Remembering Eddie Dummer

He always remembered your name and he always had a joke to share or a lighthearted comment. He liked to tease people, but it was all in good nature and fun. It’s very sad that he’s gone.

TRICIA OEHLENSCHLAGER Douglas County Master Gardeners Chair

Horticulture superintendent memorialized with wacky vegetable award, new bench

By Karen Tolkkinen

ktolkkinen@echopress.com

By fair time, there’ll be a new bench near the horticulture building, dedicated to a man who took tiny notes in pencil but could also see the big picture, and who absolutely adored funny-looking vegetables.

For years, Master Gardener Eddie Dummer presided over the horticultural exhibits at the Douglas County Fair. It was a job he cared deeply about. He procured a refrigerator so that the strawberries would stay cool and look nice. He brought ham sandwiches and water for his fair crew. He started the scarecrow contest.

And when people wandered up to the exhibit area with a giant zucchini or two-legged carrot tucked under their arms, he always had to take a look.

“The wacky and extremely large vegetables – that was one of his highlights,” recalled Tricia Oehlenschlager, chair of the Douglas County Master Gardeners.

Dummer died last October, leaving a big hole not just in the organization, but in the hearts of those who knew him. In addition to the bench, the fair managers are memorializing him with a new award to be given out starting this August: The Eddie Dummer Championship Award for the Wackiest Vegetable.

It’s not the first time his work has been honored. Last year, he received the Irene Seppanen Founder’s Award for Excellence in Horticulture Outreach and Education after volunteering with the Master Gardener Program for nearly 20 years and 1,623 hours. He led several Master Gardener efforts, including Let’s Get Growing and the bus tour.

In 2019, cancer caused him to step back from his duties, and the other Master Gardeners realized what a big load he had been carrying because it took a team to tackle what he had done alone, said Diane Henry, who often worked alongside him.

“It was a rare project he wasn’t willing to take on,” Henry said.

The Master Gardeners are planning to order the bench and a plaque with his name on it. Because he also drove the Zamboni for the curling rink, the local curling team is also helping to purchase the bench.

Oehlenschlager said they would like to place the bench at the walkway to their building. It seems a fitting location for a man who always made people feel welcome.

“He always remembered your name and he always had a joke to share or a lighthearted comment,” Oehlenschlager said. “He liked to tease people, but it was all in good nature and fun. It’s very sad that he’s gone.”