HIGHWOOD HOSTS THIRD ANNUAL BLOODY MARY FEST: INCLUDES BLOODY BUDDY 5K CHALLENGE AND COMPETITION FOR TITLE OF BEST BLOODY MARY

Back by popular demand, the City of Highwood is holding its Third Annual Bloody Mary Fest on Sunday, June 24th from 10am to 5pm, sponsored by Van Gogh Vodka® and Vintage Vine Bloody Mary Mix. After an incredible turnout to last years’ event that drew in over 5,000 people, thousands more will come back once again to sample countless variations of the ever popular Bloody Mary. Vendors from all over the Midwest will bring their best recipes to share and compete in the professional and amateur competition for “Best Bloody Mary in the Midwest.” And, new this year will be the addition of the Bloody Buddy 5K Challenge, live music, family activities, including a kid’s bounce house, and more in Everts Park in downtown Highwood. 

To kick off the event properly, the day will begin with the Bloody Buddy 5K Challenge at 9am in downtown Highwood in front of Bent Fork Bakery. Sponsored by Running Away Multisport and Equinox, with benefits going towards the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, runners will pair up and be put to the test and earn their Bloody Marys! The 5K will include push ups, calisthenics, the fireman carry, buddy drag, piggyback carry and the US Army Major General Jimmie J. Wells Challenge consisting of 100 upper body and 100 core exercises, with plenty of running in between!

Bloody Buddies will run the same route as Highwood’s Pumpkin Fest 5K Run; a beautiful scenic route with mixed terrain through Highwood and Fort Sheridan. The course will start in front of Bent Fork Bakery, at Walker Avenue and Sheridan Road, and go north into the beautiful grounds of Fort Sheridan and loop back to the finish/start line. It is $25 to participate, to sign up please go to http://bloodybuddy.racebx.com. Packet pick-up will be on Saturday, the day before the event, at Running Away Multisport, located at 800 Waukegan Road in Deerfield. For more information, such as a course map, please go to http://celebratehighwood.com/bloodymaryfest.html.

The competition will include a ‘people’s choice award,’ as well as formal judging by some of Chicago’s finest Bloody Mary aficionados including Steve Dolinsky, ABC-TV’s Hungry Hound, Lee Litas, Dining Columnist "Table Hopping" Sun-Times Media/Pioneer Press, Julie Chernoff, Make It Better Magazine’s Dining Editor, and Ed Brill, the Opinion Writer for Highland Park’s Patch.com!

Coinciding with this event will be a special Sunday version of Highwood’s famed Wednesday night Evening Gourmet Farmers Markets, with vendors offering a variety of local produce, gourmet cheeses, homemade pastas, baked fare, assortments of breads and pastries, and other delicacies to go along with Bloody Mary tastings!

The City of Highwood is sending a call out to bars, restaurants and professional and amateur mixologists throughout the Midwest to participate in the competition, and take the title from the first place 2011 winner, Gabe’s Backstage Lounge!  Come witness the mixing of unique ingredients and the thrill of the competition!

Each competitor will receive a complimentary bottle of Van Gogh Vodka® to make their concoctions with, and is responsible for bringing their own ingredients to mix the perfect Bloody Mary for the judges! The judging will begin at 2pm, and the top three Bloody Marys will be announced at 4:30pm. The winner of Bloody Mary Fest will be rewarded with a trophy, recognition throughout the local media, and bragging rights for the year! The competition fee is $25 for amateur non-vendors, $100 to be a vendor and contestant, but need Illinois State liquor license, $125 to be a vendor and contestant, but need City of Highwood license, and $150 to be a vendor and contestant, but need all liquor licenses. Application forms are available at http://celebratehighwood.com/bloodymaryfest.html or by calling Highwood City Hall at 847.432.1924. 

The History of the Bloody Mary

The origin of the Bloody Mary ties back to Chicago, making this city the frontrunner in creating the top Bloody Mary recipes. Throughout the past century, the drink has transformed itself from simple to sophisticated. Most bartenders agree that a great Bloody Mary requires, at the very least, good tomato juice and fresh lemon juice (and vodka of course). The simplest recipe is 1 1/2 ounces vodka, 1/2 cup tomato juice, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and pepper and salt to taste, with one celery stick and one lemon wedge for garnish. The additional ingredients such as pickles, olives, shrimp, pepperoncini, pickled asparagus, have made each Bloody Mary unique. Alternative names for the drink have also become popular – with tequila, it’s a Bloody Maria. With sake, it’s a Bloody Geisha. A Bullshot is with beef bouillon instead of tomato juice, and the Caesar is with Clamato juice.

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.cityofhighwood.com Tel: 847.432.1924.