New Masquerade Ball comes to The Depot Oct. 31
Halloween creeps into downtown Dundee with a newly created, "Masquerade Ball" planned for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Depot grounds at 319 N. River St. in East Dundee.
The "open house" atmosphere of the event will welcome visitors over the age of 21 and will be located under an outdoor tent. Festive holiday decorations will adorn the tent as masked guests arrive to enjoy small plates and drinks, tarot card reader, a strolling magician, coffin car, a hearse complete with coffin and billowing smoke. DJ Dave Byron will provide the musical entertainment geared to getting all ghouls up and rattling their bones on the dance floor.
Small plates of food will be available for purchase for $5 from both The Anvil Club and Blues BBQ. Revelers will also be able to purchase "Vampire's Blood" red wine, "Zombie's Drool" white wine or "Bubbly Embalming Fluid" beers. Nonalcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase. Ball admission is free, but limited to attendees 21 years and older.
Guests are asked to come in costume with their own mask; however masks will be available at the door for a $5 donation to the Dundee Foundation or for purchase from Artisticology. Although the ball ends at 9 p.m., revelers can continue the fun by participating in an informal pub crawl to 10 of Dundee's popular pubs.
"This is just a fun way to start your Halloween night, which is extended this year because of Daylight Saving Time" said East Dundee Village President Lael Miller. "Our Pub Crawl specials offer up another excuse to visit our historic downtown Dundee and have a great time with friends and family."
The Masquerade Ball is just one of five Halloween events taking place in the Dundee area. On Saturday, Oct. 24, "Halloween in the Hollow" takes place at 3 p.m. in Sabatino Park in Sleepy Hollow; "The Halloween Party" in West Dundee's Grafelman Park begins at noon on the same day. On Oct. 31, the day starts with Allegiance Youth Color Guard of Dundee's Halloween Pancake Breakfast & Bake Sale Fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tri-City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2298, 117 S. First St. in West Dundee.
The 17th annual Pumpkin Contest, sponsored by the Dundee Township Visitors Center, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 24, at The Depot in East Dundee and features both a "Largest Pumpkin Contest" and a "Decorating Contest" with hundreds of dollars of contest monies. For information on the contest, visit www.dundeedepot.com.
Mark your calendars with dates of the upcoming season of Hoppin' Holidays in Dundee which begins with the Turkey Testicle Festival on Nov. 25; followed by Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 and Dickens in Dundee, Dec. 4-5, and specials throughout the month of December.
About the Village of East Dundee
The Village of East Dundee is home to 3,000 residents. Its downtown plan is to create a "culinary" district consisting of the right mix of restaurants, retail and community events to serve as a destination attraction for both residents and regional visitors. For more information on the plan, and all East Dundee events, visit the community calendar on the village website at www.eastdundee.net.
About the Village of West Dundee
The Village of West Dundee, with a population 7,331, offers a small-town atmosphere and regional conveniences. The community is showcased by the beautifully maintained turn-of-the-century architecture in the downtown historic district, adjacent to the picturesque Riverwalk. For information about the village of West Dundee, visit www.wdundee.org.