Oars Up: The Famous 1893 Viking Ship Is Coming to Good Templar Park on June 28

A real, honest-to-Odin 1893 Viking longship is coming to Good Templar Park in East Dundee on Sunday, June 28. Clear your calendar. Put down the mulch. This one's worth it.

Technically called the Viking — the replica longship built in Norway in 1893 and sailed across the Atlantic to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago — this ship is a bona fide piece of history that spends most of its time on display and periodically ventures out to visit the public. And right now, it's headed our way.

What's actually happening

On Sunday, June 28 at 10:00 AM, the World Famous 1893 Viking Ship will be open to explore at Good Templar Park in East Dundee, hosted by the Good Templar Park Association. This is a hands-on, get-on-the-boat kind of situation — not just a rope-line-and-squint event. Gather your crew, bring the kids, and explain to them that 130 years ago, people crossed the actual Atlantic Ocean in something roughly this size. That'll put their summer complaints about the car being too hot in perspective.

Why this matters beyond the obvious coolness factor

Events like this are exactly why people who buy homes near the Fox River corridor don't regret it. Good Templar Park is a gem — and the Good Templar Park Association has been doing steady work to bring programming to the area that you simply don't find in subdivision-land. This is one of those local quality-of-life things that doesn't show up on a real estate listing but absolutely shows up in how much people love where they live.

If you've been curious about East Dundee, West Dundee, or the surrounding communities, come for the Viking ship — and notice, while you're there, what kind of community puts something like this together.

Add it to the calendar: Sunday, June 28, 10 AM, Good Templar Park, East Dundee. Horned helmets are historically inaccurate but we won't judge.