Dickens in Dundee ushers in the holidays
Get ready for East and West Dundee to usher in Christmas.
The holidays will arrive in Dundee Township on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, when the northern Fox Valley villages turn on the lights of their holiday trees and put out the welcome mats for the annual Dickens in Dundee festival.
East Dundee's tree will light up at 6 p.m. Friday at the Depot along North River Street. An hour later, West Dundee trustees will light their holiday tree at the village hall at 102 S. Second St.
Hundreds of local residents, then, will stroll through the villages in the glow of the lights and enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, horse-drawn carriage rides and Christmas carols.
"This is the festival's 28th year," said Kim Tibbetts, an organizer who works for West Dundee. "Much of the events are the same, but there's no fear in the festival getting stale. That's like saying Christmas is getting stale."
It probably will never happen to the two-day Dickens festival. There's enough variety with the theme of the living windows portrayed in local shops and the variety of units that will march in Saturday's Spirit of Christmas parade. The parade begins at 10 a.m. in West Dundee and continues on Route 72 to North River Street in East Dundee.
Both villages sponsor the festival and both form a joint committee to plan it. With the variety of civic groups and churches staging events such as gingerbread house workshops, children's games, movies and concerts, there's enough diversity to keep each year fresh, said Erin Weingart, East Dundee's manager of special events.
Many of those events will be held Saturday before and after the parade. They include breakfast with Santa at the Tri-Cities Evergreen VFW Post along First Street in West Dundee, a petting zoo in Cal Grafelman Park in West Dundee, a craft fair, a cookie walk at the First Congregational Church along Route 31 in West Dundee and a reading of the classic holiday story, "A Christmas Carol."
"The whole point of the festival is to work together and offer events for the entire family," she said. "Since East Dundee has become more active with the festival, there's more to do and more to see."
A complete list of events can be viewed at the festival's website: dickensindundee.org.
Remember, the festival is only the start of the holiday season in Dundee Township. The villages also sponsor a community gingerbread house contest and a holiday decorating contest.
Entries for the gingerbread house can be purchased for $15 and submitted until Dec. 5 at the Piece-A-Cake Bakery, 319 N. River St., in East Dundee. The winners will be announced at 3 p.m. on Dec. 5.
Entries for the annual holiday decorating contest were due Dec. 1 at the East and West Dundee village halls. Local residents vote on the winners in seven categories: best nostalgic Norman Rockwell, best use of lighting, best Clark Griswold (the star of the holiday film "Christmas Vacation"), reason for the season, inside out, best decorated business and best decorated block.
Houses will be photographed between 6 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 5. The photographs will be posted on the Internet where residents will cast their votes.
Horse-drawn carriage rides will also be offered from 4-8 p.m. Dec. 12, 19, and 26 at the Dundee Depot. The horse will pull the carriage through local neighborhoods, so their passengers can enjoy the festively lighted homes.
Dundee Lions Club members will not only participate in the Dickens in Dundee festival by sponsoring the Ron Rhoades Festival of Trees in Grafelman Park, but they will be selling fresh-cut Christmas trees until Dec. 13. Sales will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.