Taste the Rainbow Is 'Perfect Event to Stand Against Fear': Organizer

Highwood, IL—In its fourth year, Highwood's Taste the Rainbow Picnic and Pub Crawl has built a reputation as a summer event that combines celebrating diversity with, well, out-and-out celebration.

The downtown event—scheduled to coincide with Chicago's annual Pride Fest—starts with a picnic at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18, in the courtyard of Cellar Gate Wine Market, 524 Sheridan Road. As evening rolls in, the pub crawl kicks off at 5 p.m. at six Highwood watering holes, with the celebration eventually ending up at 9:30 p.m. to The Humble Pub, 336 Green Bay Road.

RELATED: Taste the Rainbow Picnic and Pub Crawl Celebrates Pride and Diversity

But in the wake of last Sunday's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, this year's festivities have an added significance for the LGBQT community and its allies.

"After last Sunday's tragedy in Orlando, Taste the Rainbow will not only be an event and opportunity to have fun, dance and celebrate diversity, but also an opportunity to come together and stronger against violence and hate, regardless of sexual orientation," said event organizer Florencia Lagos. "I believe Taste the Rainbow this Saturday will be the perfect event to stand against fear and for what we all want: a world of tolerance, love and respect."

As a response to the Orlando mass shooting, Van Gogh Vodka—a Taste of Rainbow sponsor—and various city businesses have partnered to create Van Gogh for Orlando, a fundraiser for victims of the shooting. Donation jars will be at participating businesses, and Van Gogh Vodka will match all the money raised (up to $2,500), which will go to the Support Victims of Pulse Shooting fund.

RELATED: Chicago Pride Parade Will Honor Orlando Victims, Celebrate LGBT Pride

Orlando's shooting also has raised concerns among organizers of gay pride events across the country about safety and security. While no threats have been made against Taste the Rainbow, the city is taking added precautions, City Manager Scott Coren says.

"Highwood has increased police staffing for the weekend, as we frequently do for our events and festivals, to insure everyone can feel safe supporting and celebrating inclusiveness," he said.

And Lagos says any fears felt at a national level haven't trickled down locally to people planning to attend Saturday's event.

"I have not heard from the residents about any safety concerns so far," she said. "In fact, [on Wednesday] I was at the Highwood's Farmer's Market and had a very positive response while passing around flyers. … Many of [the residents] already knew about it and were very excited about going there for the fourth consecutive year. And some others didn't know and were happy to learn about it right then and said they were looking forward to attending as well. …

"I sure hope this Saturday the streets and bars of Highwood will be filled with lots of people who want to show the world life is a celebration of love and not hate," Lagos added.

Taste the Rainbow Picnic and Pub Crawl

• When: 3 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturday, June 18
• Where: Downtown Highwood
• More Info: Go to the event's Facebook page.

Pub Crawl Details

The six participating bars will serve different Van Gogh Vodka mixed drinks inspired by a different color of the rainbow to celebrate diversity:

• Red Sangria at Cellar Gate Wine Market
• Orange Screwdrivers at Teddy O’Brian’s, 432 Sheridan Road
• Yellow Lemon Drops at The Wooden Nickel, 444 Lake View Ave.
• Green Appletinis at The Toadstool Pub, 327 Waukegan Ave.
• Blue Crushes at Bar 210, 210 Green Bay Road
• Purple Acai Blueberry and club sodas at The Humble Pub

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