Why no East in this Dundee fest?

It seems the Fox River isn't the only thing dividing the fine towns of East Dundee and West Dundee these days.

For the first time I can remember -- which isn't necessarily saying much -- the two towns have set up separate events on a weekend normally used to tout both towns with the annual Heritage Fest.

I wondered if there might be a rift when the two towns had separate St. Patrick's Day parades, neither sponsored by the towns themselves. But everyone said "Nahhhh, just not enough volunteers."

But now East Dundee has decided not to be part of the increasingly popular event, preferring instead to hold its own one-day function next Sunday.

"We're hoping they'll come back," said West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro, who said he didn't know why the split occurred.

Despite it, West Dundee has kept East Dundee's name on its part of the three-day festival.

I couldn't reach East Dundee folks to see what prompted their decision, but they previously told one of my colleagues it was a financial decision.

Let's just hope Saturday night's Heritage Fest headliner band isn't a sign of what's really going on behind the scenes.

Catfight takes the stage at 9 p.m.

Plenty for all

Seriously, rift or no rift, it seems both towns have lots of fun scheduled for next weekend. You history, shopping and music buffs will find plenty to do whether it's at Grafelman Park in West Dundee with Civil War and other historic re-enactments or arts and crafts along the riverwalk in West Dundee.

And you'll find lots across the river when East Dundee holds its River Street Fair and Wine Tasting next Sunday.

I don't think most of us care if it's east or west as long as it's fun.

Oh, yeah!

A reader named Robin asked me to share the wonderful news that Lou Malnatti's Pizzeria is now open in Lakewood. "It's just unique -- nothing like it," said Robin, who, like many of you, once lived in the Northwest suburbs before moving to McHenry County.

Now, instead of making the trek back to Elk Grove Village for that wonderful deep-dish pizza, she just has to take Randall Road to Ackman Road and go west to Redtail Drive. Be patient. There's a lot of Lou Malnati's fans out here. Call (815) 477-8100 to order ahead. They're open from 4 to 11 p.m. daily for now.

Air torn

John Wheeler of Sun City in Huntley initially wasn't going to go up in that Yak 52 ride donated by ace pilot Dave Burdine for a Huntley school district auction last year.

But he decided to give it a whirl, and was mighty glad he did. Now, almost a week after that pilot was killed in a plane crash at the same airport in the same type of plane, Wheeler is left with mixed thoughts. Mostly, he holds on to memories of a thrilling ride and a professional pilot who put him totally at ease. He also met pilot Steve Hildebrand, Dave's friend who was also killed in the Labor Day crash.

"All the nice things they say about those guys is true," John said. "They were just fabulous.

"I was so devastated I couldn't talk," John said of the news the two men had perished. They had been so reassuring as he readied for his venture aloft that there was no fear, only the knowledge he was in good hands. "You knew you had the best," John said. "It was such a joy."