- Published: Monday, October 19, 2020 08:30 AM
Pumpkins are a fall necessity! The pumpkin has been a North American staple since long before the arrival of European settlers, and Illinois farmers continue the big orange squash’s long tradition by growing more pumpkins than anywhere else in the world. Illinois grows 90-95 percent of the processed pumpkins in the U.S. Most of the processing takes place in Morton, Ill. – which has claimed the title of “Pumpkin Capital of the World” since 1978.
In 1967, the Morton Chamber of Commerce organized the city’s first Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the beginning of the pumpkin harvest and canning season at the local Libby’s pumpkin processing plant. Today, the festival includes over 30 special events and venues hosted and organized by over 2,000 volunteers. The festival welcomes an estimated 70,000 visitors every September.
Libby’s Morton plant has about 5,000 acres of fertile farm land devoted to producing pumpkins. In 2012, Libby’s became the official sponsor for the Morton Pumpkin Festival!
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic there are some haunted houses in Illinois that can still be enjoyed this year, with public health safety precautions in place. One such haunted house, is the Boo Crew Haunted House.
Just 25 miles north of St. Louis, Alton is small city with more than its fair share of vibrant history. Founded in 1837, Alton was the site of the final debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858. It was the home town of Robert Wadlow, the world's tallest man, and it is where legendary jazz musician Miles Davis was born, just to name a few facts. But what the city of Alton is famous (or perhaps infamous) for is that it’s considered to be one of the most haunted towns in the United States.
Strike a pose! Jan. 21 marks Museum Selfie Day, an opportunity to take part in history by visiting a museum and posting about it on social media with the hashtag #MuseumSelfie.
In 1805, a man by the name of Thomas Kirkpatrick was became the original settler of the city of Edwardsville. Kirkpatrick named the newly founded city after the first and only Territorial Governor of Illinois, Ninian Edwards, who held the office for nearly a decade from 1808-1818. Less than three months after the territory of Illinois was granted statehood by the federal government, the city was officially incorporated by the State on February 23rd, 1819. Located less than forty miles east of St. Louis, MO. Edwardsville’s population had reached a population exceeding 600 residents by 1840, less than forty years after Kirkpatrick originally settled it.
