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Today is National Popcorn Day and a perfect way to celebrate is to enjoy this classic treat as your state snack! National Popcorn day may have popped up on the National Holiday calendar in 2013, but this time-honored snack has been celebrated since 1988. From a traditional movie theatre food to a gourmet sweet, popcorn is a national and local staple.

With approximately 333 popcorn farms across Illinois, the state is recognized as the third largest grower of the product. In 2003, this “Official Illinois Snackfood” was voted as a state symbol thanks to the support of second and third grade students and their teacher, Fran Hollister, at Cunningham Elementary in Joliet, which was sponsored by former State Senator Larry Walsh.

One famous sweet and salty popcorn treat has special roots in Illinois, and in baseball – the Cracker Jack! Invented by Lewis and F.W. Rueckeim, Cracker Jack popcorn debuted at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair as a new favorite snack made of peanuts, molasses and popcorn. By 1907, sports enthusiasts from major league ballparks nationwide were munching and crunching on the now classic snack. In 1908, it featured famously in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Today, popcorn has only increased in popularity with Americans eating around 14 billion quarts a year.

There are many ways to enjoy popcorn, whether it be sweet and coated with caramel or salty and cheesy, grab a bag of popcorn and look at its Illinois history today.