October has just begun, and Halloween will arrive soon enough! Let’s take a moment to celebrate October in Illinois with recognizing multiple notable birthdays of those born in the state during this fall season. The famous, historic or otherwise distinguished figures who can track their birthplaces back to Illinois in October are as follows:

• Ray Kroc: American businessman credited for McDonald’s global expansion, born Oct. 5, 1902 in Oak Park
• Kevin Cronin: Musician and lead vocalist for the rock band REO Speedwagon, born Oct. 6, 1951 in Evanston
• Adlai Stevenson III: Democratic U.S. Senator from 1970 to 1981 and a captain in the United States Marine Corps, born Oct. 10, 1930 in Chicago
• Shawn Ryan: Screenwriter and television producer known for producing television series like “S.W.A.T.” and “The Night Agent,” born Oct. 11, 1966 in Rockford
• Johnny Loftus: American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey and first-ever American Triple Crown winner, born Oct. 13, 1895 in Chicago
• Mark Lenard: Actor, famous for his role as the father of Spock in the “Star Trek” franchise, born Oct. 15, 1924 in Chicago
• Anita O’Day: Jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist,” born Oct. 18, 1919 in Chicago
• Craig Robinson: Actor and comedian known for his role in the hit television series “The Office,” born Oct. 25, 1971 in Chicago
• Hillary Clinton: Former First Lady and Secretary of State, born Oct. 26, 1947 in Park Ridge

Nestled in the heart of the Illinois River Valley, Morton not only offers some of the best in Illinois living, it is also home to the Nestlé USA/Libby’s plant that produces over 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin market – effectively making Morton “The Pumpkin Capital of the World.”

Opened in 1925, the Libby’s pumpkin plant has exclusively processed pumpkins since 1970. In 1967, the local Libby’s pumpkin plant celebrated the beginning of the pumpkin harvest and canning season with the first-ever Morton Pumpkin Festival. It was not until 1978 that then-Illinois Governor Jim Thompson signed a proclamation declaring Morton the pumpkin capital of the world.

Today, the town continues to celebrate their accolade through the annual Morton Pumpkin Festival, which includes over 30 special events and venues organized by more than 1,500 volunteers. Each year, the festival brings in an estimated 75,000 visitors from around the state and members of the Morton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Pumpkin Festival Advisory Committee all gather to oversee the festival’s activities.

Did you know that a comedian, producer and writer from NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” was born and raised right here in our state? Nick Offerman, born in Joliet, turns 54 today. Offerman has also appeared in “The Last of Us,” “21 Jump Street” and was a voice actor in “The Lego Movie.”

One of Offerman’s many talents is woodworking. He’s a professional boat builder with a side business as a wood craftsman. He creates wooden structures such as canoes and boats and released an instructional DVD in 2008 called Fine Woodstrip Canoe Building. He has written four autobiographies and starred in the off-Broadway play, “Annapurna.”

Offerman’s brother, Matt Offerman, lives in the state. He is also an actor and occasionally appeared on “Parks and Recreation.” Currently, he manages at Iron and Glass, a brewery in Minooka, Illinois.

Join us in celebrating the birthday of this multi-talented actor!

In 1943, when young men were drafted overseas in WWII, the need for new baseball players emerged. This led Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley to form the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Illinois was home to the most successful team in the league, the Rockford Peaches, who won the championships in 1945, 1948, 1949 and 1950. The Rockford Peaches were so notable that a movie and a television show, both called A League of their Own, were written depicting their story.

In the beginning, the league started off with a 12-inch ball because it was assumed that women should be playing softball. By the league’s end, the women were playing the same game as the men’s league with a 9-inch ball and distance between bases at 85 feet.

Pat Healy is an actor, writer and director from Chicago born Sept. 14, 1971 who is best known for his roles in “Better Call Saul” and the Steven Spielberg film “The Post.” In 1993, he graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in theatre. While attending ISU he performed in theatre productions like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Cloud Nine.” He also performed at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and was among those recognized in the ISF’s “40 years/40 actors” honor roll in 2017.

Healy’s career took off later in life. After graduating from ISU, he moved to Los Angeles and was able to land roles every so often, but it was an inconsistent living. He got through slow periods by utilizing his writing skills and doing odd jobs. Less than five years ago, he was driving for Lyft.

A month after he began driving for Lyft, he was offered a role and within two months, he was offered three roles at the same time and had to turn one down. The roles he accepted were in “Better Call Saul” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which brought opportunities like working alongside Carol Burnett.

Pat Healy’s commitment to working hard and being a good, humble person has contributed to his much deserved success and made him a role model in many people’s eyes.