It's that time of year again ? the Highwood Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the 4th annual Great Pumpkin Festival October 17-19! With the goal of bringing communities together, the Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival was created in 2009, and has grown exponentially each year thereafter. Highwood is thrilled to host TWO Guinness World Record attempts on-site this year. MOST PEOPLE CARVING SIMULTANEOUSLY on Thursday, October 17th at 7pm MOST LIT JACK-O?-LANTERNS ON DISPLAY (First Attempt) Friday, October 18th at 8:30pm MOST LIT JACK-O?-LANTERNS ON DISPLAY Saturday, October 19th at 7:30pm RAIN DATE FOR MOST LIT JACK-O?-LANTERNS ON DISPLAY, Sunday October 20th Come to Highwood to be a part of record-breaking history in 2013! In addition to breaking records, Highwood's massive three-day festival is full of family-friendly events every day including pumpkin carving, massive pumpkin displays, grand lighting ceremonies, hay rides, the light up the night parade, a pet costume contest, pumpkin pie eating contest, and 5K Pumpkin Run, Walk and Kids? Dash and head shaving event to benefit St. Baldrick's Foundation, an organization created to raise awareness and funding of childhood cancers. The festival will culminate with the 5K/Kids? Dash on October 20th at 9am, also benefitting the Foundation. Pumpkin Fest grounds will be full of seasonal food vendors galore, live music, pony rides, petting zoo, and much more! The perfect fall event, Pumpkin Fest will attract people from across the country to celebrate the season! Culminating on Sunday, October 20th at 9am, the 5K Pumpkin Run, Walk and Kids' Dash will bring some 1,000 participants to town in an effort to raise awareness and support for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Participants will run and walk from Waukegan Avenue and Walker, in front of The Bent Fork Bakery, while passing by more than 30,000 carved pumpkins to celebrate the season and to raise money and awareness for a great cause. Costumes are welcome! Beginning October 5th, the cost of the race will increase from $35 to $45 for Run/Walk and from $10 to $15 for the Kids? Dash. Online run registration will close Saturday, October 17th. Sign up here: http://highwoodpumpkinrun.racebx.com/ The rest of Sunday, October 20th will be reserved as a rain date. The full schedule of events and activities is as follows: Thursday, Oct. 17th, 4-10pm - 4-10pm ? Gourmet market with seasonal artisan food and drinks with pumpkin flare, live music, pony rides, petting zoo, hay rides, pumpkin carving, children's activities, and so much more! 7pm ? Guinness World Records attempt for the Most People Carving at Once benefiting Superman Sam, a local boy battling leukemia and St. Baldrick's Foundation, in the Nite N? Gale parking lot, 346 Sheridan Road. Over 1,000 carvers are needed to carve a 24-pound pumpkin for five minutes, simultaneously, and encouraged to show up in superhero capes in support of Superman Sam! Event is free and pumpkins and carving tools will be provided to all who show up. Friday, Oct. 18th, 4-10pm - 4-10pm ? Gourmet market with seasonal artisan food and drinks with pumpkin flare, live music, pony rides, petting zoo, hay rides, pumpkin carving, children's activities, and so much more! 4-6pm ? Trick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt with designated locations, goodies, and fun for costumed visitors. 8pm ? Lighting begins for the first Guinness World Record attempt for Most Pumpkins Carved and Lit at Once. 8:30pm ? ?Light up the Night? Pumpkin Parade with a New Orleans feel to go down Waukegan Avenue. Plenty of performances, music, dancing, lights, and glow sticks to go around! 9pm ? The first attempt to break the record for most pumpkins carved and lit at once will be announced. Saturday, Oct. 19th, 10am-10pm - 10am-10pm ? Gourmet market with seasonal artisan food and drinks with pumpkin flare, live music, pony rides, petting zoo, hay rides, pumpkin carving, children's activities, and so much more! 1 pm ? Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest at the Metra Lot North stage presented by Highwood's Bent Fork Bakery. With categories for children and adults, pumpkin pie loving speed eaters are encouraged to enter. Those that finish their pie first will win a prize! 2 pm? Pet Costume Contest at the Main stage in which festival attendees are encouraged to bring their best dressed pets! Registration fee is $10 per entry. Contestants can pre-register their pets at www.PlacingPawsRescue.org. All registrants will receive a ?doggy bag?, including fun items for their pups such as Pumpkin Fest bandanas, treats and more! Day-of registration will begin at 10am at the Placing Paws booth. The event is sponsored by Camp Dogwood, ROOT Dog Training and High Hopes, with proceeds benefiting the Placing Paws Rescue organization. 3-6pm ? St. Baldrick's head shaving event. Brave head shavees are encouraged to form teams and raise money for pediatric cancer research. Register as a shavee here: http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/pumpkinfest 6:45pm ? Lighting begins for the second Guinness World Record attempt for Most Pumpkins Carved and Lit at Once. Grand Lighting of the pumpkin walls! Walls of lit up jack-o-lanterns, up to 30 feet high, will line the streets of downtown Highwood ? a truly magnificent sight. 8:30pm ? Winner of Fiat Raffle announced and Record Breaking Announcement made. Rain date for lighting will be Sunday October 20th. Sunday, Oct. 20th, 9am 9am ?5K Pumpkin Run, Walk and Kids Dash presented by Midtown Athletic Club benefiting St. Baldrick's Foundation. Midtown will be onsite offering pre-race warm ups and cooldown activities. Whole Foods is providing post-race healthful fare. Music Schedule each day: Thursday October 17th Main Stage 5:30-8:30 pm Cirrus Falcon North Stage 5:30-8:30 pm Eric Howell Friday October 18th Main Stage 5:30 ? 7:00 pm The Fabulous Mandrell Bros. 7:30- 9:30 pm The Luxmen North Stage 5:00-6:00 pm Meryl Ruddy 6:30-7:45 pm 341 8:15-9:30 pm Just Groove Saturday, October 19th Main Stage 12:30- 1:30 pm Butterfly In Traffic 2- 3 pm Pet Costume Contest 4-5 pm Radio Disney 4:40-5:45 pm The Bottle Poets 6:15-7:45 pm Saturday June Band 8:15-9:45 pm Serendipity North Stage 12:00-1:00 pm Lisa Zarov 1:00-2:00 pm Pumpkin Pie eating contest 2:30-3:30 pm Matt Fedderman & Danny Shaffer 4:00-5:00 pm Jelly Bone Blues Band 5:30-6:30 pm Sticky 7:00-7:45 pm Highwood School of Rock 8:15-9:30 pm Rally Day Highwood Pumpkin Fest admission is a suggested donation of $2 per person, per day in order to cover pumpkin cost. All additional money collected will go directly to St. Baldrick's Foundation. Highwood Pumpkin Fest is made possible by sponsors including: Walgreen's, Burris Equipment, Whole Foods Market, ULINE Shipping Supply Specialists, The Home Depot, TribLocal, Fields Auto Group, Grand Flowers, WCIU You & Me This Morning, The VITI Companies, State Farm Brian Lock Agency, Power Home Remodeling Group, Patch 22, Midtown Athletic Club, McHenry County Visitors Bureau, Enjoy Illinois, Little Tommy's Plumbing, Anthem Propane Exchange, Waukegan Tire, The Home Improvement Network, Women in the Know, Klein Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd, Bank of Highwood-Fort Sheridan, Safari Childcare, Scott McDougall Photography, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Highland Park Nursing & Rehab Center, 94.7 WLS, Chiro One, Yelp, Advanced Disposal, Van Gogh Vodka, Beam Global Brands (Red Stag by Jim Beam, Jim Beam Devil's Cut, Cruzan Rum, Skinnygirl, Hornitos Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka), 312, Bud Light, Monster, The Loesch Brothers, The Music Gallery, Elisabeth Geltz @Properties, Kim Kelley @Properties, Jameson-Sotheby's International Realty, Shelley Lurie Milestone Realty, Baird & Warner, Griffith, Grant & Lackie Realtors, and Carol Santi Coldwell Banker. Highwood is located just 28 miles north of Chicago, east of I-294 and Route 41 off the Half Day Road exits. Pumpkin Festival takes place in Downtown Highwood along Waukegan Road/Sheridan Avenue and in the Highwood Metra train station parking lot. Parking is free throughout downtown Highwood. There will be additional parking to the North of event grounds, and at Highland Park High School (433 Vine Ave. Highland Park, IL 60035). Shuttles will run to and from the North side of event grounds on Thursday, October 17th from 5-10pm, Friday, October 18th from 5-10pm, and Saturday, October 19th from 11am-10pm. Shuttles will also run to and from HPHS on Friday, October 18th from 5-10pm, and Saturday, October 19th from 11am-10pm. Additionally, the Metra train will have a special ?Pumpkin Express? train schedule, available for all Pumpkin Fest attendees! The Union Pacific North line train numbers 822 (Inbound) and 817 and 821 (Outbound) will make stops at Highwood on Saturday, October 19th. For more information on the festival, or to sign up to be a volunteer or participate in one of the contests, please visit www.highwoodpumpkinfest.com, or call 847-432-6000. ABOUT ST. BALDRICK'S FOUNDATION The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. St. Baldrick's coordinates its signature head-shaving events worldwide where participants collect pledges to shave their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer, raising money to fund research. Since 2005, St. Baldrick's has awarded more than $125 million to support lifesaving research, making the Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. St. Baldrick's funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, and the new International Scholar grants train researchers to work in developing countries. For more information about the St. Baldrick's Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org. ABOUT MIDTOWN ATHLETIC CLUBS Midtown Athletic Clubs is a leader in the upscale fitness club and sports resort industry. What began as a single tennis club in Chicago in 1970, Midtown is now comprised of 10 full-service tennis and fitness facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Locations in Illinois include Chicago, Bannockburn, Oak Park, Palatine and Willowbrook. Other clubs are operated in Atlanta, GA; Overland Park, KS; Rochester, NY; Weston, FL and Montreal, QC. Midtown features a variety of dynamic tennis programs, the latest cardio and strength training equipment, group fitness classes, personal training and spa services. The clubs offer a warm, inviting atmosphere and provide a special place to connect with family, make new friends and get fit. For more information on Midtown Athletic Club in Bannockburn, call (847) 945-1818 or visit www.midtown.com. ABOUT WHOLE FOODS MARKET Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the leading retailer of natural and organic foods and America's first national ?Certified Organic? grocer. In fiscal year 2012, the Company had sales of approximately $12 billion and currently has 355 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market employs approximately 76,000 team members and has been ranked for 16 consecutive years as one of the ?100 Best Companies to Work For? in America by Fortune magazine. ABOUT THE HIGHWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Highwood Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting and improving the business community in Highwood, Illinois. The Chamber continues to improve the unique and vibrant city through special events, cultivating new business, and implementing successful business strategies. Known as a ?regional chamber?, Highwood provides businesses from all over Illinois and Wisconsin with valuable networking opportunities. 2013 marks the 50th anniversary for the Highwood Chamber. The Highwood Chamber of Commerce is located at 445 Sheridan Road, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 305, Highwood, IL 60040. For more information, please visit www.highwoodchamberofcommerce.com, www.celebratehighwood.com, or call 847.433.2100.