A New Team in Kankakee

One of the exciting new developments going on in Kankakee is Windy City Soldiers Basketball. While minor league baseball is popular in many small to mid-sizeed cities around the country the minor leagues of basketball also can bring a fun attraction to town.

As I have gotten to know the Windy City Soldiers I have realized that there is more to this than just playing basketball. I have attached Toby Olszewski's article from the Herald because she really hits it right on the head as far as the impact the Soldiers are having.

I had the chance to suit up with the Soldiers last Friday night for a celebrity game. It was not pretty. While they are nice guys off the court they are not above knocking the glasses off the local Chamber of Commerce director should he make a move to the hole. While I was impressed I was not scared. I will make that move to the hoop again the next chance I get.

More than just basketball
by Toby Olszewski
When Barry Bradford started talking about basing his professional basketball team, the Windy City Soldiers, in the Kankakee Resource Center, it soon became apparent that there was a lot more going on than a game.
Yes, Bradford, an Illinois native who graduated from Country Club Hills High School, wants his team to win the games they will play in the International Basketball League, but, as important to him is the model he and his men can set for the youngsters here.
“We are holding sessions with the young kids in the Kankakee schools, teaching the kids to do the right thing. Our team members will be good role models. Most have other jobs in addition to playing basketball. They are fathers and brothers to their own kids and know what they need,” said Bradford. He said his personal passion is kids. Stopping gang growth is a goal. “You don’t stop gangs by talking to existing gang members. You talk to the 4th, 5th and 6th graders. Get them on the right road and there will be no new members for the gangs and they will disappear,” said
Bradford.
The team talked about settling elsewhere, but, Bradford said, when he came to Kankakee, he felt welcome. Mayor Don Green said, “It is easy to welcome someone with Bradford’s ideas. I agree with his thoughts on the kids. The real winner will be
the community.”
Ron Jackson, director of the Resource Center which used to be the Armory in the 100 block of N. Schuyler, said the partnership with the Windy City Soldiers started about six months ago. “We are excited to have them as part of Kankakee and Kankakee County.”
Mikal Duilio, commission of the IBL, said his group has been in existence about five years and the 2008 season, which will begin in March 2008, has taken off well.
“It is well-structured and answers the problem facing NBA games. They are too long. With all the time-outs and other time wasting, a game can be three hours long, much too long for most families. We looked to make it better and shorten it a bit.
This season, the fourth, will feature those changes. Only one time out a quarter per team is allowed. Referees must inbound quickly. The result is an active, physical game that is fun to watch. Players play more than they wait around and the average scoring per game is 127 points per team.
Duilio acknowledged that the games are not watched by crowds of thousands, but the spectators who came loved the excitement. “The games flow and the fans are into it,” said Duilio. As one sportswriter said, “Welcome back to rock and roll basketball.”
The league has 22 teams and have added two teams from China. Teams are based all across the country and Canada. Duilio said that the Windy City Soldiers will be looking for sponsors and support. “They are a pro team and they are building. They will add luster to the community. I have a good feeling about the connection this team will have in the community,” said Duilio.
The team is a family affair. Bradford’s wife, Aisha, is president of operations. Brother Jay Bradford is the coach and his wife, Yoko, is his assistant. Eric Minor is an assistant coach and in charge of personnel. Brother-in-law Jamel Chavers is a player and in charge of image and finance. He is assisted by his wife, Nicole. Valencia Ballard is director of operations.
The team includes three Olivet Nazarene students, Zachary Birkey, Stan Chismark and Eric Rhinehart. All in all, the team definitely has a family feel. Their goal is
winning, but their ultimate aim is to help and entertain families. That’s something that is definitely needed in professional sports. You can check out the Windy City Soldiers at www.iblhoopsonline.com.
They will play a celebrity game at King Junior High School in Kankakee on Jan. 11, 2008 and a Kankakee County Police versus WCS at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School on Feb. 16. To find out about sponsorship opportunities, contact Bradford at
1-708-785-HOOP (4667).

New Roles

In the last couple months I have gone from being the "Unofficial Kankakee Ambassador" (a title I gave myself in a not-so-serious way) to someone who has official responsibilities and duties.

I am now wearing a few hats. Generally, I hate this sort of "hat" analogy, I like to consider it a hat, glove and scarf combo that go together pretty well.

I am in an Economic Development role with the City as well as being the Executive Director of the Kankakee Development Corporation. The role I am in that has gathered the most attention is the Executive Director of the new Kankakee Chamber of Commerce. This is a new organization that is focused on the City of Kankakee and Aroma Park. The new organization has come into being after the Kankakee Regional Chamber of Commerce left downtown Kankakee. The idea is to move beyond the initial frustrations that caused the group to form and focus on getting to work on Kankakee-oriented projects and building cooperation around the region.

This really is a dream job for me and in a way I wish it would have come to be in a way that was without controversy. In the end, I am confident that I have been true to myself in taking a stand for the City of Kankakee. My feelings on this were best summed up by my Dad's cousin Dawn. She sent me a letter after I had taken this position and had received press that wasn't always positive. She wrote: "When someone says something negative about Kankakee it is as if they are saying something about a family member."

I feel the same way. Kankakee is my home and in a way a part of my family. When someone is family you love them despite faults ... to me this City is the same way. Kankakee isn't perfect, but neither am I. One of the great things about this job is that people from all walks of life in our area have shared with the desire they have to make our City as great as it can be. There are so many good things happening here ... and so many more to come.

Kankakee Video

Click here to watch the video on the Kankakee Public Library site.

This video was put together by the creative minds (Nicholas Garcia, Vicki Stankewicz and Stephen Bertrand) at the Kankakee Public Library. The song "Kankakee" was written by Andrew Osenga and appears on his "Photographs" cd. The "Kankakee" video has proven quite popular. It really captures the City of Kankakee. If I didn't live here already I would want to after watching this.

Africa and a New Job

I have been called out for my lack of posts this summer. Here are a couple poor excuses:

#1 I just returned from Africa. An amazing trip ... more to report later.

#2 I am in a trasitional time now moving to a new job. I have accepted the role of Executive Director of the "all new" Kankakee Chamber of Commerce. You can read about it at www.daily-journal.com

Kankakee in Jerusalem

Chuck Brodsky is an amazing folk singer and songwriter but more than anything he is a wonderful storyteller. He came to Kankakee for the first time in December and played a concert at the Kohl Center downtown. I drove him around town assuming that someone who writes songs that are brought to life with details of people and places would enjoy seeing the area. Judging by the look in his eyes he was intense about taking it all in. As it turned out the look in his eye might have been hunger. It was almost three in the afternoon and he hadn't eaten all day. Chuck did enjoy his evening in Kankakee and is looking forward to returning someday.
Chuck has written songs about baseball that can be heard in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame. He played some of those songs while in Kankakee but also made an impression with songs about other topics. Chuck sang a tune titled, "Boys in the Back Room" about dirty city politcians. It was his first time performing the song for a actual city mayor. Kankakee Mayor Don Green realized the song was not directed at him.
Other notes of interest (or not)
- Chuck drank his first Old Style in Kankakee with me. It was not my first Old Style.
- Chuck's concert in Kankakee raised over $1,000 for the Community Foundation of the Kankakee River Valley
- Chuck has never mentioned Kankakee in any of his songs ... at least not yet.
Check Chuck out at www.chuckbrodsky.com and in thes photos below from a trip to Jerusalem.

Alabama Librarians and Scuba Divers

Beth Ashmore's father Sam grew up in Kankakee's "White City" neighborhood and her mother Dode (Yohnka) Ashmore was raised in nearby Chebanse. Her mother and my father are twins. That fact makes her my cousin. Actually, as you might know just having parents who are siblings makes you someone's cousins, the fact that they are twins is just extra. I am aware that some twins claim to have very special connections to the point where they feel each other's pain. This isn't like Bill Clinton's ability to "feel your pain," this is more like my Dad eating a borrito at midnight and my Aunt Dode wakes up with heartburn. My father claim this never happens to him and his twin sister, mainly because my father dosen't care for most types of spicey mexican dishes. I have better evidence for the fact that some twins dress alike. My father and Aunt Dode did not and do not match outfits as far as I know. However, Beth and I each sport our Kankakee shirts every chance we get.
Beth (on the right) and Jill recently submitted this photo and comment:
"My friend Jill and I got our picture taken in our shirts at the recent Alabama Library Association event in Mobile, Alabama. I actually had a guy come up to me and tell me that he was almost certified in scuba in Kankakee, but something didn't work out with the scheduling so he had to be certified in Florida instead. It puzzled me a bit as to where one would even go scuba diving in Kankakee much less be certified in it, but I guess that just goes to show how much I don't know about the wonders of Kankakee and why it needs an ambassador (even if it is an unofficial one)."
The scuba diver Beth met spoke the truth. Haigh Quarry is a place to go scuba diving in Kankakee. I first heard of it because the folks at the quarry sponsored a racecar at the Kankakee Motor Speedway. Reports from people who have gone diving in the quarry say it is wonderful. The sign at the quarry claims it as "The Caribbean of the Midwest!" Here is the link to the Haigh Quarry:
www.haighquarry.com

Welcome to Kankakee

One of the ideas behind the Kankakee shirts and this site is simply to remind people that there is something special about Kankakee and other small cities that share some of Kankakee's qualities, struggles, history and opportunity.

It is only natural that many people are drawn to our nations large cities because of business, and cultural attractions. There are other who would rather live in booming suburbs. Still others, want to venture to remote homesites and small villages where they can "get away from it all." While I see the value in all those places I think there is something special about authentic small cities that are full of the sort of charm and possibilities that are not always obvious at first glance.

One of the things I plan to bring to this site, in addition to people in their Kankakee shirts, is some of the underappreciated beauty found in Kankakee. If you can help me do that email me at byohnka@juno.com.

That's my Kankakee Shirt ... really it is

This is a piece of video I recently found on the internet of Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion at Merlefest 2006 (the link is below). I realize that from the angle of this short video there appears to be no evidence of a Kankakee shirt ... but I know better.

Johnny Irion is wearing the Kankakee shirt that I had originaly fashioned years ago while living in Milwaukee. I made this shirt with the help of an old baseball style shirt, blue jean patch material, a pair of sissors, and a couple of Old Styles. Johnny and I traded shirts when he came to Kankakee in December of 2005. Johnny is pictured elsewhere on this site jamming out with Willie Nelson in the same shirt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y24QB6J9RHA