If you wander onto Highwood’s website (http://celebratehighwood.com/), it talks about it being “…the North Shore’s precious gem” or “offering all the comforts of home”. I was interested.

I saw on the website that Highwood was going to hold its Prelude to the Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival on October 21, 3-8p at City Hall. It was the city’s “practice run” for The World Record Attempt in 2010. I packed up my little “Cinderella” (kids dressed up) and headed east.

The “Great Wall of Pumpkins”; can you picture scaffolding holding 1,000 pumpkins, and a guy standing in a “cherry picker”, 32 feet in the air, lighting each one of them? Each pumpkin was carved by children, adults and seniors in the area for the festival. Again…there were 1,000. Next year’s goal is 32,000!! That will be amazing!

There was the farmer’s market, (that has been held every Wednesday since June), local vendors, live music, trick-or-treating all around the downtown and even a hayride. We had a blast!

While I was there, I got the opportunity to talk to some of the residents of Highwood. It was an opportunity to find out what to try the next time I come back (which will be on my date night, this next weekend)!

You really HAVE to go to the website. There are coupons and descriptions for each of the merchants in the area. You’ll find a large assortment of dining opportunities. I don’t know where to start! Do I try a place called Froggie’s or Buffo’s or Bridie McKenna’s? Do I want steaks, shrimp, Indian or pizza? The options are endless.

I really enjoyed strolling down the streets of Highwood, even though it was after dark, peering in the windows of the local shops. The festival was all a buzz in the background and Maggie and I got our own “prelude” to what we will experience again. Can’t wait to go back!

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Nothing says fall like seeing pumpkins out on people’s doorsteps. My daughter Reese, now three really understands Halloween and that pumpkins are a part of the celebration. She has been asking for a couple weeks now when she will get to pick out her pumpkins so we decided to take a ride to Didier Farm this weekend to not only pick out pumpkins, but also enjoy an afternoon of family fun.

Didier Farm is a cute place with a lot to do, located in Prairie View. They have several rides for the kids, a petting zoo, giant jump houses, a corn maze, a hayride, an arts and crafts area and much more!
The first spot we hit was the pig pen. There were 5 or 6 piglets under heat in the pen, they were so cute. We also went into the petting zoo where Reese was able to not only pet the animals (goats, pigs, etc.), she was also able to feed them out of her hand which she got a kick out of.
Next we checked out the rides. Reese went on a dragon “roller coaster”, a mini ferris wheel, the train and the scrambler (multiple times)! She also took a pony ride as well.
The area we spent the most time this year was the pumpkin area. Didier Farm has SO many pumpkins to choose from – lots of different sizes and even colors. Reese had a hard time deciding which ones to pick so she walked up and down each row checking them all out before finally making a decision on a few. I had a great time snapping pictures of her surrounded by the pumpkins.
We went into the store to pay for our pumpkins and ended up leaving with not only our pumpkins, but an apple pie, pumpkin bread mix (that we were able to sample), apple cider and two Halloween decorations. Their store has a ton of fun and homemade treats to choose from.
We had a great time at Didier Farms. It was a chilly day, however, it was fun to bundle up, get into the fall spirit and let Reese burn off some energy. Next up is carving those pumpkins we bought…can’t wait!

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Around this time every year people from all over go out to get spooked, scared and frightened by the things that haunt them the most, this season would be Halloween. Why not go to the “Best Haunted House in Chicagoland” this year, the Dungeon of Doom which people from all over have gone to when it was at the Lake County Fair Grounds. It moved to Zion, Illinois in the Warwick building which in itself is said to be haunted. Be prepared for a scare of a lifetime as you enter the parking lot and all the way through the two-story Dungeon of Doom building.

While waiting to get in, you could see people quickly leaving the line not wanting to go inside. Outside there are clowns and dead guys roaming the area looking to scare you. Be careful what you do because they will come after you, even if you’re not scared they’ll find a way to make you jump out of your socks.
In my experience the best part was the mental hospital that they have set up with crazy doctors and patients. It’s unavoidable not to be scared when turning the corners in the different mazes, because everywhere you look someone jumps out and scares you. I would advise people not to antagonize the characters because they will retaliate to make sure you are scared out of your mind the whole way through. This is said from experience, because three different times I was escorted an alternate way then my group was and left to find my way back to them. It’s tons of fun and I’m positive you’ll have a blast.

The Dungeon of Doom is fun for the whole family; bring everyone out to see the clowns, games, mysteriousness and plain scary looking characters that have been successfully created to scare you. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth. Thanks to everyone who works at the Dungeon of Doom for making this the best Halloween scare in town.

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Wait…what happened? We went from summer to fall pretty quickly here in Lake County! And what makes you think of fall more than apples? Well, I can’t really think of anything!


Long Grove’s 17th annual Apple Festival was this past weekend. It was packed with people there to enjoy their favorite fall treat; apples in every possible recipe!


After parking, we headed straight to the Apple Haus. They sure were ready for the crowd by serving customers inside AND outside of the store. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted hot or cold cider so I tried both. While in line, I couldn’t leave the store without an apple fritter and cider donuts…and don’t forget a caramel apple Brown Bag Apple Pie for dessert tomorrow. I could have died a happy woman right there!


The festivals of Long Grove have so many things planned; you are never looking for something to do. There was live entertainment whether you walked north or south. The entertainment schedule was packed on five different stages with over 25 performers to watch – unbelievable! It was really fun seeing people sitting and listening, dancing and singing along.


Walking through the main intersection of Long Grove, you saw vendor booths of all kinds. Village restaurants drew you in with their yummy food and even some drinks to keep you warm (caramel apple lattes and apple martinis to name a couple).


Kids were the main focus right off of Old McHenry Road. There were kiddie rides, pony rides and face painting. The Amazing Josh (the balloon guy) was back with a line too. I must tell you he makes a butterfly that my daughter LOVES. You saw smiles everywhere even in the midst of a few raindrops. Maggie had her favorites; the train, the berry spinning ride and the mini carousel which she rode multiple times.


We walked in and out of the shops and galleries and had a blast. As we walked to our car, we couldn’t forget picking up a bushel of apples and some cider to go. Now I’ll keep the fall feeling for a while at home.


Long Grove’s next event is Oktoberfest, the weekend of October 17-18. Don’t miss it. They will be sure to have beer, brats and traditional German entertainment. Visit http://longgroveonline.com/oktoberfest.html for additional details.

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