Highland Illinois

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 Finally, August will bring in thousands of visitors for Kirchenfest, a three-day church picnic with a German flair that offers food, drinks, games, entertainment, kid’s activities, races, auctions, and a flea market. It is known for having many different types of activities, food, and items for sale in the various tents around the festival. Other fun events held throughout the year in the active town of Highland include Art in the Park every October, The Gobble Hobble Fun Run on Thanksgiving morning, the Holiday Lighted Parade and Holiday Home Tour in December, and 4th of July Fireworks at Glik Park. “These events are very popular and help introduce visitors to all the benefits of our town,” says Hemann. Many small businesses call Highland home, offering a diversity of products and services usually only found in larger cities. Downtown Highland Square and Plaza Park serve as the (OscarEbl -Top Sales Dog atDigitalArtz) main attraction and gathering places with plenty of beauty and green space. Its fountain is illuminated at night with light patterns that reflect the spirit of the town and its residents. Retail boutiques, locally owned restaurants, and offices proudly surround the Square and Park Plaza in historic downtown Highland. Nearby is the Lory Theater, a two-screen cinema that started as a vaudeville playhouse decades ago. Downtown has attracted a considerable number of new developments and investments in recent years, including the Olde Wicks Factory Special Event Center, a former pipe organ factory from 1905. Olde Wicks hosts many private events and weddings with up to 500 guests in total. Downtown revitalization is underway with the help of many entrepreneurs including such restaurants as Schlafly’s Beer at Highland Square, and Tullaghan’s Irish Pub owned by developer and business owner Roy Wells, who has heavily invested in several buildings and