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The Autism Society Of Illinois & The City Of Highwood Prepare For Pumpkin Fest With Columbus Day Pumpkin Scooping Challenge

HIGHWOOD, IL (OCTOBER 11-13, 2014) - During Columbus Day Weekend, October 11-13 from 9am-9pm, help support the Autism Society of Illinois and the City of Highwood with a massive pumpkin scoop to prepare for Pumpkin Fest! The goal this year is to represent each and every individual diagnosed with Autism in the State of Illinois by lighting a jack-o-lantern in their honor. That's 52,000 pumpkins! In order to prevent the mess of pumpkin guts and make it more enjoyable for the carvers, the organizers need volunteers to help pre-scoop each and every pumpkin before the festival begins. This year, the scooping operations have moved from Highwood Public Works to the Highwood Library (102 Highwood Ave.).

"Imagine trying to scoop 52,000 pumpkins during the event - that's a whole lot of seeds!" says Mary Kay Betz, Executive Director of the Autism Society of Illinois. "We are enlisting the help of the local schools to help us pre-scoop along with the opportunity for fun fundraising efforts."

Here's how YOU can get involved:

• Support the effort in scooping and carving 52,000 jack-o-lanterns to create the world's largest jack-o-lantern maze in the world!

• Get your hands dirty in The Home Depot Bucket challenge to see who can fill their Home Depot bucket up with pumpkin guts the fastest!

• Get creative in the Crazy Carver Challenge - a relay race that involves mad carving AND scooping skills (for kids 9 and over).

• Get the chance to see teachers and school faculty slide down a slip and slide full of pumpkin guts (Potential PTO fundraiser)!

• Gather all the pumpkin seeds you can carry, bake them, and sell them at school for a fundraiser!

This event is a fun way to not only help local schools' Parent Teacher Organizations, but also help families and individuals impacted by Autism. Bring family, friends and schoolmates to enjoy beautiful fall weather and be a part of history in the journey to create the largest jack-o-lantern maze in the world! Plus, all who participate in these great events have the opportunity to win an all-day wristband for the hayrides, maze, petting zoo and bounce house at Pumpkin Fest.

For more information or to sign up, please email pumpkinfest@autismillinois.org or call 630-691-1270.

About The City of Highwood

Highwood was founded in 1868 by William Wallace Everts, a Chicago civic leader and world-renown educator. His concept of a family-based community has endured for more than a century. The beautiful Everts Park, in the heart of downtown Highwood, has been named in the founder's honor. Benches and trees in the park celebrate and remember people who, through turbulent times and peaceful ones, built and sustained the community. Many of Highwood's street names recall Everts' family and friends whom the founder encouraged to build homes here. Residents of Swedish, Irish, Italian, Latino and other heritages have since populated the community, each enriching the community through their cultural traditions.

The Village of Highwood was incorporated in 1887. The name briefly became Village of Fort Sheridan and then City of Fort Sheridan. In 1904, the community officially became known as the City of Highwood. Fort Sheridan, a former army base slightly northeast of the City, has had a profound influence on Highwood's development, and it continues to do so today as part of its land, incorporated into the City, nearly doubled Highwood in size. Today, Highwood is blending the past and present with exciting new plans for its future.

The City of Highwood, IL administrative offices are located at 17 Highwood Avenue, Highwood, Illinois 60040. For more information, please visit www.cityofhighwood.com. Tel: 847.432.1924.

About the Autism Society of Illinois

The nation's leading grassroots autism organization, the Autism Society exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people with ASD, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.autismillinois.org/.

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