In the last few years, Highwood has made waves with niche festivals involving pumpkins, garlic and bloody Marys.
But on the weekend of June 6-7, expect to see a lot of red – redheads that is.
Redhead Days Chicago will be the first official American affiliate of Breda, Holland’s 10-year-old tradition. The event strives to unite people from all over who share that one special attribute – red hair.
Championed by fellow redhead and owner of Highwood’s Alex’s Washington Gardens, Jim Stoecker, Redhead Days could have landed anywhere in the United States. Yet, it took a restless traveler and a random encounter that brought it here to Highwood.
“In 2012 I was 55. I was always working and never experienced a true adventure when I was young,” Stoecker said. “I had owned the restaurant for five years and needed a break. So I cleared my schedule, bought a one-way plane ticket to Amsterdam and planned to bike to Munich’s Oktoberfest.”
By sheer chance, Stoecker’s journey took an unexpected turn.
“I wanted to do this like I was 22 years old – pretending I was broke and using couchsurfing.org. So I turned off my phone, found a suitable bike and headed towards Utrecht, the third biggest city in Holland,” Stoecker recalled. “I stayed at a hostel and asked the lady there where I should go next. She suggested Breda, Holland. I starting sending couch surfing requests and the first lady who answered me said, ‘I’m all full because of the redhead festival.'”
Stoecker didn’t know what to expect from such an unusual event but knew he had to see it for himself. Luckily, a resident was able to put him up for the weekend and expose him to a celebration unlike any other.
“I had been a redhead for 55 years and had never been around more than a handful of redheads at a given time,” Stocker said. “But to be in a town with thousands, it changed my perspective on being a redhead. We all grew up a little shy, a little different, and this was the first time I actually thought of us as an actual group.”
Last fall, Breda sent out a notice looking for affiliates to spread the event throughout the world. After London got on board, Stoecker jumped at the chance to make Highwood the first official United States branch. He got the deal, and will now share Redhead Days with the patrons of his beloved restaurant.
“Because they knew me here and I had been a part of the business community for eight years, they trusted me enough to grant me the license to do it,” Stoecker said. “If I came in out of the blue, they probably would have scratched their heads and said, ‘Why should we trust this guy?'”
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and will feature such events and amenities like ginger drinks, a carrot cake contest and the potential record-breaking photo.
“Everything on Saturday will be on the City Hall lawn,” Stoecker said. “On Sunday, we’ll be at Everts Park and put up a big perimeter fence. We’re going to ask all the redheads to get inside for a photo shoot and if it’s a beautiful day, who know, maybe we’ll beat the world record!”
Stoecker is quick to point out this is not a call to action for an “oppressed minority group.” Rather, he hopes to replicate what he felt overseas – the “wow factor” of so many redheads in one place.
“In Breda, the main show was just us looking at each other,” Stoecker laughed. “You get a whole lot of redheads in a group and it’s like, look at all those shapes and sizes and colors and ages. It’s just creating a place for us to gather and laugh and have a good time.”
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And yes, non-redheads are welcome.
Redhead Days Chicago runs June 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit facebook.com/RHDChicago
Greg Dorn is a freelance journalist for the baiduhai.