From WGNRadio.com: Your Hometown - Monee, IL

"Monee is in Will County about 32 miles south of the Loop off I-57. The village incorporated on November 9, 1874, and all this year the Village of Monee has been celebrating its 150^th anniversary with special apparel and events. You can even buy a “Monee-opoly” game! Residents and visitors alike can gather at the Village Hall (5130 W. Court Street) on Saturday, Nov. 9 for birthday cake and a view of the contents from Monee’s 1974 time capsule.

The village is said to be named for Marie LeFevre Bailly, a woman of French and Indigenous heritage called “Mah-ree” by the French but “Mah-nee” by the Ottawa. A life-size bronze statue of Monee’s namesake will be installed at a new public park space coming to 5511 W. Court Street.

Monee Creamery (5210 W. Court Street), also known as the “Cheese Factory” and built of local Lockport limestone, is the only remaining one of its kind in the village. Renovated in 2021, the building is a Will County historic landmark and serves as the Monee Historical Center. Follow their Facebook page and see the adventures of the society’s mascot ‘Moo-rie,’ a stuffed animal black and white cow.

State grant funding has allowed for for improvements at Firemen’s Park (5218 W. Court Street) which includes new football and baseball fields and the addition of a volleyball court, concession stand and public bathrooms. Other development underway includes the building a 27-acre manufacturing facility for Netherlands-based global Voortman Steel Company. The Monee location will serve as their U.S. headquarters and bring career opportunities to the area.

Recreation abounds at the 248-acre Monee Reservoir and its 46-acre lake. The Monee Reservoir Visitor Center (27341 Ridgeland Avenue) offers educational programs and rents rowboats, pedal boats, canoes, kayaks, and fishing poles seasonally. A natural surface trail welcomes walkers, runners, and cross-country skiers. The wetland habitat offers opportunities for birdwatching and wildlife spotting.

Crozehead Cooperage Co. (25964 South Egyptian Trail) in Monee is the only cooperage in Illinois and one of only 26 in the U.S. This 5-acre veteran-owned farm offers whiskey barrel tours and demonstrations, food vendors and a bar serving craft cocktails."