East Dundee to bring back popular summer events
Despite previous attempts to rebrand, East Dundee officials are reinstating the monthly summer events that have been drawing large crowds downtown for years.
The popular Motor Mondays, Wine Down Wednesdays and Thirsty Thursdays are included on the village's calendar through August, allowing officials to continue growing a brand that has become recognizable throughout the Fox Valley and beyond, Village President Lael Miller said.
The marketing staff earlier this year proposed combining and renaming the summer festivities in an attempt to revamp its event schedule. Those efforts were met with criticism by trustees and several downtown stakeholders, who were concerned the unestablished events wouldn't attract such large crowds, Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen said.
"There was a sense of ownership with those names. That was a brand the village came up with a few years ago, and we've been quite successful," she said. "We thought, 'Why would we rebrand when we have such a great thing going already?'"
The village reviewed the marketing plans and ultimately decided to stick with the old favorites, Miller said. Those events will resume this month, despite the resignation of Special Events Manager Erin Weingart, whose last day was June 2.
East Dundee also recently laid off Marketing Manager Cathy Domagalski and reassigned her responsibilities to existing staff members, Miller said. Johnsen said the village is evaluating whether to hire additional marketing staff members.
The summer's first Wine Down Wednesday takes place next week and will feature craft beer, wine, live music and food from six different East Dundee restaurants. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Uncommon Palate and the Anvil Club, is also scheduled for July 12 and Aug. 9.
"It's going to be more of a culinary festival," Johnsen said.
Motor Mondays, which already held one event last month, will also occur June 19, July 17 and Aug. 21. Thirsty Thursdays are scheduled for June 29, July 27 and Aug. 17.
Tail Waggin' Tuesdays, which were included in previous summer schedules, will not be reinstated because of low attendance numbers, Johnsen said. Instead, some village farmers market events, which are held every Sunday, will have a "Paws in the Park" theme.
A special events committee is expected to hold a meeting with downtown business owners in the next few weeks to get input on future festivities and other marketing plans, Miller said.
"Just like with everything else," he said, "we're constantly reviewing our activities and trying to figure out what residents and businesses are looking for."