TOLONO, Ill. (WCIA) — In Our Town Tolono, there’s one spot on Main Street where many people regularly stop for lunch. Jack’s Tavern is within a 105-year-old building, but it’s something Jackie Stone, the owner, started about 38 years ago.

Stone came to Central Illinois to serve at Chanute Air Force Base; he’s called the area home ever since.

“I’m the cook, I’m the bartender, the cleaner-upper, and the conversationalist,” the 88-year-old said with a laugh.

Despite his age, Stone refuses to retire from the restaurant he spends every day at.

“I enjoy getting up, coming down, meet the people,” the owner described.

But, the people love meeting him, too.

“Jack’s a very good friend to us,” Zola Colee, a regular at Jack’s, said. “Where can you go and get a nice cheeseburger, or a BBQ sandwich or a fish sandwich with fries or potato salad and your drink for $8?”

She and her friends make sure to pay a visit once a week to catch up and check in on the guy who is always looking out for them.

“If somebody doesn’t show up, he wants to know where they’re at, what’s wrong with them,” Colee said.

It’s clear, she and Stone both love Tolono. With friendship like that, people will be coming back to Jack’s Tavern for years to come.

“I love it, that’s the reason I suppose, that’s why I’m still around!” Stone said.

He plans to keep it running until the day he can’t. If you want to check it out, his customers recommend the cheeseburger.

You can find him on Main Street, not far from where the WCIA news team will be set up on Friday, Aug. 9. You can stop by Our Town Tolono during the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. broadcasts that evening.