Every town has landmarks, but what happens when a group of bored teenagers decides to relocate one? In this episode of "This One Time in Kankakee," we bring you the legendary story of a crime that wasn't the crime, and how a 500-pound plaster cow ended up in a suburban living room.

In 2008, Shane Whitlock and his friends, armed with a "borrowed" shopping cart and a severe case of late-night boredom, set their sights on the iconic cow statue outside the Exploration Station Children's Museum at Perry Farm Park in Bradley, IL. What follows is a hilarious comedy of errors, including a herculean effort to push their prize through town, a brilliantly timed but unrelated arrest for stealing a Wendy's banner, and a mother's rude awakening to find a farm animal and a police officer in her home.

This is a quintessential Kankakee County story about how the dumbest decisions make the best memories, the absurdity of youth, and the long, painful walk of shame when you have to carry a 500-pound cow back where you found it at sunrise.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

The "kidnapping" of the cow statue from Perry Farm in Bradley.How to move a 500-pound bovine using a Jewel-Osco shopping cart.Getting arrested for stealing a banner, but not the giant cow in your living room.A mother's reaction to finding a life-sized farm animal next to her couch.The grueling, pre-dawn journey to return the statue to the park.TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 - Intro: The night a landmark disappeared 

01:13 - Meet Shane: Teenage life in 2008 Bradley, IL 

02:18 - The Target: The Perry Farm Park Cow Statue 

03:10 - The Heist: A Cow in a Shopping Cart 

04:34 - Mission Accomplished: A Cow in the Living Room 

04:57 - The Unrelated Crime: Stealing a Wendy's Banner 

06:02 - Mom Wakes Up to a Cow and a Cop 

07:38 - The Mission: Return the Cow 

08:34 - The Long Walk Home (for the cow) 

09:40 - The Aftermath & A Generational Tale of Pranks

Episode ID: 1000730357445

GUID: Buzzsprout-17961289

Release Date: 06/10/2025, 06:00:00