When someone asks you to describe the state of Illinois, a few things may come to mind: the Cubs, Blackhawks, Bears, Chicago, the Land of Lincoln, and so on. However, did you know that Illinois is also home to the “Pumpkin Capital of the World”?
Illinois Pumpkin Capital of the World
If you’ve ever been to Morton, Illinois during the month of September, then chances are you may have noticed a few characteristics that make this town somewhat unique compared to most. The water tower, streetlights, and the local shops window displays are adorned with anything and everything pumpkin. Being the “Pumpkin Capitol of the World” since 1978, this small town in central Illinois certainly has an excuse for being so pumpkin obsessed. Not to mention the fact that over eighty percent of the world’s canned pumpkin is processed in Morton.
Each year, thousands of people from all over, flock to Morton for their annual Pumpkin Festival. This year’s theme, Pumpkin Carnivale, brought in a crowds of people from neighboring states such as Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, and Kansas. As a three-day long festival, Morton supplies games, food, rides and musical entertainment. With a carnival/Mardi Gras feel to this year’s festival, Morton had bands from New Orleans come in and perform on the festival’s main stage. Saturday night provided a southern blues-jazz aura to the festival that had people up on their feet dancing the night away.
For those who came to Morton for pumpkin flavored foods, they didn’t leave feeling unsatisfied. In fact, some took home containers of the famous pumpkin donuts and some went back for seconds of pumpkin ice cream. For those who have more of a sweet tooth, the “Pumpkin Sweet Shoppe” included pumpkin ice cream sandwiches, pumpkin caramel shakes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin praline cheesecake, pumpkin cookies, and so on. For those who wanted something heartier, one could find delicious foods in the “Pumpkin Grille” tent. In there, you can find pumpkin pasta salad, pumpkin jambalaya, pumpkin chili, pumpkin baked beans, and several other non-pumpkin laced foods.
For many of Morton’s residents, the Pumpkin Festival has been embedded within their own family’s traditions. With that being said, it is unlikely that you won’t find your neighbor’s and her best friend’s, son’s daughter twirling her baton in the Sunday morning parade at 10:30 a.m. In fact, the good majority of the town huddles together on Jefferson Street just to catch a glimpse of people dressed in costumes, waving to the crowds as they move on down the road in their floats. Sunday’s parade provides a lot of both adults and children to see.
People from neighboring towns take place in the Pumpkin Festival Parade each year, and perform whatever dance routine or musical ensemble they’ve put together for the people who came to join in on the fun. The parade usually lasts somewhere between two to three hours, and kids end up coming home with bags of Halloween candy a bit earlier than October 31st. In fact, some of the children who stand on the sidelines of the streets bring bags – even their Halloween baskets – so they can catch as much candy as they possibly can.
“It is hard to pick a favorite thing about the Pumpkin Festival,” says local resident Paige Clayton, “… but my top two would definitely be the food and atmosphere.” Ms. Clayton has been going to the Pumpkin Festival for 21 consecutive years, and considering she is 21-years-old, that is truly saying something about how she and those close to her look at this special time of year. She said, “the small town atmosphere ties it all together… I see so many familiar faces when I am [at the Pumpkin Festival] and it makes me feel very comfortable.” Ms. Clayton goes on to say how wonderful the Pumpkin Festival is because it showcases how great Morton is as a small town, “it’s a nice, safe, and clean place to raise a family.”
Mind you, if you are not a pumpkin lover, that’s ok because the Pumpkin Festival has a little something for everyone. Whether it’s pumpkin-less foods, different activities, rides or music, the Pumpkin Festival has more than one bargains for. If you need a baby changing station – they have it, a job – visit their career fair, homemade décor – check out their crafts fair, competitions – try your luck in a pumpkin decorating contest. The list goes on and on, and people come back to Morton every year to be a part of this great festival that so many rave on about.
Pumpkin Festival 2013
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/pumpkin-festival-2013