P roviding summer activities and camps have been a passion for Champaign couple Julie and Tom Monahan .
First it was living in Georgia . Now it ' s at Kickapoo Adventures at Kickapoo State Park in Oakwood .
The state awarded the Monahans the state park concessionaire contract in 2016 and they have been operating Kickapoo Adventures since 2017 . A friend suggested they put in a bid at Kickapoo when the state was seeking someone to run the concessions and rentals . The Monahans had experience running a kayak shop , Up The Creek , in Georgia . Tom is originally from Arcola , Ill .
Julie said when they were in Georgia , she registered them with the government , and they were awarded a contract through the U . S . Air Force to run camps for children . There were science , soccer , archery and sports camps . They ' ve had a government contract since 2009 .
" So , we were already in the system and had credibility that way ," Julie said .
Then they figured , why not , with the Kickapoo contract .
Kickapoo Adventures Bar & Grill owner Julie Monahan .
SPRING 2023 | ILLIANA MAGAZINE
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