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  Tiny Towns: Minooka, IL - 2003  (20 Slides)     [Page 1 of 1]  
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This year we visited wonderful Minooka, IL.  It is located right off Interstate 80, about 10 miles from Morris, IL.� I forgot to find the official town sign with the population on it, but according to ePodunk.com it is about 3900.
Apparently Benia agreed that Minooka is a nice place to call home, so she decided to do a little squatting. I have actually seen this community advertised as if it is a good choice for commuting to the Chicago area! It is a little too far for anything more than the occasional visit in my opinion.
From what I could tell, Minooka's big claims to fame are the baseball team and the junior high volleyball team.
Our first stop was this gas station.  I had decided to escape the Cook county gas taxes for the day.  This was about 15 cents cheaper than what they were charging by our house in Streamwood.
Of course a picture by the local Post Office is required.  We have to prove we where there and it is a good way to get the ZIP code.
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  01b_minooka_welcome_benia  
  02_minooka_claims_to_fame  
  03_minooka_gas_price  
  04_minooka_IL_po  
I don't know if this was functional or not, but it gave a nice sense of the farming roots of this community.
Nothing says
There was a pharmacy in this land of strip malls, so I went in to do a little shopping.
Our visit was too fast paced to actually sit down and read a book, but this is the library.
I just wanted to pose in front of the school.  Check out the ornate detail above the door.
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  06_minooka_municipal_bldg  
  07_minooka_shopping_dilema  
  08_minooka_library  
  09_minooka_consolidated_school  
We had lunch at the Sisters Cafe.  Someone had a lot of time on their hands.  There was a lot of stencilling in addition to the barn scene.
The food was pretty good and we were stuffed by the time we left Sisters Cafe.  Aren't action shots great?
You just can't beat country fried steak smothered in gravy.� Benia decided to try some sort of fish over there on the other side of the table.
We liked this sign just because it showed the car washing itself.  Oddly enough, the sign doesn't mention Self Wash as you would typically see at this type of car wash.  I guess they wanted to go with the more subtle joke.
The trip wouldn't be complete without a picture of the water tower.  Actually, Minooka had several of them, but I thought this one had the most character.
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  12_minooka_eating  
  13_minooka_food  
  14_minooka_wash_n_roll  
  15_minooka_watertower  
This mural was painted on the side of a bar.  It depicts some of the history of Minooka.  I wish that car hadn't been in the way.
After our adventures in Minooka we headed for Morris, IL.  I had previous experience with a brewery called The Firehouse, so we went there.
Benia and I shared this giant ice cream/brownie combination.
Of course we had some Firehouse beer, but we also tried the cream soda, which was very good.
The music was a little too loud, but we had a good time at The Firehouse... At least until the bill arrived. I'm just kidding, it was very reasonably priced.
  16_minooka_mural  
  17_firehouse_brewery  
  18_firehouse_brownie  
  19_firehouse_creamsoda  
  20_firehouse_bill  
Album last updated on Feb 15, 2005 - 07:01 AM
©2003 Donald and Benia Zouras