There were no Guinness Book of World Records attempts for most lit or carved pumpkins over the weekend — as was the case in past years — so organizers of the American Palace Casino Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest instead focused on giving visitors what they wanted.
The 17th edition of the three-day event was designed to bring the community together to enjoy a family-friendly night out. Last year, an estimated 120,000 people came out, aided by the cool fall weather.
“We had beautiful weather again this time, so we expect that number to be exceeded by a lot,” Ilyse Strongin, the event’s promoter, said. “The world records attempts didn’t work in the past because the weather was too warm to keep the pumpkins cold.
“Yes, we had crowds, but that made us understand something,” she said. “It wasn’t about the records. The community that gathers every year for the festival is the important thing.
“We wanted to bring people together while helping raise funds for local and national charities through these events,” Strongin added. “The goal is to give back, with everyone having fun and being able to help others.”
The primary beneficiary of this year’s funds is SaLT (Service and Learning Together), a non-profit volunteer group led by students and educators. The group assisted in the chore of lighting the “Great Pumpkin Wall” in Evert Park, along with supervising the carving stations. An estimated 12,000 pumpkins had been ordered for use at the festival.
“I’ve been doing this since 2009, standing on the scaffolding and lighting these pumpkins,” Highwood Mayor Charlie Pecaro said. “It gets a little windy up here … always three points of contact on my feet, the safest way possible. We used to go five stories up, with a lot of trial and error. A lot of errors.
“It’s the faces of people when they see this wall lit, and there are about 6,000 of them here,” he said. “Tell you a secret — the top row is done with battery-powered lights, and the rest are votive candles. This is a lot of fun.”
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The pumpkins were stored behind the wall in more than a dozen cardboard boxes, and already hollowed out for easier carving. The carving tables in front of the wall gave young artists the incentive to be creative, while adults watched.
“I’m just holding my phone light for the kids,” Alex Tazares said. “I’m from Des Plaines and never been here before. We don’t have anything like this.”
While the park acted as a communal gathering place for music, vendors, and food, a pathway led to the main concourse area on Highwood Avenue.
Next to Highwood City Hall was another giant pumpkin wall, carving stations, and dozens of bins, with even more pumpkins. Racks of lit pumpkins could be seen lining Green Bay Road to the north.
“People are extremely enthusiastic, and have made this a family tradition,” said Lucy Hospodarsky, a Celebrate Highwood volunteer. “They come from … all over the Midwest. We ask as many as we can where they’re from. It turns out, this is now 17 years of what amounts to a family adventure.”