Here are a few September events for your calendar:

• The Taste of Kankakee County will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3, in an area adjacent to the Kankakee Boat Club (1600 Cobb Boulevard). The new event is one of the festivities surrounding the Power Boat Nationals boat races that will once again be held Labor Day weekend. Admittance to the Taste costs $15 per person or $5 for kids under 12 and includes two beverages and food samples from all the vendors. Tickets are available at the event or in advance at the Kankakee Valley Park District or the Holiday Inn Express at Northfield Square Mall. Also that evening, the boats will be conducting test runs until 5:30 p.m., the band Bakersfield will perform from 5 to 8:30 p.m., a beer tent and the boat club will be open, and rides in a two-seater racing boat will be raffled off. Vendors are still invited to join. For more information, call (815) 955-7211.

• The 50th annual Limestone Fire Department Chicken BBQ will be held Saturday, Sept. 11, from noon to 7 p.m. Dinners are carry-out only. The cost is $8, or $6 for a children’s dinner. Tickets are available at the door or by calling the fire department at (815) 932-4664.

• The 75th annual Greek Festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 12, from noon to 7 p.m. Dinners include your choice of Greek style shish-ke-bob or chicken, plus several sides. Numerous homemade Greek pastries and sweets, including the classic baklava, are available for sale. The festival is held at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, which is at 296 N. Washington Ave. in Kankakee.

• The fourth annual Half Paddy Festival will be held Sept. 17 and 18 (halfway to St. Patrick’s Day) at St. Patrick’s Church in Kankakee. The corned beef dinner will be held Saturday evening following the 4 p.m. Blue Mass, which is held to honor area firefighters and law enforcement personnel. The church is at 428 S. Indiana Ave. For more information and a full schedule of events, go to www.halfpaddy.com or call the church at (815) 932-6716.

There will be free sweet corn at the Kankakee Farmers Market on Saturday. The market is open from 7 a .m. to noon at the southwest corner of Schuyler Avenue and Merchant Street.

The annual Kankakee Elk’s his & hers golf outing and fish fry will be Aug. 20.

Dinner tickets are $20 per person and include unlimited cod fish and draft beer, as well as entertainment by The Silouettes from 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets are available at the door or by calling (815) 937-1227 or 937-1228.

The Elks is at 2283 Bittersweet Drive in St. Anne.

Mark your calendar for the Taste of Kankakee County on Friday, Sept. 3. It will be part of the festivities surrounding the Power Boat Nationals that will once again be held again Labor Day weekend on the Kankakee River. I’ll share more details closer to the event.

Also, the Bradley Bourbonnais Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Taste of the Region event on Saturday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Hidden Cove Sports Plex in Bradley. There will be food, drinks, music and shopping.

Niro’s Gyros (545 S. Kennedy Drive) in Bradley will be unveiling a new and improved falafel sandwich on Thursday and celebrating by selling them for just $1 all day.

I’m a big fan of falafel, which are kind of like hush puppies but made with ground chickpeas (or sometimes fava beans) instead of ground corn. Herbs and spices are added to the batter, which is formed into balls or patties and fried. At Niro’s, they wrap the falafel in flat bread and add lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and a tahini sauce, which is made from sesame seeds.

While you may not have heard of falafel before, they’re as common in the Middle East and parts of Europe as hamburgers and hot dogs are here. The protein-packed snacks are particularly popular with vegetarians.

While Niro’s has been serving falafel sandwiches for several months, they now have invested in more kitchen space and special equipment to allow for a better and more authentic preparation.

Niro’s opens at 10 a.m. daily. They close at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The phone is (815) 935-1790.

One Sixty Four North (164 N. Schuyler Ave.) in Kankakee will be holding their summer wine tasting dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 18.

Here’s more information:

“One Sixty Four North is proud to present our summer wine tasting event, with one of our most delicate, exciting and flavorful menus to date. Seating is limited; we sold out the last event, so please call for a reservation soon. Please call Heatherann at 815-936-0164 with any questions.

Opening
Reception wine, fruit and cheese plate

Starters
1. Portabella mushroom filled with blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette reduction
2. Smoked Salmon
3. Beef Carpaccio in a light vinaigrette

Soup
Gazpacho Soup

Salad
Spring lettuce and fresh fruit with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Raspberry Sorbet

Main Course
1. Grilled Mahi Mahi with mango salsa, served with polenta
2. Filet Bolivar: filet mingon served with cauliflower puree, and a Au Poivre sauce

Dessert
1. Custard and fresh fruit in a chocolate shell
2. Pear Tart
3. Cheesecake with citrus zest

Menu is not alacart; all you see is what you will be served. Bottles of wine are available for purchase.

Cost is $75 per person or $140 a couple, money due the day of the event. Please call or visit our website.”

The 35th annual Bourbonnais Friendship Festival begins Wednesday, June 23, and continues through Sunday, June 27.

“The usual yummy selection of food can be found, with Chuck’s Sirloin Wagon coming back, as well as the best corn dogs, foot long hot dogs, funnel cakes, cake rolls, asian kabobs, fried vegetables and MORE!,” according to festival volunteer Valerie Goldfain Hovarter.

There are also several food-related special events planned:

FRIDAY (June 25): The annual firefighters’ fish fry will be held from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the festival pavilion. Fish sandwiches, fish dinners, corn dogs, french fries and drinks will be available.

SATURDAY (June 26): Buffalo Wild Wings will be holding two wing-eating contests, both from 8 to 8:30 p.m. One will be timed, with the winner being the contestant who eats the most wings in the alloted time. The other will be a blazin’ hot wings speed-eating contest. There is a $5 entry fee and the winner of each contest receives $25.

Also on Saturday, the firefighters will be grilling and serving shish-ka-bobs. The time is yet to be determined, so please go to www.bourbonnaisfriendshipfestival.com for the latest details.

The area’s summer music scene kicks off Saturday (May 29) with the Watseka Theatre’s third annual Blues, BBQ & Arts Fest.

Thirteen performers are scheduled to take the stage. The first act begins at 11 a.m. and the final act is scheduled to end at 1 a.m. Weather permitting, the music will be outdoors until 7:30, when it will move inside the Theatre, which is at 218 E. Walnut in Watseka. In the event of rain, all the performances will be inside.

Tickets are $5 and are good all day. Kids under 12 are free for outside entertainment. Inside entertainment is for adults.

Visitors can also eat, drink and shop at artisan booths throughout the day.

Food offerings include:

• BBQ Turkey Legs
• BBQ Chicken & Pork Sandwiches
• BBQ Ribs, Hamburgers
• Bratwurst, Polish, Hot Dogs
• Desserts Galore

Libations include:

• Bud, Bud lite, Busch lite, Rolling Rock Pale Ale, Steven’s Point Pale Ale, Guinness Stout Irish Brew, Belgium Kriek Lambic Cherry Ale, Samuel Smith’s English Taddy Porter, Traquair House Scottish Brew
• Strawberry or Lime Margarita, Piña Colada, Long Island Iced Tea, Grasshopper or other mixed drinks
• Soft Drinks, Iced Tea, Bottled Water

More information, including a full music lineup, is available on the Watseka Theatre Web site (watsekatheatre.com). You can also email them at info@watsekatheatre.com or call them at (815) 993-2880.

There’s still time to enter the baking and grillfest competitions at the 22nd Annual Rhubarb Festival on May 16.

There are two prizes for the baking contest: $100 for best baked item with rhubarb and $100 for best baked item without rhubarb.

Grillfest competitors can win $100 for the best meat entry and $100 for the best vegetarian entry.

The festival is held at the Kankakee County Museum, at Eighth and Water streets in Kankakee. Call the Museum at (815) 932-5279 for more information, or visit the Museum to pick up a copy of the rules.

Recently I asked for information regarding restaurants with special Mother’s Day offerings. A few contacted me with details, although I’m sure most restaurants will be open. Here’s the info I received:

• The Homestead (1230 S. East Ave.) in Kankakee will be open from 10:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. with full table service. Call (815) 933-6214 for a reservation.
• JR’s Chicken (135 E. Bourbonnais St., Kankakee; and 664 N. Convent, Bourbonnais) will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both locations will have take-out, and the Kankakee location will have a buffet for $7.49
• The Kankakee Elks Country Club (2283 Bittersweet Dr.) in St. Anne will be serving brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $21.95. Call (815) 937-1228 for reservations.
• La Villetta (801 W. Broadway) in Bradley will be serving a buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $18.99 for adults and $9.50 for children 10 and under. Reservations are recommended. Call (815) 939-4960. (See comment below for more details.)
• Moose Lodge 802 (730 N. Kinzie Ave.) in Bradley will be serving a Mother’s Day brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $17.99, or $9.99 for kids 10 and under. Reservations are recommended. Call (815) 939-3636.
• Tucci’s (1560 N. Illinois Route 50) in Bourbonnais will be serving their full menu. Call (815) 929-1875.