right in the middle of the chaos—to set the record straight on one of the most bizarre nights in Kankakee County history.
It was a night that started with 90s nostalgia at The Looney Bin and ended wit...
We launched This One Time in Kankakee on the WVLI Podcast Network in October 2025, and the stories have been nothing short of wild. In this year-end recap, host Jake LaMore cracks open the vault to count down the Top 3 Most Downloaded Episodes of the year.
If you are new to the show, this is the perfect place to start. We revisit the funny, the historical, and the shocking moments that defined our first season.
In this episode, we co...
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