Daily Journal newspaper story on the Holiday Mart
Several thousands of dollars were spent this past Saturday at the Kankakee Public Library at the first ever Kankakee Holiday Mart at the Library. For one day local people and organizations had the opportunity to offer great holiday gifts with a local flavor.
A lot of thanks go to my father, Dennis Yohnka, Allison Beasley, the Journal, Kankakee Chamber of Commerce helpers, all of our Kankakee vendors and the Kankakee Public Library staff for making the idea a reality.
There was a time when I started being more vocal about making Kankakee better and doing somewhat goofy things like making bunches of t-shirts that I thought I was one of the only ones who had this sort of passion for where I live. Saturday's event was a great reminder of how wrong I was. Not only are there plenty of people who share that enthusiasm but they also wanted to express it by purchasing Kankakee themed gifts to share at Christmas.
Some of those items included were:
- Ken Stark books
- Vic Johnson books
- Riverview Historic District items
- Kankakee High School sweatshirts
- McNamara sweatshirts
- The Stable Shop and Museum items
- Kankakee Rail Road Museum items
- Junior League cookbooks
- Kankakee Public Library items
- Miniature Courthouses sold by Prairie State Legal Services
Plans are being hatched for next winter and perhaps a special date at the Farmer's Market in the summer.
