MORTON ( 25News Now ) - Many festivals come and go, but the Morton Pumpkin Festival doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.

The event marks 59 years of celebrating the cultivated, winter squash that’s been at the center of Morton’s history. Nestlé Libby’s is also celebrating 100 years of processing pumpkins in 2025.

In 1967, the first Morton Pumpkin Festival was organized by the village’s chamber of commerce. It was an annual fundraiser and celebration of the beginning of the pumpkin harvest and canning season at the Libby’s plant.

There are similar aspects of the first few festivals that are still incorporated today. Take, for instance, the carnival rides. ‘Big M Amusements’ has been the carnival and midway provider for this event for more than 50 years.

Former Chamber of

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