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Cincinnati, Ohio

It's time to make your senses pop! It doesn't matter if it's caramel, cheese, candy, or traditional buttered popcorn. Americans can't get enough of this tasty treat. And now in October, we're saluting one of the nation's oldest snack foods. It's time to dig in during National Popcorn Poppin' Month.

Did you know that Americans consume some 16 billion quarts of this whole grain treat each year? That's 52 quarts per man, woman, and child!

It's true. The number of Americans munching on popcorn has increased through billions of movie viewings, countless sporting games and family gatherings, World Wars, and The Depression. That's why for more than 25 years, October is the time to celebrate this crave-inspiring crunch.

According to the Popcorn Board, a national non-profit organization, October was chosen because "of the popcorn harvest which takes place each fall in the Midwest. Each year when the new crop is harvested, it reminds us popcorn will always be the naturally fun snack for the entire family. Popcorn Poppin' Month is the perfect time to celebrate popcorn."
 
So get ready to pop up the fun with this delicious snack! How will you celebrate?
 
Fun Popcorn Facts From the Popcorn Board (www.popcorn.org)

• The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were discovered in the Bat Cave of West Central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ranging from smaller than a penny to about 2 inches, the oldest BatCave ears are about 4,000 years old.
• Most U.S. popcorn is grown in the Midwest, primarily in Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri.
• Compared to most snack foods, popcorn is low in calories. Air-popped popcorn has only 31 calories per cup. Oil-popped is only 55 per cup.
• The world's largest popcorn ball was created by volunteers in Sac City, Iowa in February, 2009.  It weighed 5,000 lbs., stood over 8 ft. tall, and measured 28.8 ft. in circumference.
• In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods.

For more than 25 years, October has been celebrated as National Popcorn Poppin' Month; however, it became "official" in 1999, when then Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman proclaimed October as National Popcorn Poppin' Month.