CITY OF HIGHWOOD, IL GOES FOR THE HAT- TRICK (OR TREAT!) TWO MORE WORLD RECORDS TO BE BROKEN IN 2012!

The City of Highwood, Illinois is going for their own Hat-Trick (or Treat!) during the 3rd Annual Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest, breaking the world records for most jack-o-lanterns lit in one location, the longest line of pies and the most people carving simultaneously. After breaking the world record in 2011 for lighting 30,919 pumpkins throughout town at once, the Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest 2012 is thrilled to host two more exciting record-breaking events in 2012:

•The longest line of pies measured 161.75 m (530 feet 8 inches) and was achieved by Randall D. Fox (USA) as part of the Chastain Park Arts Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on October 18, 2009.  The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest will host their record-breaking feat on Thursday October 18^th at 6pm, headed up by Highwood’s Bent Fork Bakery.

•The most pumpkins carved simultaneously is 965, achieved by 965 students at the Malvern Town Centre in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada on October 31, 2005.  The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest will host their record-breaking feat on Friday October 19^th at 6pm, with $10 all-you-can-carve pre-gutted pumpkin wristbands, including Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest Carving Knife and certificate.

The Great Pumpkin Fest has put the City of Highwood on the map, most recently recognized by trip planning company, Rand McNally, as well as USA Today as a contender in the Best Small Towns in America “Best of the Road” competition. More accolades were received in April 2012, when the Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest was a Double Jeopardy answer.  The category was “FESTS” …the answer “In October 2011 a Highwood, Illinois Festival set a world record with 30,919 of these carved gourds”.

Highwood's three-day festival, October 18-20, will bring over 60,000 people together from across the country to share in a wonderful community experience. The free event offers pumpkin carving, a 5K Pumpkin Run and Kids’ Dash, a Pumpkin Land Regatta, a Pumpkin Parade, live music, artisan foods with pumpkin flare, children’s activities, and so much more. Walls of jack-o-lanterns, up to 30 feet high, line the streets of downtown Highwood. The family fun festivities offer plenty of opportunities for people to come together, carve pumpkins and place them on one of the Great Pumpkin Walls for display, and then take them back home after the record breaking attempt on Saturday, October 20th is completed. The schedule for the three-day festival is as follows: Thursday and Friday, October 18-19, from 3-8pm, Saturday, October 20, from 10am-8pm, and a rain date on Sunday, October 21, from 10am-8pm.

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 slightly 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 www.highwoodpumpkinfest.com
 Tel: 847.432.1924.