Great Highwood Pumpkin Pie Contest, October 23rd

The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival

The City of Highwood, IL is ready to make pumpkin carving history, as host of the Great Pumpkin Fest of 2010. The four-day festival will bring people from all over together as they attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Record for the most jack-o-lanterns lit in one location. Plans call for 32,000 pumpkins to light up Highwood on Saturday October 23rd to break the current world’s record set in 2006 of 30,128 pumpkins in Boston, MA.

The four-day Great Pumpkin Fest kicks off on Wednesday, October 20th and will culminate on Saturday, October 23rd with the grand lighting at 6:30 pm. The family fun festivities leading up to the record breaking pumpkin lighting will offer plenty of opportunities for people to come and bring their own jack-o-lanterns or carve pumpkins and place them in the display, and then take them back home after the Record Breaking attempt (all remaining pumpkins will be composted). More events at http://www.highwoodpumpkinfest.com

Pumpkin Pie Contest

On Saturday Oct. 23rd, there is a Pumpkin Pie baking contest. Bring pies to City Hall Park (17 Highwood Avenue) between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for judging. Winner will be announced at noon. Champion pie will be auctioned and runners up sold by the slice with all proceeds to Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org).

· Contest is open to anyone wishing to bake a pumpkin pie. Prior registration is encouraged, please contact CAL60035@sbcglobal.net.

· Contestants submit one (1) single- or double-crust pie for judging between 9 and 10 am Saturday October 23rd. Judging will begin at 10 am.

· Finished pie cannot contain raw/uncooked eggs (white or yokes). Egg must reach 160 degrees to be considered cooked.

· Pies will be scored on Appearance, Crust, Filling and Overall Flavor/Taste.

· By submitting your entry, you accept official rules and agree to be bound by the judges’ decisions, which will be final. You also agree that your recipe will become the property of City of Highwood, which reserves the right to edit, adapt, copyright, publish and use without compensation.

· By participating, contestants also understand and accept the right of City of Highwood to use contestant names, photos, and recipes for publicity without compensation.

· Pie recipes must be submitted with pies. Every ingredient listed in exact measurement (no rounded teaspoons, etc.) type of ingredient (example: self-rising flour) must be specified. List all steps of preparation, temperature and baking time.

· Each entry must be solely the work of the entrant.

· All pies and decoration must be edible.

· Champion pie will be auctioned and runners up sold by the slice with proceeds benefiting Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org).

· If you don’t want to compete and want to submit a pie for the sale, you are welcome.

Wow my son loves pumpkin pie. I think we will cook four pies, one for judging three for sale. Great event thanks for letting me know.

Well hell. I'm baking anyway that weekend...

Hi,

I will be glad to see people I know there.

While I am running this event, I will not be judging it. I am a believer in blind judging. I can't pull that trick off when I am registering, answering questions and otherwise interacting with everyone. I will have judges who will come at 10 am once everything is checked in.

I might return in the evening to see all those pumpkins lit.

Regards,

Cathy-

What time will the pies be available for purchase?

Thanks, Will

Hi,

ARound noon. If there is a deluge of pie, then it could be a later.

Are you thinking whole pies or pies by the slice? The plan was pie by the slice for $2 each. The judged pies will have a cut out of them. If it is a whole pie, then maybe the pies donated might be sold whole. I hadn't given thought to selling whole pies.

Regards,

I guess that I would be interested in either. Assuming that I bring the kids we might buy some slices to eat there, but if there were whole pies available, or maybe even a 7/8 whole pie, then I would probably buy one to take home.

Thanks, Will

After protracted discussions my son would like to volunteer as a judge. We will still bring four pies but not enter the contest if you could use a 14 year old high school freshman judge.

Ooh, people can volunteer as judges? Such a dilemma - compete or eat?

Hi,

The judges for this competion are BR, Louisa Chu and gjdad's son.

I will be checking in the pies to allow for blind judging.

Please let me know if you will be participating.

Regards,

Drove through Highwood this afternoon, there are pumpkin's everywhere. Below is Buffo's pumpkin wall:


October-20-2010-Buffo's pumpkin wall by cal222, on Flickr

It shall be enchanting on Saturday night when they are all lit.

Regards,

Hi,

Highwood is furiously engaged in carving pumpkins to meet this Guinness record.

There is parking at Highland Park High School and Fort Sheridan Metra (and likely other locations), then you are driven in sitting on haystacks with halloween lights decorating the trucks.

Regards,

WLS-TV wrote:October 23, 2010 (HIGHWOOD) (WLS) -- A great wall of grinning gourds in north suburban Highwood Saturday night was not gargantuan enough for a world record.

More than 26,000 jack-o'-lanterns were set aglow at the Great Pumpkin Festival.

Organizers were trying to break the Guinness world record for the most jack-o'-lanterns lit in one location.

Boston still holds the current record of just over 30,000. Highwood was trying for 32,000 jack-o'-lanterns.

Ah well. It was a good try! 26,000 is impressive.

But how did the PIE contest go?

The actual contest looked small but interesting. My personal contest, between Cathy's pie and gjdad's (I think) is still ongoing, with almost half of each pie left, but it may well be too close to call....though my daughters both went with gjdad due to the decorative leaves.

-Will

HI,

The pie with the pretty leaves was from BR. gjdad's left his by accident in the garage.

Thank you for your $30 contribution to the Wounded Warrior Project! Is Lousia great at encouraging contributions!

Regards,

The winning pie - a pumpkin ginger mousse with gingersnap crust. The marshmallow slice is from the second place winner - a very close second - a classic short crust pumpkin with marshmallow, vanilla pudding, and M&M's topping. The slice on top is from our very own award-winning pie-master Cathy2 - not entered in the contest as she was the organizer.

Thanks again to Cathy for inviting me to judge, our entrants, WillG - for his donation to http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org - and Brad [BR] and Josh [gjdad's son] for the honor of judging alongside such gentlemen - outdoors, in a freezing, sideways rain.

Josh especially, for extraordinarily thoughtful and compassionate insight - some of the world's best chefs and food journalists could have learned a lot from his commentary - again, he's 14.

Can't wait for next year!

I've posted more festival photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/louisachu/ ... 114681485/

How does one get to be a judge? I'd like to join!

Photos from the event - http://triblocal.com/highland-park-high ... fest-2010/