Highwood Stinks

Okay, let me be the first to just come right out and say it: Highwood stinks.

And sometimes, I wish I lived there.

Really, Highwood stinks of garlic – thanks to the city's new Garlic Festival, slated for August 17.

Garlic Fest, a younger sibling to the (and smelly stepchild of the Bloody Mary Festival), was the brainchild of .

“We were looking for ways to showcase Highwood’s Italian heritage and the Garlic Festival seemed like a great, family-friendly festival,” he explained.

Highwood has been experimenting with adding festivals to its Wednesday night summer market and has found great success. If you haven’t visited our neighbor to the north on a Wednesday evening, it’s worth the trip. Live music, plenty of food, drinks and interesting vendors make this a fun summer evening for the whole family.

While many venues on the North Shore have a free evening concert offered one night a week (Highland Park’s is Thursday), what I love about Highwood’s is the informal atmosphere and spirit at the event. There’s music and dancing, but it’s not a formal, sit-down concert. The city closes off the street in front of Walgreens and puts up booths on the lawn in front of City Hall. People grab some food, listen to the band, enjoy a glass of wine or a beer and hang out. You can pick up some fresh fruits or veggies for the week, grab a gift or eat dinner while your kids run around enjoying ice cream and treats from local vendors. It's simple, laid back and fun for all ages.

Highwood seems willing to try new things to bring out-of-town folks into its downtown, and the city's enthusiasm and energy have consistently impressed me.

, the city's attempt at reaching the world record for the largest number of lighted Jack-O-Lantern’s in a single night -- is the perfect example. The event also began as an outgrowth of the Wednesday Night Market and has morphed into a full-blown, massive event. In two years it grew from a few thousand jack-o-lanterns to a nearly-record-breaking 26,000+ carved pumpkins.

I attended the festival weekend with my family last October and walked around in amazement. Streets were closed and filled with folks buying, carving and lighting pumpkins. Entire blocks were lined with the curious creatures, donated by local schools, businesses and just about everyone in the surrounding community. Rarely do we get the chance to enjoy a spectacle like this one.

The lighted pumpkins sparkled and danced in the most perfect, haunting, Halloween beauty...  until a rain storm took them down.

The pumpkins themselves were impressive, but the spirit of community mustered by this event – the volunteers, the folks out enjoying a giant street party and the atmosphere really blew me away. The bars and restaurants were packed with long waits and enthusiastic patrons. Here was this little town of 5,500 residents, sandwiched between the larger and more cosmopolitan Highland Park, and the North Shore Dowager Lake Forest – giving the entire North Shore a run for its money as the place to be on a Saturday night.

Now Highwood is at it again with Garlic Festival. Marketed with a sense of humor, “Our City Really Stinks,” reads the logo, Garlic Festival promises to honor the town’s Italian heritage while attracting new folks to downtown Highwood. The program calls for food and drink based all-things garlic – from the standard (bread) to the unusual (...ice cream). Mark your calendar now for August 17.

These creative events have become the hallmark of tiny Highwood in recent years, and I have to admit, as a Highland Park resident, I’m a little jealous. The events are fun and attract new folks to the downtown area every week of the summer. Marketing a City with festivals based on stinky herbs, Tomato-based drinks, and massive amounts of squash might not be traditional, but it seems appropriate coming from this non-traditional, friendly North Shore town.

Most importantly, though, is that so far, it appears to be working. See you at the Market.