Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast. After 12 years and 100 episodes, we are calling it a day. This is the final IV Podcast! Thank you so much to our guests, our sponsors, and our listeners. It's been fun.... Our sponsor for episode 100 is Mr. Sparkle Auto Spa. Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Secrets of the Schoolyard," and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 46 min
On Episode 99 John talked with author and NPR morning host, Dan Klefstad. Dan's latest book, Fiona's Guardians, was adapted by Artists' Ensemble Theater for their podcast Mysterious Journey. On this episode 99 bonus edition, we play a teaser for the podcast adaptation of Fiona's Guardians. The full podcast just dropped so if you like what you hear, check out Mysterious Journey on your podcast player of choice. Check out Dan on social media - @danklefstad on Twitter and Instagram plus his website...
Oct 12, 2021•5 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast. This week we welcome author and NPR morning host Dan Klefstad to the show. Unfortunately some skype issues knocked Clayton out of the talk, but John and Dan had a good time discussing Dan’s most recent book, Fiona’s Guardians. Dan also talks about his time with WNIJ and gives us some behind the scenes insight on the radio newsroom. Be sure to check out the podcast adaptation of Dan’s book, which will be coming out on October 12th from the Artists' Ensemble...
Oct 04, 2021•46 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast. This week we dive into some history with a local Streator legend, Clyde Tombaugh. We also discuss sports betting in Illinois, plus an old sports radio throwback segment. We finish up with our usual pod and miscellaneous talk. Thank you for listening! Please check out our sponsors for episode 98: Mr. Sparkle Auto Spa in Peru, IL - https://www.facebook.com/mrsparkleautospa/ Union Hall with Star Arcade in LaSalle, IL - Check out @unionhall01 on Facebook, Inst...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast. We have returned from the podcast doldrums! This week we revisit topics from our last episode including the 2020 derecho, Covid schooling, the Burgoo, and dog fines. We also touch on some new stuff including an update on the Starved Rock State Park & Matthiessen State Park land annexation. As usual, we talk a little pod, and share some thoughts on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Please check out our sponsors for episode 97: Mr. Sparkle Auto Spa in Peru, ...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast. This week we talk about anxiety with Covid-era schooling, some bad news for the Burgoo, hefty dog fines, the Peru Mall, and the destructive derecho the whipped through the Starved Rock area. Also, be sure to keep listening after the show. Just for the heck of it, we tacked on a throwback episode from 2010. Please check out our sponsors for episode 96: Mr. Sparkle Auto Spa - https://www.facebook.com/mrsparkleautospa/ Stacy Mayers Designs - https://www.faceb...
Aug 24, 2020•2 hr 11 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast. On episode 95 of the IV Podcast, John and Clayton dive into some local news: Ottawa I&M Canal, Peru utility bills, Streator’s downtown, and the LaSalle County Historical Society. We also mix in some history, current events, and pod talk throughout. Please check out our sponsors for episode 95: Mr. Sparkle Auto Spa - https://www.facebook.com/mrsparkleautospa/ Stacy Mayers Designs - https://www.facebook.com/stacymayersdesigns/ We would appreciate your su...
Aug 06, 2020•2 hr 2 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Podcast! We ditched the "Alternative" and are ready to go mainstream! On today's show, we spend the first half talking with Matt Hancock from Hancock PowerFit. Matt is truly inspirational and doesn't hold back with his story of finding and eventually teaching DDPYoga. Be sure to check out the link below to find Matt's website. After talking to Matt, we dive into our usual pod talk with a little local news mixed in. Please check out our sponsor for episode 94: Mr. S...
Jul 16, 2020•1 hr 48 min
On this episode of the IV Podcast, we sit down with Amanda and Davey Carter to discuss the LaSalle County Historical Society and the wonderful things they do. There is so much interesting history in our area, and we do our best to cover as much as we can. We talk Burgoo, Wild Bill Hickok, LaSalle Mission Cemetery, Indian Creek Massacre, Chief Shabbona, Mattheissen, Ottawa Tent Colony, Harness Horse Racing, and Amos Ebersol. There were a few more stories mixed in there too! Check it out and don’t...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 50 min
Long time friend of the show, Johnny Derango, has returned to the IVpodcast! Johnny is an Illinois Valley native and works in Hollywood as a film producer and director of photography. We talk about his career in film, what he has been up to lately, and of course - what podcasts he has been listening too. Check out his IMDB and keep an eye out for his upcoming film, Fatman with Mel Gibson. We would appreciate your support on Patreon. Find us on our Patreon page here: IV Podcast Patreon www.ivpod....
Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Welcome to the second lockdown edition of the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast (hopefully our last). This week we talk coronavirus, the IVCC computer hack, Paw Paw Jeopardy, outdoor cooking, cannabis, Rita Crundwell, and our usual random nonsense. We would appreciate your support on Patreon. Find us on our Patreon page here: IV Podcast Patreon www.ivpod.com www.patreon.com Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Secrets of the Schoolyard," and "Five Card Shuffle" by K...
May 16, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Welcome to the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast. We are hunkered down in this episode for our first Illinois shelter-in-place episode and as expected, lots and lots of coronavirus talk. We would appreciate your support on Patreon. Find us on our Patreon page here: IV Podcast Patreon www.ivpod.com www.patreon.com Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Secrets of the Schoolyard," and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Amidst a global pandemic, IVpod is here to help! This week we talk about the coronavirus' impact on the local Illinois Valley. After that, some randomness plus our usual things of the week. Thanks for listening everyone! Please check out our show sponsor, Starved Rock Coffee. starvedrockcoffeecompany.com www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Secrets of the Schoolyard," and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 22 min
Long time friend of the show, Attorney Doug Kramarsic, joins the show to give a legal perspective on everything we could think of! Need legal advice? Doug's your man. Please check out our show sponsor, Starved Rock Coffee. starvedrockcoffeecompany.com www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Secrets of the Schoolyard," and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)...
Feb 12, 2020•2 hr
On this episode of the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast, John and Clayton discuss a variety of local topics: OSLAD, the Starved Rock Lock and Dam, Streator 4th of July, the American Pickers at Herrcke, and some old timey stories courtesy of the Ottawa Times. Also, thanks to the NewsTribune for many of this episodes' topics. We finish up with our things of the week with plenty of randomness to fill in the cracks. Please check out our show sponsor, Starved Rock Coffee. starvedrockcoffeecompany....
Jan 29, 2020•1 hr 41 min
Welcome to 2020! On this episode of the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast, John and Clayton discuss new laws coming to the new year. After that, they hit up the top stories of 2019 and the top stories of the decade. Please check out our show sponsor, Starved Rock Coffee. starvedrockcoffeecompany.com www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Secrets of the Schoolyard," and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://...
Jan 08, 2020•2 hr 7 min
It's the Christmas/Star Wars countdown episode....well, more like the Star Wars episode. This week we welcome the Spark of Hope Podcast host, Megan Cullinan, to talk about all things Star Wars. Megan's podcast is truly inspirational and focuses on individuals who have taken on a great challenge in life, and used Star Wars to find his or her's own spark of hope in pushing through. We talk about her podcast, her challenges, and of course....a lot of Star Wars. We squeeze in a little local Illinois...
Dec 11, 2019•1 hr 19 min
Convicted murderer Chester Weger was paroled on November 21st, 2019. The tragedy became a national story in 1960 and has haunted the Starved Rock area ever since. We talked with Steve Stout, author of the Starved Rock Murders to get his thoughts on the news. Today's sponsors: Radium City Brewery and Sketchmass www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Music from https://filmmusic.io "Vicious," "Furious Freak," and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://cre...
Nov 22, 2019•1 hr 24 min
The best darn disc golfer to come out of the Illinois Valley has returned to the show! Dana Vicich, professional disc golf player and Ottawa Illinois native sits down with John to discuss his passion, disc golf. We talk about some of the events Dana has been involved with, the state of disc golf in the Illinois Valley, and tips for noobs. Check him out on your social media platform of choice @danadiscgolf. And be sure to ask our sponsors about the IVpod discount. Boz Jigs and Tackle River Front ...
Oct 31, 2019•1 hr 17 min
This week the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast returns with a special guest, Mr. Jay Roach. Jay is a long time friend and supporter of the show. Our talk goes so many places that explaining it is not really doable. You will just have to listen to see what all the fuss is about. Enjoy the show and check out this week's sponsors..... Boz Jigs and Tackle River Front Bar and Grill Stacy Mayers Designs www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Vicious, Secrets of the Schoolyard, and Five Card Shuffle by ...
Oct 16, 2019•1 hr 49 min
IVpod 2019 is here! On this episode, we talk about the holidays. Also some talk about Alexa listening to our lives, and a follow up on flushing wet wipes. After that we run through the NewsTribune and Times top news stories of 2018. Oh, and big upcoming news....the IVpod Puppy CAM is coming! www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Vicious, Secrets of the Schoolyard, and Five Card Shuffle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0. https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isr...
Jan 10, 2019•1 hr 8 min
This week IVpod and the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast return with some local housing market talk. After that we talk pod, which leads to Jake the Snake and our cherished wrestling memories. It's a doozy! www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Vicious, Secrets of the Schoolyard, and Five Card Shuffle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0. https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100227
Dec 05, 2018•1 hr 15 min
This week on IVpod we jump right into some exciting talk about the Starved Rock and Matthiessen Park expansion. After that, John and Clayton lay out some of their favorite area hiking destinations. It wouldn't be an IVpod without a little beer talk since there is exciting news: Tangled Roots is expanding! After that, a little election talk, podcast talk, and random banter to fill in the cracks....Thank you for listening and please give us a thumbs up or 5 star on your podcast player of choice. w...
Nov 14, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Happy 8 years of IVpod! On episode 78, we start the show by ripping off a local radio segment. Then we talk beer. After that, we have our "stuff you should know" segment about local bridges. Things finish off with some youtube and podcast talk. www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Vicious, Secrets of the Schoolyard, and Five Card Shuffle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0. https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100227...
Oct 24, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Welcome to IVpod! On this episode we talk asian carp, the Peru Mall, and the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center. We also talk about what podcasts we have been listening to, plus tangents galore. www.ivpod.com Music from the Show: Vicious, Secrets of the Schoolyard, and Five Card Shuffle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0. https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100227
Oct 04, 2018•1 hr 10 min
One year ago we journeyed to the Radium City Brewery to see if the rumors of a locally made beer were true. We knew it was going to be something special when we tasted our first Radium City beer. Now, one year later, we have seen Radium City Brew expand to multiple restaurant and liquors stores around the Illinois Valley and Starved Rock Country. We were super pumped to sit down with Dennis, Adam, and Brian to catch up on things and see what the future holds for the best beer around. Music from ...
Jun 09, 2016•1 hr 18 min
We are back and can you believe we have been podcasting for 5 years...! Five years talking about the place we know and love, the Illinois Valley. After a little patting ourselves on the back, John geeks out about Star Wars, and then we give our local beer update. We also talk briefly about the sand mines, plus the lovely Christmas lights around the area. We wrap things up with some podcast talk and local kickstarters. If you like the show, please show your support with a Facebook page Like, a Tw...
Dec 08, 2015•49 min
The podcast returns with this beauty of a show. We talk a little about our summer fun and then a little story/lesson on our website outage. After that we hit up a bunch of topics like Mike Tyson's Punch Out, the local craft brew scene thanks to Radium City Brewery, Tangled Roots Brewery, and the Starved Rock Brewing Company. Fishing at the Hennepin Hopper Lakes was opened up, and reported to be awesome. Eating fish out of the river not too bad...? Then it gets deep with some relationship advice,...
Sep 29, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Radium City Brewery is here! This week we welcome the guys from Radium City Brewery to talk about beer, how they came to be, and plenty of soon to be RCB trivia. The big release is June 12th and 13th. We got to sample some of their beer and we can honestly report, it is fantastic...! We would like to thank the Illinois Valley YMCA in lovely Peru, IL and the Music Machine in LaSalle, IL for contributing to this weeks's podcast. Music from the Show: Tricks (BoxCat Games) / CC BY 3.0 Sky Guide (Clo...
Jun 04, 2015•1 hr 24 min
The Illinois Valley podcasting worlds collide this week when we join Mike and Jeff from IV Small Talk..! We talk podcasting, beer, and some random ramblings. If you haven't listened to their show, check it out. They have local guests every week talking about local Illinois Valley topics. Good stuff. We would like to thank the Illinois Valley YMCA in lovely Peru, IL for contributing to the Illinois Valley Alternative Podcast. The 2015 Summer program is packed full of great activities for your kid...
Apr 15, 2015•1 hr 6 min
