CITY OF HIGHWOOD CELEBRATES 125th ANNIVERSARY WITH FIRST ANNUAL SKY LANTERN FESTIVAL, LAUNCHING A YEAR OF CELEBRATION TO FOLLOW!

HIGHWOOD, IL (JANUARY 2012) – The City of Highwood, Illinois is kicking off its year-long celebration for its 125th anniversary with the first annual Sky Lantern Festival on March 3, 2012. The Festival will culminate into a spectacular display of airborne lanterns where citizens and representatives alike of the City of Highwood will light and launch the papered candle lanterns into the night sky.

The practice of launching sky lanterns into the air dates back to the turn of the 3rd century in China. Known as the Kongming Lantern, these miniature paper airballoons were first deployed as a type of signaling balloon during times of war. Originally made from oiled rice paper and bamboo, the sky lanterns have now come to be celebrated across the world and have even been adapted into bio-degradable, eco-friendly material.

A popular marker for the beginning of festivals in places like China, Thailand and Taiwan, it is only appropriate for the City of Highwood to embrace the practice of launching sky lanterns to mark the beginning of its Celebrate Highwood festivals! Moreover, with military origins in its history the sky lanterns are sure to be a beautiful and unique way to pay tribute to the anniversary of Fort Sheirdan as well!

Popularized by the blockbuster films The Hangover 2 and Tangled, the Sky Lantern Festival is unlike anything the City of Highwood has ever done. It is considered good luck to release a sky lantern in Asian culture, and many Thais believe they are symbolic of problems and worries floating away. What better way to launch the New Year and 125 years of success as a city than to bring the people of Highwood together to send their stresses and worries of 2011 into the air with an eye on the happy celebrations ahead?

The sky lantern launch is not the only event planned for March 3! The day will start with the morning run “Battle Buddy Challenge,” a military term that refers to the practice of teaming up the military and Highwood Army with the navy. Three Army teams, three Navy teams and three other teams will start off the year of celebration by “battling” as a representation of Fort Sheridan’s strong and historic ties to the Highwood community.  This year is not only an important time for Highwood, but for the former Army base of Fort Sheridan as well, and the Army will be heavily involved in many of the events to come in the future! This race will consist of a 5K obstacle course, including carrying firearms, push ups, calisthenics, and the General Jimmie J Wells Challenge consisting of 100 upper body and 100 core exercises, with plenty of running in between!

As the runners finish up the last leg of their challenge, participants of the Tough Man Barbecue Challenge will simultaneously conclude their 24-hour cook-off. Beginning the evening before on March 2nd, the Tough Man challenge draws on the successes and practices of Kansas’s American City Royal BBQ Competition, and the Memphis in May International Festival’s Barbecue Cooking Championship. Tough Man Challengers will take to massive outdoor barbecue rigs, firing up their grills and cooking entire hogs through the night with the last man or woman standing named the challenge winner! Battle Buddy participants and festival attendees alike can celebrate the completion of the 5K challenge with a sampling of delicious barbecue during the judging portion of the Tough Man competition. All remaining food will be donated to surrounding homeless shelters and soup kitchens in tribute to Highwood’s commitment to building and maintaining a strong, inclusive community.

At 11 am, following both the Battle Buddy Race and the Tough Man Barbecue, Highwood bars, restaurants and business will open up exclusively for the Sky Lantern Festival to live music ranging from smooth blues to classic jazz all day across the town square, and will offer tasty samples of Bloody Marys, mimosas and other brunch favorites! During this time, attendees can also visit any participating business to purchase materials to make their very own sky lanterns for the evening launch.

At this time visitors can also enjoy the static display of military vehicles outside of the Bocce Court in the Metra Lot in dowtown Highwood. Vehicles from the different branches within the military will be on display throughout the day, and at 12:30 pm the Bocce Court will open exclusively for soliders to play the popular ball sport!

Finally, at 4:45 pm distinguished servicemen from the military will present an array of speeches to officially launch “Celebrate Highwood” and pay tribute to the armed forces, along with the prestige and history of Fort Sheridan. Then, at 6 pm, the Metra Lot will close and the city will come together to light and launch their custom-decorated lanterns into the sky, sending up with them their wishes for the New Year and their congratulations for the City of Highwood’s 125th anniversary!

“We are so excited to launch the First Annual Sky Lantern Festival this year,” says Highwood City Alderman Eric Falberg. “This event, unlike anything we have ever done before, is sure to be breath-taking and unforgettable. What a great way to bring the people of Highwood together, and what a great way to kick off many more celebrations to come this year!”

The City of Highwood is proud to play host to its famous lineup of festivals that are back by popular demand. The Sky Lantern Festival will mark the beginning of the summer season of celebration on March 3. Beginning June 20 both the Farmer’s Market and the North Shore Flea Market will run every Wednesday through September 12. Setepmber 12 will also mark the First Annual Inferno Fest in conjunction with the conclusion of the Farmer’s Market. On June 24, the Third Annual Bloody Mary Festival will showcase dozens of vendors and the professional/amateur Bloody Mary Contest. From July 19-22, visitors can enjoy Highwood Days and on August 15 the Second Annual Garlic Fest. The festivities will continue October 18-20 with the famous, Guinness World Record-breaking Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest. The celebrations will conclude in December with Highwood for the Holidays, where the city will embrace and honor hundreds of military service men and women with a tree lighting at the Army base at Fort Sheridan.

About The City of Highwood
Highwood was founded in 1868 by William Wallace Everts, a Chicago civic leader and world-renown educator. His concept of a family-based community has endured for more than a century. The beautiful Everts Park, in the heart of downtown Highwood, has been named in the founder's honor. Benches and trees in the park celebrate and remember people who, through turbulent times and peaceful ones, built and sustained the community. Many of Highwood's street names recall Everts' family and friends whom the founder encouraged to build homes here. Residents of Swedish, Irish, Italian, Latino and other heritages have since populated the community, each enriching the community through their cultural traditions.
The Village of Highwood was incorporated in 1887. The name briefly became Village of Fort Sheridan and then City of Fort Sheridan. In 1904, the community officially became known as the City of Highwood. Fort Sheridan, a former Army base northeast of the City, has had a profound influence on Highwood's development, and it continues to do so today as part of its land, incorporated into the City, nearly doubled Highwood in size. Today, Highwood is blending the past and present with exciting new plans for its future.
The City of Highwood, IL administrative offices are located at 17 Highwood Avenue
Highwood, Illinois 60040.  For more information, please visit http://www.celebratehighwood.com or  http://www.ctyofhighwood.com  Tel: 847.432.1924.


About Fort Sheridan

Fort Sheridan was originally established as a United States Army Post named after Civil War Cavalry General Philip Sheridan, to honor his services to Chicago. When the main fort was officially closed by the Army on 3 May 1993, the majority of the property was sold by the Department of Defense to commercial land developers. Most of the original housing structures were then refurbished and resold as a residential community.

Fort Sheridan became a mobilization, training, and administrative center beginning with the Spanish-American War in 1898. During World War II, over 500,000 men and women were processed through military service. Many Army officers who later became famous lived there, including George Patton and Jonathan Wainwright.

In 1871, U.S. Army Officer and Union General Phillip Sheridan was present in Chicago during the Great Chicago Fire and coordinated military relief efforts. The city was named after Sheridan for his many services to Chicago, including his efforts during the Great Chicago Fire.

Today the Fort Sheridan buildings have been restored to their original historic beauty. On the inside, these elegant structures have been totally renovated to reflect the modern needs of a non-military residential community.

For more information, please visit http://www.fortsheridan.com