Morton Pumpkin Festival facts for kids

The Morton Pumpkin Festival is a super fun four-day party that happens every year in mid-September. It takes place in Morton, Illinois. This festival has been going on since 1967! More than 75,000 people come to enjoy it each year. The Morton Chamber of Commerce organizes and helps pay for this big event.

History of the Pumpkin Festival

The very first Morton Pumpkin Festival happened in 1967. It was started to raise money and celebrate the yearly pumpkin harvest. This harvest was for the local Libby's plant. This plant processes a lot of pumpkins.

The Libby's plant in Morton was built in 1925. It was first called the Dickinson Canning Company. Libby's bought it in 1929. Another town, Eureka, Illinois, also had a pumpkin factory. That factory closed in the late 1950s.

In 1978, the Governor James R. Thompson officially called Morton the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." This special title is because the Nestlé-owned Libby's plant in Morton processes over 80 percent of all the canned pumpkin in the world! Libby's became an official sponsor of the festival in 2012.

Libby's grows a special kind of pumpkin called Dickinson Select. About 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) of these pumpkins are planted in the farmlands around Morton. These pumpkins are known for their great taste and creamy texture. They are not the kind of pumpkins you usually carve for jack-o-lanterns.

In 2015, a representative from Morton, Keith Sommer, helped suggest a law. This law would make pumpkin pie the official State Pie of Illinois. In 2020, the festival was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Festival Themes and Fun

Each year, the Morton Chamber of Commerce picks a special theme for the Pumpkin Festival. People vote on their favorite theme ideas in September. The best ideas then go to a special committee and the Chamber of Commerce for the final choice. The new theme is announced early in the year, usually in January or February.

Many parts of the festival use the yearly theme. This includes the parades, pageants, and entertainment. Even the competitions and opening ceremony often have costumes and music that match the theme.

Past Festival Themes

Here are some of the themes from past festivals:

• 1973 Cinderella Land
• 1974 Nature's Harvest
• 1975 Seeds of Freedom
• 1976 Freedom's Harvest
• 1977 Centennial's Pumpkin
• 1978 Happiness is...
• 1979 It's a Pumpkin World
• 1980 Pumpkin Country Round Up
• 1981 Pumpkin Patch Patriotism
• 1982 Pumpkin Harvest Harmony
• 1983 Old Fashioned Pumpkin Picnic
• 1984 Pumpkin City Fantasy
• 1985 The Great Pumpkin Circus
• 1986 Pumpkin Festival Memories, 20 Years of Celebration
• 1987 Pumpkins Go Hollywood
• 1988 Pumpkins Go for the Gold
• 1989 Pumpkins Around the World
• 1990 We’re Off To See the Pumpkins
• 1991 Pumpkin Festival XXV
• 1992 Fairytales on Parade
• 1993 Pumpkin Paradise
• 1994 Pumpkin Fiesta
• 1995 Pumpkin Wonderland
• 1996 30th Annual Pumpkin Party
• 1997 Planet Pumpkin
• 1998 Pumpkins go Prehistoric
• 1999 Pumpkins Rockin’ & Rollin’
• 2000 Pumpkins on the Job
• 2001 A Pumpkin Odyssey
• 2002 Red, White & Blue in 2002
• 2003 Pumpkin Safari
• 2004 Pumpkins Under the Sea
• 2005 Great Pumpkins in History
• 2006 40th Pumpkin Birthday Party
• 2007 Pumpkins Go Hawaiian
• 2008 Superhero Pumpkins
• 2009 Christmas in the Pumpkin Patch
• 2010 Pumpkin Splash
• 2011 Pumpkins Across America
• 2012 Peace, Love, and Pumpkins
• 2013 Pumpkin Carnivale
• 2014 Pumpkins of the West
• 2015 Pumpkins of the Caribbean
• 2016 Golden Pumpkin: A Celebration of 50 Years
• 2017 Das Pumpkin
• 2018 S'more Pumpkin
• 2019 Luck O' the Pumpkin
• 2020 Roaring Pumpkins & All That Jazz
• 2021 Pumpkins, Tailgates, and Traditions
• 2022 Pumpkins Go 80s
• 2023 Farmin' Pumpkins
• 2024 Pumpkins Run for the Roses

Delicious Pumpkin Food

Many people come to the festival just for the amazing food! Especially popular are all the pumpkin-flavored treats. Besides regular fair food and pumpkin pie, you can find unique items. These include pumpkin chili, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin doughnuts. There's also pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin baked beans, and even pumpkin jambalaya.

The biggest food event is usually the all-you-can-eat Pumpkin Pancake breakfast. This happens on Saturday morning of the festival.

In the early years, Libby's gave away free pumpkin pies. By 1984, the festival had 2,000 pies! Many different groups have helped make the pies over the years.

In 1977, pork chop BBQ was added to the menu. They sold 3,900 pork chops that year. Pumpkin pancakes were introduced in 1983. In 1984, about 5,000 pancakes were sold. Pumpkin cookies were also very popular, with over 1,000 sold in 1984. Pumpkin chili and pumpkin ice cream joined the menu in 1985.

In 1990, a giant pumpkin bar was made. It was 30 feet (9.1 meters) long and 3 feet (0.91 meters) wide. It weighed over 750 pounds (340 kg) and could feed more than 6,000 people! Pumpkin donuts were added in 1998. In 2014, pumpkin cornbread was sold to match the "Pumpkins of the West" theme.

Punkin Chuckin' Contest

The Punkin Chuckin' Contest was a cool tradition at the Morton festival. It involved huge machines that would throw, catapult, or shoot 5-10 pound (2.3-4.5 kg) pumpkins far into an open field. This exciting competition started in 1996 and ended in 2016.

Competitors tried to throw pumpkins at least one mile (1.6 km). They wanted to win the title of "Punkin' Chucker Supreme." The contest was inspired by a similar event in Sussex County, Delaware. Morton even holds a world record for the farthest pumpkin ever thrown!

The Punkin Chuckin' Contest featured many different types of machines. There were trebuchets (like giant slingshots) and air cannons. One machine, the Q-36 Pumpkin Modulator, even earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Q-36 is a 100-foot (30-meter) long air cannon. It once fired a pumpkin 4,680 feet (1,426 meters)! This cannon has an 80-foot (24-meter) barrel and a huge 1,800 US gallon (6,800 L) air tank. It weighs 36,000 pounds (16,000 kg). A pumpkin leaving this cannon can fly at nearly 681 miles per hour (1,096 km/h)!

Entertainment and Shows

The main Entertainment Stage used to be inside the Food Tent. But in 2009, it moved outside. The entertainment includes local music groups, fun lip sync contests, and exciting pie eating contests. In 2010, a new show called "Pumpkin Idol" started, which was like the TV show American Idol.

Many local performers have entertained the crowds over the years. These include a Beatles cover band called American English, an Elvis impersonator named Lee Hall, and the Jim Markum Swing Band. The Gut Bucket Band, which later became the Central Illinois Banjo Club, also performed.

In 2019, some of the performers included the Morton High School (Morton, Illinois) band, the Central Illinois Banjo Club, and New Odyssey Guy. The Bogside Zukes, Cousin Eddie, and American English also put on shows. A carnival has been a part of the festival since it first began, with rides and games for everyone.