Highwood's 9th Annual Bloody Mary Fest Declared A 'Bloody' Good Time By All
The 9th Annual Bloody Mary Fest has been declared a wild success as record crowds gathered in Everts Park on Sunday July 29th to enjoy fantastic food, drinks, live entertainment all day long, and of course, a plethora of Bloody Mary's. Meanwhile, 19 fierce competitors battled for the esteemed title of Best Bloody Mary in the Midwest in the categories of Judges Choice, People's Choice, Best Garnish, and Most Creative.
Mixologists from competing bars and restaurants shook up their one-of-a-kind recipes for the panel of formal Bloody Mary celebrity judges comprised of: Lee A. Litas, Freelance Food and Features Writer for Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press, Sherry Thomas, Group Media Editor of JWC Media, Sheridan Road, North Shore Weekend and Daily North Shore, Andrew Nicks, President at 22nd Century Media, Susan Noyes, founder of the Make It Better Foundation, Monica Pedersen, HGTV television host and interior designer, and Eric Falberg, Highwood Alderman and founder of Bloody Mary Fest. And, while the celebrity judges chose the winners for Best Bloody Mary, Best Garnish and Most Creative, attendees did their own Bloody Mary sampling and cast their votes for the 2018 People's Choice Winner.
And the winners of the 9th Annual Bloody Mary Fest are...
Judges Choice Bloody Mary
1st Place: Valor & Culinary Gangster Food Truck of Glencoe
2nd Place: The Toadstool Pub of Highwood
3rd Place: Elsie Mae's Canning & Pies of Kenosha, Wisconsin
People's Choice
1st Place: The Toadstool Pub of Highwood
2nd Place: 210 Live of Highwood
3rd Place: Miss Mary's Bloody Mary Mix of Port Washington, Wisconsin
Best Garnish: Scotty's on Sheridan of Highwood
Most Creative: Elsie Mae's Canning & Pies of Kenosha, Wisconsin
Special thanks to Celebrate Highwood Bloody Mary Fest Sponsors Fields Auto Group, Guaranteed Rate, Highland Park Bank & Trust/Bank of Fort Sheridan, Master of Mixes, Power Home Remodeling, Renewal by Anderson, Van Gogh Vodka, Wheeling Town Center, and Wyndham Vacation Ownership.
For more information on Bloody Mary Fest, please visit https://www.celebratehighwood.org/bloody-mary-fest/.
For more information on all of Celebrate Highwood's 2018 series of family friendly festivals and events, please visit www.celebratehighwood.org or www.facebook.com/celebratehighwood.
ABOUT CELEBRATE HIGHWOOD:
Celebrate Highwood is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity established in August 2016. Managed and operated by volunteers, our mission is to bring community together to raise funds for local and national charities. Through producing events that cater to the citizens, businesses and visitors of Highwood, our goal is give back, build strong community spirit, and establish Highwood as THE prime entertainment destination for dining, festivals and events on the North Shore. For more information on all of Highwood's festivals, please visit www.CelebrateHighwood.org, www.facebook.com/celebratehighwood, or call 847-432-6000.