Food, fun and friendly faces filled the autumn air as thousands of people from the Omaha community gathered in the historic Dundee neighborhood to celebrate the 2010 Annual Dundee Days festival on Aug. 28.
The festival, which began as a sidewalk sale more than 20 years ago, closed off Underwood from 48th to 52nd streets for more than 15 hours to accommodate the large Saturday crowd. The Dundee Merchants Association was the primary sponsor of the day’s family-oriented activities. The Friends of the Library hosted a book sale, and the Dundee Memorial Park Association had a booth that showcased historic photos of Dundee’s colorful past.
“I went to Dundee Days during the middle of the day, which was geared toward family fun,” Lindsey Erickson, a first-year Creighton dental student, said. “At that time there were lots of kids dancing to music or getting their faces painted, or families just walking around. It was a fun atmosphere with many booths selling things such as jewelry, cards, books and purses. I found it nice to get away from studying and see people out and enjoying and truly supporting their community.”
The activity-filled day began with an energizing pancake breakfast with Chris Cakes, followed by the traditional parade and the Street Olympics.
The Street Olympics were popular with children who competed in apple bobbing, water balloon tossing and apple pie eating, which adults competed in as well. Winners received official Dundee Street Olympics T-shirts, and all participants enjoyed the friendly competition. The festival also featured music by The Sugar Free All Stars.
Dundee Bank, which is a branch of Security State Bank in the Dundee district, organized the concert and Street Olympics for the fourth year in a row. The small community bank caters to the needs of local Dundee residents, and reflects the neighborhood-oriented spirit of the area. Both Bill Brush, the president of Security State Bank, and Jeff Royal, the president of Dundee Bank, have grown up or currently reside in Dundee.
The bank served as the drop-off site for books donated to the Sorenson Library’s Dundee Days booth. Cindy Williamson of Dundee Bank said the bank receives generous quantities of books every year.
Marian Fey, a candidate for the Omaha School Board, also hosted a charitable event at the festival. She rented a high striker for attendees, a favorite carnival pastime in which the player uses a mallet to hit a spot as hard as he or she can and drive the metal puck up a pole. All proceeds went to the Omaha Public Library system.
Most of the daytime events were geared toward children, but adults were at no loss for entertainment either. As the day wore on into night, music and a beer garden took center stage as everyone began to wind down from the long day of excitement. Adults could stroll through Dario’s European Style beer garden and indulge in some bratwursts and burgers or head down to The Dundee Dell for some fish n’ chips and
specialty scotch.
Even though Dundee Days is rooted in tradition, visitors can expect changes in the agenda every year.
“New ideas come up and are incorporated,” said Pat Gobel, a member of the Dundee Merchants Association and owner of The Dundee Dell.
“We now have voting for the ‘Mayor of Dundee’ during our Spring Fling event in May. A vote costs a dollar, Ballot box stuffing is encouraged. Non-humans may enter, and the winner gets to be Grand Marshal in the Dundee Day parade.”
Whether young or old, a first-timer or a veteran, Dundee Days reflected the welcoming spirit of the Dundee community.
“Dundee Days has something for everyone,” Williamson said.
“You’ll see the very young as well as the quite elderly out for a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Strangers visit with each other, friends connect and a good time is had by all. You don’t have to be from Dundee to have fun at Dundee Days. For a day, it’s your
neighborhood too,” Williamson said.