Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 31

We're a little more than midway through the opening half of the Downtown Madness Championship Round of voting and it's anyone's ballgame at this point.

Here are the Downtown Madness voting results thru Saturday, March 31 at 12:30PM:

Elgin Public House Turkey Avocado BLT leads Danny's Pizza Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza by 71

This is Elgin's Big Dance! If you haven't joined the Madness yet, what are you waiting for? Time is running out to vote! Help determine the winner in the battle for Elgin epicurean bragging rights. CHOOSE THE CHAMPION NOW!

Final Round voting concludes Monday, April 2 at 11:59PM!

If you haven't picked up your Elgin "Eat 16" punch card at any participating Downtown Madness venue, you need to get in the game! Visit all 16 establishments and receive punches for trying each "signature dish" in the bracket. Collect all 16 punches to claim your Downtown Madness t-shirt and a chance to score even bigger prizes - including gift certificates and other great prizes! To qualify, return your completed punch card ticket to DNA, 2 Douglas Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120 by no later than April 4.

Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 30

And...we're off and running in the Championship Round of Downtown Madness. Our Downtown and Crosstown finalists have been trading leads back and forth throughout the early goings of Round 4.

Here are the Downtown Madness voting results thru Friday, March 30 at 5:30PM:

Elgin Public House Turkey Avocado BLT leads Danny's Pizza Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza by 9

This should be a barn burner! If you haven't joined the Madness yet, NOW IS THE TIME! Help determine the winner in the battle for Elgin epicurean bragging rights. CHOOSE THE CHAMPION NOW!

Final Round voting concludes Monday, April 2 at 11:59PM!

If you haven't picked up your Elgin "Eat 16" punch card at any participating Downtown Madness venue, you need to get in the game! Visit all 16 establishments and receive punches for trying each "signature dish" in the bracket. Collect all 16 punches to claim your Downtown Madness t-shirt and a chance to score even bigger prizes - including gift certificates and other great prizes! To qualify, return your completed punch card ticket to DNA, 2 Douglas Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120 by no later than April 4.

Downtown Madness Championship Round Voting Underway

The Final Round of Downtown Madness, the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin's award-winning, month-long, social media-driven restaurant promotion, is underway.

It's the final countdown and after another record-breaking round of voting, Madness voters have whittled the field to two terrific Downtown Madness finalists:

Elgin Public House (219 E. Chicago Street) Turkey Avocado BLT versus Danny's Pizza (302-D S. McLean Boulevard) Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza.

Both establishments will square off in the Championship Round of voting taking place now thru Monday, April 2 at 11:59PM.

We invite you to cast your vote for your favorite dish at http://www.downtownelgin.com. Only one vote per person, per valid e-mail address, per round. Duplicate or incomplete ballots will not be counted.

You can also support your favorite Downtown Madness "teams" by encouraging friends, family members, co-workers and colleagues to get out and rock the vote for your faves! Copy, paste and share the following Round 4 "short form" voting link: http://conta.cc/HxSa5Y. The more voters on your team's bench, the better their shot of taking the title!

Bust the brackets, crown the champion and Join the Madness one last time!

Downtown Construction Update Meeting on April 10

Downtown Elgin stakeholders and interested residents are invited to attend an update meeting regarding construction projects happening in and around downtown in 2012. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 10, 6:30 to 8:30PM at the Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way in downtown Elgin.

Representatives from each project's management team will be on hand to provide project overviews, including construction schedules, detour routes and other important information. The projects to be covered are:

• Riverside Drive Promenade - James McDonough, IHC Construction & Tim King, Hitchcock Design Group
• Downtown Streetscape Phase V - Brian Fairwood, TranSystems
• Kimball Street Bridge Resurfacing - Joe Evers, City of Elgin
• Elgin Artspace Lofts - John Shales, Shales McNutt Construction
• Other projects happening around the downtown - Joe Evers, City of Elgin

Please RSVP ONLINE, call (847) 488-1456 or email downtownelgin@gmail.com.

Downtown Madness ElgiN.I.T. Online Pep Rally

While we take a little break from Downtown Madness before the Championship Round of voting begins, we are inviting back our other 14 Downtown Madness participants to compete for your votes in a fun and fancy-free "best-of-the-rest" online pep rally dubbed the Elgin National Invitational Tournament or the ElgiN.I.T. (can you tell we just can't get enough March Madness references?)

You are invited to cast your vote for your favorite Elgin bar or eatery in the ElgiN.I.T. and if your spot is not listed you can "write-in" your Elgin fave. Voting in the ElgiN.I.T. closes Thursday, March 30 at 10AM. The winning ElgiN.I.T. eatery will receive a waived entry fee ($100 value) into this year's City of Elgin's 4th of July Parade which tips off on Wednesday, July 4 at 9AM.

In addition to the ElgiN.I.T. voting, we encourage you to post Yelp! reviews of your winning dining experiences at our Downtown Madness eateries or share photos of you at your favorite Madness establishment or with one of your favorite signature dishes. You can upload them to our Photobucket page on the ElgiN.I.T. form.

It's your team's second chance to JOIN THE MADNESS! Show your team spirit for all of your favorite eateries because our Elgin teams have great taste!

< < < RALLY FOR YOUR TEAM NOW IN THE ELGIN.I.T. > > >

Downtown Madness Championship Round Match-Up Announced

It's the Final Countdown! Another record-breaking round of votes have been tallied and validated and at long last we have whittled the field to our final two Downtown Madness Championship Round finalists, who will square off in a battle for Elgin epicurean pride beginning Friday, March 30 at Noon. Before we look forward, lets take one last look back at two monstrous match-ups from Round 3 of Downtown Madness:

DOWNTOWN:

Elgin Public House (219 E. Chicago Street) Turkey Avocado BLT defeats Prime BurgerHouse (250 S. Grove Avenue inside Grand Victoria Casino) Drunken Bull Burger by 74

CROSSTOWN:

Danny's Pizza (302 S. McLean Boulevard) Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza defeats Paul's Family Restaurant (1300 Lawrence Avenue) Apple Bacon Cheddar Burger by 213

That means that your Championship Round match-up will pit Elgin Public House Turkey Avocado BLT representing downtown Elgin against Danny's Pizza Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza representing crosstown Elgin.

Final Round voting tips Friday, March 30 at Noon thru Monday, April 2 at 11:59PM at www.DowntownElgin.com. All voters from our previous three rounds of Downtown Madness will receive the online voting form via e-mail this Friday.

Congratulations and good luck to both of our finalists. This should be one battle for the ages!

And before the Madness resumes, be sure to show your support for all your Elgin "teams" at the ElgiN.I.T. Online Pep Rally taking place all this week and leading up to the Downtown Madness Championship Round of voting. It's a fun way to show your team spirit for your favorite Elgin eateries and establishments. For more details about the ElgiN.I.T., CLICK HERE!

Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 26

Downtown Madness: Downtown vs. Crosstown is Elgin's Big Dance and if you haven't slipped on your dancing shoes and joined the Madness, what are you waiting for? The shot clock is ticking down on Round 3.

Here are the Downtown Madness voting results thru Monday, March 26 at 10:30AM:

DOWNTOWN-

Elgin Public House Turkey Avocado BLT leads Prime BurgerHouse Drunken Bull Burger by 74

CROSSTOWN-

Danny's Pizza Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza leads Paul's Family Restaurant Apple Cheddar Bacon Sandwich by 181

The pressure is on and your teams are counting on you to come through in the clutch. Only you have the power to determine which two teams represent Downtown and Crosstown in the battle for Elgin epicurean pride! Get in the game and VOTE NOW!

Round 3 voting concludes TODAY at 5PM!

Time is also running out to pick up your Elgin "Eat 16" punch card at any participating Downtown Madness venue. Visit all 16 and receive punches for trying each "signature dish" in the bracket. Collect all 16 punches to claim your Downtown Madness t-shirt and a chance to score even bigger prizes - including gift certificates to each participating establishment and other great prizes! To qualify, return your completed punch card ticket to DNA, 2 Douglas Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120 by April 4.

Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 25

Downtown Madness Round 3 is in the early going of the second half and as expected with these Final Four teams squaring off against one another, things are tightening up!

Here are the Downtown Madness voting results thru Sunday, March 25 at 11:00AM:

DOWNTOWN-

Prime BurgerHouse Drunken Bull Burger leads Elgin Public House Turkey Avocado BLT by 6

CROSSTOWN-

Danny's Pizza Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza leads Paul's Family Restaurant Apple Cheddar Bacon Sandwich by 109

Time is running out! If you haven't joined the Madness yet, NOW IS THE TIME! Help determine who will face-off in the battle for Elgin bragging rights next week. VOTE NOW!

Round 3 voting concludes Monday, March 26 at 5PM!

Time is also running out to pick up your Elgin "Eat 16" punch card at any participating Downtown Madness venue. Visit all 16 and receive punches for trying each "signature dish" in the bracket. Collect all 16 punches to claim your Downtown Madness t-shirt and a chance to score even bigger prizes - including gift certificates to each participating establishment and other great prizes! To qualify, return your completed punch card ticket to DNA, 2 Douglas Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120 by April 4.