The Dundee Township Visitor's Center (a.k.a. The Depot) is now open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. We hope to also be open Fridays in June and July.
Mark Your Calendar!
Farmer's Market
May 10 our Farmer's Market opens again on Saturdays from
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.!
Lunch in the Park
Come enjoy some live music and lunch the first Wednesday of June, July, and August from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come early for free desserts and free raffle prizes. Inexpensive box lunches are provided by local restaurants. Great for young and old alike, pull up a chair in the shade or bring your own blankets/chairs and soak up the summer sunshine.
Music & Movie Night
June 27th at 7 p.m. Music starts at 7 p.m. with Pirates Over 40, a tropically inspired band featuring songs from Jimmy Buffett and more. Then at 9 p.m. be sure to bring your blankets to sit out on the lawn at the depot and enjoy "Over the Hedge." Event sponsored by the Village of East Dundee and the Dundee Township Park District.
More About the Farmer's Market
The Dundee Farmer's Market is held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday May through October. We typically get around 40 vendors each week selling locally grown veggies (in season), flowers, and bedding plants, plus antiques and collectibles. New vendors are always welcome -- call (847) 742-3432 for booth information.
Last year, our closing day for the market included the annual Great Pumpkin contest.
Check out the Great Pumpkins
We also had our annual tomato contest!
Check out the HUMONGOUS Tomatoes
And check out Herb singing the infamous banana song! You know it's going to be a good day when there are bananas to be had at the depot.
But wait! There's more! Our own resident cowboy David Carter (yes, he's available for hire!) of Hat Creek Enterprises, gave an impromptu poetry recital. Little did he know he'd end up on you tube! It's just one of the many value-added services we offer our market vendors. Check out David's site and definitely try his BBQ sauce, it's fabulous. It contains none of that wussy high fructose corn syrup either! Just spices, fire and a whole lotta love.
Great Pumpkins!
9th-Annual Pumpkin Contest Almost Goes to the Dogs
[Oct. 27, 2007, East Dundee, IL]
OK, not really, but we did have a dog enter...and win second prize! Twelve-year-old Sharky Mahoney won second prize in the kids' decorated pumpkin category -- not bad considering he doesn't have thumbs.
This was the 9th year for our annual Great Pumpkin contest, which marks the end of the season for our Dundee Farmer's Market. Area businesses donated over $1,500 in prizes that went to winners in three categories: heaviest, best decorated/carved, and best decorated/carved kids 12 and under.
Here are this year's winners!
Third Place: Stephanie Domagalski, (seated with painted pumpkin), $100 in prizes; Second Place: Mike Cuniff (tatooed pumpkin), $200 in prizes; First Place, Joann Scott (bucket head), $300 in prizes.
First place winner in the kids' category was Natalie with her tigger pumpkin. Second place went to Sharky the dog (not pictured) for his barfing pumpkin. There were no other kids' entries.
The mother-daughter team of Nicole and Jennifer Liebman took first and second place with their 78- and 71-pound gourds (a total of $500 in prizes!). Susan Bird came in a distant but enthusiastic third with her 45-pound entry, which won her $100 in prizes.
Thanks to all who joined in the fun, and special thanks to the generous businesses that donated prizes: Old Country Buffet, Piece-A-Cake Bakery, Spring Hill Mall, Dundee Landscape and Nursery, Classic Cinemas, Olive Garden, Manor Restaurant, Phil Aleo, Dairy Queen, Red Lobster, Denny's, Liberty Lanes, and One Cut Above the Rest.
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Big Humongous Tomatoes
Bring Your Own Bacon
10th-Annual Tomato Contest Has Record Entries
[August 18, 2007, East Dundee, IL] It’s been a good year for tomatoes in Dundee Township, at least judging by the turnout for this year’s largest tomato contest held Saturday at the Dundee Township Visitor’s Center.
There were 34 entries of all shapes, sizes, colors and ripeness ranging from a tiny grape tomato to giant love apples that resembled misshapen playground balls. Fortunately, beauty was not a factor in judging, said event organizer and visitor’s center board member Bill Zelsdorf of Carpentersville.
Glenda Christie of Carpentersville took first place with a Big Zack tomato that weighed in at two pounds, two and three eighths ounces. She took home $400 in gift certificates from area businesses, including $95 in Old Country Buffet meal passes, Classic Cinemas movie passes, and a $50 savings bond from Cardunal Savings Bank.
“This was actually my first year gardening,” Christie said, “my husband always did it, but he’s been ill, so I took over.” Christie said she didn’t do anything special with her winning entry other than water it and watch it grow. “Something did take a bite out of it just before I picked it, so we were a little worried,” she added.
Norm Thomas of East Dundee was a close second with his Super Steak tomato, which weighed two pounds, one and one quarter ounces. He won $275 worth of gift certificates, including $50 to Dundee Landscape Nursery, 12 games of bowling at Liberty Lanes, and $78 in passes from Old Country Buffet.
Mike Bateman of East Dundee took third place and $150 in prizes for his two-pound five eighths-ounce entry, and Audrey Kellner of West Dundee won $100 in prizes with her two-pound one-quarter-ounce tomato.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the number of entries,” Zelsdorf said. “This year we had the most entries and also the most prizes donated too.”
Here are all of our winners. Shown here from left are event organizer Bill Zelsdorf with winners Glenda Christie, Norm Thomas, Mike Bateman and our youngest competitor Audrey Kellner. Congrats to our winners!
Other donations for the 10th-annual contest came from One Cut Above the Rest salon, Piece-A-Cake Bakery, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Spring Hill Mall, Jewel Food Store, Denny’s, Dairy Queen, and Manor Restaurant.
The Visitor’s Center will host its Great Pumpkin contest in October, with prizes for heaviest pumpkin and best decorated pumpkin. Watch this space for details!
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