The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest Partners with Make-A-Wish IL Will Serve as Cinderella City, Turning Pumpkins into Wishes!

HIGHWOOD, IL (OCTOBER 7-9, 2016) –The City of Highwood is proud to announce its 7th Annual Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival will be held October 7-9, 2016, and will benefit Make-A-Wish Illinois. One of the main focuses of the event has always been to beat the Guinness World Record of 30,581 for most jack-o’-lanterns carved and lit at the same time. In 2016, festival organizers have a bigger goal in mind, to raise over $600,000 for Make-A-Wish Illinois to help grant 100 wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions in Illinois.

“We believe The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival creates memories lasting a lifetime,” says Eric Falberg, Highwood Alderman and Founder of The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest. “It’s an awe inspiring event the whole family can experience together. It’s the Fest’s passion to see what’s possible when we all come together for a common purpose that we share with the Make-A-Wish Illinois organization. It’s a perfect fit, and just saying it’s our goal to grant 100 wishes gives me Goosebumps.”

The 2016 Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest for Make-A-Wish Illinois partnership provides a unique opportunity to fundraise all year long leading up to the event as the goal to grant 100 wishes is a lofty one and the community wants to make sure it’s met! From now through Pumpkin Fest, there will be ongoing opportunities to raise awareness and funds at Downtown Highwood businesses, as well as at every 2016 Celebrate Highwood event. The public will be invited to purchase fundraising items such as food, drinks and limited edition candles specifically designed in honor of the 2016 Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival for Make-A-Wish Illinois. For more information on ways to help donate to The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest for Make-A-Wish Illinois visit HighwoodPumpkinFest.com.

“The grassroots origins of Make-A-Wish Illinois rely on community engagement and support and the great City of Highwood is one to make things happen when it comes to our community banding together,” says Highwood Mayor Charlie Pecaro. “What began as Highwood Alderman Eric Falberg’s dream seven years ago has evolved into an internationally recognized event that has raised thousands of dollars for charities to date, and it’s with great honor and privilege that we’re partnering with one of the noblest charities on record for 2016.”

“As a grassroots organization, community members are an integral part of making sure that we can reach every eligible child with a wish,” said Ashley White, Gift Officer with Make-A-Wish Illinois. “The generous people who are organizing and attending The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest on behalf of Make-A-Wish can feel really good about bringing hope, strength and joy to seriously ill Illinois children,” says Ashley White, Community Programs Make-A-Wish Illinois.

The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest will boast fan favorites including all you can carve pumpkins, Trick or Treating, Costume Contests, Pumpkin Parade, hay rides, pony rides, petting zoo, carnival rides, kids crafts, two stages jam packed with solid entertainment, food and beverage vendors galore and a Superhero 5K Pumpkin Run/Walk. As always, all lit jack-o-lanterns will be placed on pumpkin walls throughout the Festival grounds, with ceremonial wall lightings Friday and Saturday nights, and the grand lighting on Sunday evening.

In addition to these fundraising efforts, there will also be a $2/day admission. All the proceeds from The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival will go to Make-A-Wish Illinois. Additionally, generous sponsors such as Tito’s Vodka make Pumpkin Fest possible and there are many opportunities for additional businesses to sponsor as well!

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.cityofhighwood.com. Tel: 847.432.1924.

ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH
Make-A-Wish Illinois will grant more than 700 wishes to children across the state this year. Wishes are granted to children with life-threatening medical conditions such as cancer, organ transplants, genetic diseases and many more. Wishes can be an important part of the treatment process, empowering children to make decisions and providing strength to comply with medical treatments.

Since being founded locally in 1985, Make-A-Wish Illinois has granted more than 13,000 wishes and continues its mission to share the power of a wish with children across the state. For more information or to find out how you can help, call 312.602.WISH or visit www.illinois.wish.org.

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