Mokena's Front Porch Podcast
by Israel Smith & Matt Galik
Welcome to Mokena’s Front Porch – THE podcast for Mokena history and community! Nestled in the heart of Chicagoland, Mokena began as a small farming community that flourished after the Rock Island train line arrived in 1852. Today, with a population of over 20,000, its rich past continues to shape its future. Your hosts: 🔹 Matt – A lifelong Mokenian, local historian, and author of two books on Mokena history. His blog, Matt’s Old Mokena, serves as the foundation for many of our episodes, bringing forgotten stories of the village back to life. 🔹 Israel – A passionate storyteller who grew up hearing firsthand WWII accounts from his grandfathers. Since moving to Mokena in 2016, he has embraced its history, working through technical challenges as a first-time podcaster to bring this show to life. He’s a BIG fan of Mokena! Join us as we explore the people, places, and moments that make Mokena special. Visit
Episodes
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Recapping The March 19th Mokena 159 School Board Meeting - The A.I. Front Porch
Send us Fan Mail THIS EPISODE WAS CREATED USING A.I. SOFTWARE AND MAY INCLUDE FACTUAL ERRORS IN THE EPISODE. PLEASE BE SURE TO VERIFY QUESTIONABLE INFORMATION YOURSELF AS WELL. With the explosion of A.I. (artificial intelligence), there are new tools coming along all the time! We shared the video...
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Kim Huelsman - Candidate For Mokena Village Trustee
Send us Fan Mail Kimberly Huelsman is a teacher at Sandburg High School in Orland Park. This is her first time running for elected office and she is running with the Mokena's Future slate. Support the show Be sure to check out our website @ www.MokenasFrontPorch.com Follow Us On Facebook At...
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Dan Gilbert - Candidate for Mokena Village Trustee
Send us Fan Mail Dan Gilbert teaches in Mokena 159 schools and is a Mokena Park District Commissioner. He is running with the Friends of Mokena slate, who's website is www.friendsofmokena.com Get to know Dan Gilbert and be sure to vote BY April 1st! Early voting starts March 17th! Please…
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Melissa Fedora - Candidate for Mokena Village Trustee
Send us Fan Mail Melissa Fedora is the Executive Director of the Mokena Chamber of Commerce and a current Village Trustee, running for her second term. She is running with the Friends of Mokena slate, who's website is www.friendsofmokena.com You can watch all of our candidate interviews, campaign...
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Colleen Patrick-Lenart: Candidate for Mokena Village Trustee
Send us Fan Mail Colleen is a lifelong Mokenian and a sales professional. This is Colleen's first time running for elected office. She is running for the 2 year term. Get to know Colleen Patrick-Lenart and be sure to vote on April 1st! Early voting starts March 17th! She is running with the…
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James Roberts - Candidate For Mokena Village Trustee
Send us Fan Mail James Roberts is a retired, having spent his career running grocery stores. He ran for Village Trustee once before back in the early 90's. Get to know James Roberts and be sure to vote BY April 1st! Early voting starts March 17th! Jim is running with the Mokena's Future Slate....
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March 4th, 2025 Mokena's Future Meet & Greet
Send us Fan Mail Tuesday, March 4th, the Mokena's Future slate hosted their 3rd meet and greet at Clancy Bros. Coffee. There next meet and greet will be Tuesday March 18th at Clancy Bros. Early voting starts March 17th and election day is April 1st! Be sure to subscribe to our channel and vote on...
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Nick Clancy - Candidate For Mokena Village Trustee - 2 Year Term
Send us Fan Mail Nick Clancy is a Mokena business owner, having started Clancy Bros. coffee in Mokena. This is Nick's first time running for elected office. Get to know Nick Clancy and be sure to vote on April 1st! Early voting starts March 17th! Support the show Be sure to check out our website…
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Berk, Oliphant, Chavez, Petrey, Ryan: Summit Hill 161 School Board Candidates
Send us Fan Mail The Summit Hill 161 School District, serving parts of Mokena, Frankfort, and Tinley Park, has been in the spotlight due to school closings, transportation challenges, and other key issues. With 10 candidates running for the school board, transparency is more important than ever....
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George Metanias - Candidate For Mokena Mayor
Send us Fan Mail George Metanias has been a Village Trustee since 2005 and is running for Mayor of Mokena for the first time. He is running with the "Friends of Mokena" slate with candidates for Trustee and Clerk. Learn more about Trustee Metanias and his plans for Mokena, should he be elected in...
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Frank Fleischer - Candidate for Mokena Mayor
Send us Fan Mail Frank Fleischer has been the Village President of Mokena since 2013. He is running for re-election with a group of candidates as the "Mokena's Future" slate. Learn more about Mayor Fleischer and what his plans are for Mokena's Future. We had a previous conversation with Mayor...
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Katie Carley - Mokena 159 School Board Candidate
Send us Fan Mail Katie is a candidate for Mokena 159 Elementary School District. She has two children in 159 schools, holds a Masters Degree from Lewis University and works as a social worker. We talked about what she would bring to the school board and how she thinks she can strengthen...
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Jim Andresen - Mokena 159 School Board Candidate
Send us Fan Mail Jim and his wife, Jaymie, have lived in Mokena since 2007, raising their three children in District 159 schools. A Mokena native and graduate of Mokena Jr. High and Lincoln-Way, Jim earned his Communications degree from Eastern Illinois University. He works as a Financial...
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Assessor Joe Kral - Talking Tax Bills and Mokena Community
Send us Fan Mail Frankfort Township Assessor Joe Kral is running unopposed in the April 1, 2025, consolidated election. In this episode, we get to know Joe, explore the role of the Assessor, and break down the property tax process—from how your home is valued to paying your tax bill. We also...
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Deadra Stokes - Candidate For Lincolnway 210 School Board
Send us Fan Mail Deadra Stokes and her husband, Paul, have three daughters and live in Frankfort. Along with being a member of the Lincolnway 210 High School Board, she is an attorney, the Chief Commissioner of The Police and Fire Board for the Village of Frankfort and more! Deadra doesn't have a...
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Aaron Janik - Candidate for Lincolnway 210 School Board
Send us Fan Mail Aaron Janik is the current President of the Lincolnway 210 School Board. He lives in Mokena with his wife Molly and their three kids. He is running unopposed this election but still sat with me to talk about the school district and himself. Enjoy this conversation with my friend,...
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Mokena's Future Slate - Meet The Candidate Night 2/4/2025
Send us Fan Mail This is was the first candidate meet and greet for the Village Board and Mayoral races. Mayor Frank Fleischer's "Mokena's Future" slate provided a spread of coffee, pastires and a chance to hear from their candidates. When I planned to attend this event I thought I could put a...
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Mokena 159 Teachers Association Endorsement - Talking With The Teachers
Send us Fan Mail This past week I went out to my mailbox and found an endorsement mailer from the Mokena Teachers Association, proclaiming their support for the four incumbent board members. So I reached out to a couple of the representatives from the Mokena Teachers Association and they were…
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Deputy Walter Fisher Remembered - Mokena Honors Their Fallen Officer
Send us Fan Mail We are very excited to share this audio from the Mokena Village proclamation remembering Deputy Walter Fisher, who was Mokena's only law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty. After the proclamation is the episode we did in March of 2023 about Deputy Fisher as…
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Fundraisers & Filings - Local Election Update 2
Send us Fan Mail It has been a busy couple of weeks, with fundraisers and petition filings! We hear from former Mokena Mayor, Mike Everett, and we find out who actually filed their petitions to run in the April 1st election! Be on the look out for our candidate interviews! You won't want to miss...
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The Imagination Station - Mokena’s Wooden Playscape
Send us Fan Mail The Imagination Station was more than a playground, it was a community effort that brought our entire Village together. For 27 years this wooden playscape was a staple for every Mokena kid. After years of weather as well as a lack of sufficient maintenance, the playscape was…
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A Day on The Farm With Eddie Yunker
Send us Fan Mail This is the most in depth video recorded conversation with Eddie Yunker, the last owner of the historic McGovney-Yunker Farm, that is know of. Before Mr. Yunker passed away, he sold his farm to the Mokena Park District, ensuring this property will be controlled and appreciated…
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Mayor Frank and Laurie Fleischer
Send us Fan Mail Since moving to Mokena in 1977, the Fleischer's have been an active part of the Mokena community. Mayor Fleischer and Mrs. Fleischer sat down with Israel and talked about their lives before Mokena, how they came to Mokena and they impact they have both made since. We discuss…
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2025 Mokena Municipal Elections -Ep. 1. Where We Stand
Send us Fan Mail Since our Village was incorporated in 1880, it held elections to determine who the decision makers in town would be. The local elections for Village Mayor and Trustees, Village Clerk, School Boards, Park, Fire and Library boards, will be Tuesday April 1, 2025! And candidates are...
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The Mokena Women's Club
Send us Fan Mail Israel sits down with Joann Jeffers and Lana Graser of the Mokena Women's Club to learn more about this group and how they have been serving the people of Mokena since 1960! I hope you enjoy our conversation and please reach out to them if you would like to join what they are…
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The Fall of the Erickson Barn and The History of Front and Mokena St.
Send us Fan Mail Matt and Israel talk about the recent storm that came through town and did significant damage down Front Street as well as the collapse of a beloved historic barn, built by the Erickson family in the early 1900's. We also discuss the building that sits on the south east corner of...
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Al Braun; The Last of The Blacksmiths - 40 Years of Fixing
Send us Fan Mail The Brauns were a family of blacksmiths in Mokena, going all the way back to the 1880's, all the way into the 1950's! Al Braun was said to be one of the last working blacksmiths in the State. Al always welcomed neighborhood kids, who would enjoy all of the action going on in his...
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A Tour of Marshall Cemetery; Visiting The Founders of Mokena
Send us Fan Mail Founded in 1839, the Marshall Cemetery is home to many of Mokena's founders, with names like Marshall, McGovney, and Jones. It is also the resting place of numerous war heros from the Civil War, and more. Matt gives us a walking tour as we cover only a few of the families buried...
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A Walk Down Front Street, Talking History, With Matt & Israel; Wolf to Mokena St., Pt.1
Send us Fan Mail On a beautiful April evening, Matt and I (Israel) took a walk down Mokena's Front Street, talking history. This is the audio only version so you have to imagine standing at the South East corner of Wolf Road and Front Street and walk along with us! Matt is a wealth of information...
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Mayor Joe Werner; A Legacy of Service and Community
Send us Fan Mail Mayor Joe Werner cared deeply about Mokena and its people. He served as both Village Trustee and Mayor and made many lasting contributions to Mokena. He sadly passed away on Christmas Eve of 2023 after fighting brain cancer. I am honored that we get to share some of Mayor Joe’s...
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A Legend To Live Again: The History and Future of 11116 Front Street
Send us Fan Mail Since the early days of Mokena, 11116 has been a place where the community gathers to drink, socialize, shop and eat. For more than a decade now this property has sat vacant. The property is now undergoing a renovation and will be host a new restaurant, The Dock on Front Street!…
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Curtain Call Theater: A Shining Star on Front Street
Send us Fan Mail Israel got to sit down with Suzanne Helwich, the Executive Director of the Curtain Call Theatre, as well as Ken Czechanski, who is a theatre board member as well as one of the stars of their upcoming March 2024 production, The Runner Stumbles. The setting for our conversation was...
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Mineral Springs: Magical Waters Beneath Our Feet
Send us Fan Mail Mokena's first modern subdivision has a name that goes back to the early days of our Village. The Mineral Springs neighborhood sits just south of the train station and at one point was the source of healing waters that were being pumped from below ground. This healing well was so...
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Postmarked History: The 1937 Post Office Robbery
Send us Fan Mail Mokena’s first post office opened February 10, 1853 and served our newly formed train depot of a town. With the railroad splitting through town, it made Mokena a prime mail location, with mail coming via the passing trains, to and from Chicago. The post office was a vital organ…
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Becoming a Village; The Long Road to Incorporation
Send us Fan Mail Our Village was founded around the Rock Island Pacific Railroad coming through the middle of what is now downtown Mokena. In 1852 those tracks came through the north end of the McGovney (Yunker) farm. By the mid 1870's, Mokena had 8 saloons, more per capita than any other town in...
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Mokena's Old Schoolhouse, 1872 - 1929
Send us Fan Mail Schools are the lifeblood of a community and they carry the tremendous responsibility to educate the youth of our town. A desirable school district increases home values and make a community more desirable. Though it was not the first Mokena school house, the grand 2 story...
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The Mokena State Bank - A Front Street Institution For Over A Century
Send us Fan Mail Step inside the hallowed walls of The Mokena State Bank, as we chronicle over a century of its rich and vibrant history. This story takes you on a journey that captures the spirit of this iconic institution that has endured safe cracking, robberies, and economic tremors, yet…
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Maddog Strong - A Conversation With Frank & Cyndi Grobmeier
Send us Fan Mail Frank and Cyndi Grobmeier endured the unthinkable after the death of their daughter just after her 18th birthday. I had the opportunity to spend time with them in the Mokena office of their charity, The Maddog Strong Foundation. They have a mission to not only have people sign...
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An Evening With President Lincoln and His Thanksgiving Proclamation
Send us Fan Mail Matt and I (Israel) attended an event at The Mokena Library by Abraham Lincoln impersonator and educator, Kevin Wood. He shared the story of Sarah Hale, who spent 35 years writing letters to Presidents and promoting the idea of a unified day of Thanksgiving across all states....
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Halloween Hauntings and Stories - Halloween Special
Send us Fan Mail Get ready for a nostalgic trip back to the Halloween days of yore as we, recall our favorite Halloween memories from Mokena. But Halloween is not just about the candy and costumes. It's also a time for ghost stories and eerie encounters. We've got a spine-chilling tale about an...
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Schmuhl School Open House - 1930's One Room School House
Send us Fan Mail Buildings like this can get lost in the daily passing by, but this one-room schoolhouse from the 1930s has weathered the passage of time and still entertains and educates children of all ages. This episode promises takes you on a journey through the history and preservation of…
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A Look Back on Our First Year on The Porch - 1 Year of MFP
Send us Fan Mail October 12, 2022 we published the first episode of Mokena's Front Porch. Now we look back at our first year of sharing Mokena's history. Today there are over 4 million podcasts available but we are the ONLY Mokena podcast! The majority of new podcasts post 10 episodes or less but...
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The Mokena News Bulletin & The Semmler Family Pt. 2
Send us Fan Mail Here is part 2 and the completion of the Semmler story. Be sure to listen to episode 1 as well. The Semmlers played a vital role in our Village and their impact lives on today. Be sure to check out Matt's Blog posts that we based these episodes on. They can be found HERE! We hope...
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The Mokena News Bulletin & The Semmler Family Pt. 1
Send us Fan Mail The Mokena News Bulletin was THE paper of record, reporting from August of 1919 until its last issue in 1969. William and Margaret Semmler started their modest paper in the former Front Street saloon that her family owned. Both were very active in the community where they raised...
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The Bergmans - A Living History of Mokena
Send us Fan Mail What if you could journey back in time to an era where block parties and street dances were the life of the town, and the Front Street Ford Agency was the hot spot for socializing? That's exactly what Dave and Charlene Bergman bring us in this captivating episode, as they…
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11042 Front Street; A Silent Witness To The Growth of Mokena
Send us Fan Mail 11042 Front Street is a building that has stood, since the years following the Civil War, as a silent witness to the history of our Mokena. This building was home to the first Mokena Pharmacy and was built by a German who was described by locals as, “fat and jolly and possessed…
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The 1909 Mokena Jailbreak
Send us Fan Mail October 8th, 1909, John Hatch opened his general store, in the building that we know today as Zap Taco, to find that he had be robbed! Matt shares this story of two young men who robbed Hatch's store and their apparent cockiness that caught up with them in the end! Matt and I…
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Tracks of History: The Forgotten Flagmen of Mokena Street Crossing
Send us Fan Mail Mokena owes its existence not only to agriculture but also to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. Overlooked in the collective memory is a humble wooden shack at the Mokena Street crossing, where a generation of flagmen worked tirelessly to ensure safety before the…
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The Cooper & Hostert Ford Agency of Mokena
Send us Fan Mail Opening their doors for the first time on Thursday, September 21, 1916, the Cooper & Hostert Ford Agency became a town meeting place where locals not only purchased their vehicles, but also gathered to chat, laugh and gossip about what was going on in town. They were a staple of...
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Mamie Bechstein - In Her Own Words
Send us Fan Mail This episode discusses Mamie Bechstein Miller, who was a teacher and principal for Mokena's 159 School District in the old schoolhouse that sat at Front Street and Schoolhouse Road and who's family has been in Mokena since before the railroad came through. We discuss why Mamie…
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About this show
Welcome to Mokena’s Front Porch – THE podcast for Mokena history and community!
Nestled in the heart of Chicagoland, Mokena began as a small farming community that flourished after the Rock Island train line arrived in 1852. Today, with a population of over 20,000, its rich past continues to shape its future.
Your hosts:
🔹 Matt – A lifelong Mokenian, local historian, and author of two books on Mokena history. His blog, Matt’s Old Mokena, serves as the foundation for many of our episodes, bringing forgotten stories of the village back to life.
🔹 Israel – A passionate storyteller who grew up hearing firsthand WWII accounts from his grandfathers. Since moving to Mokena in 2016, he has embraced its history, working through technical challenges as a first-time podcaster to bring this show to life. He’s a BIG fan of Mokena!
Join us as we explore the people, places, and moments that make Mokena special. Visit
Hosted by
Israel Smith & Matt Galik