Residents Savor Popcorn Holiday—and Fire Department Responds

In Homewood and Flossmoor, the park district declared Jan. 18 a day of gathering to munch on free popcorn, distribute a preview calendar of annual events and observe a holiday that unites the virtue of giving with warm and buttery deliciousness. 

It’s also National Popcorn Day. 

Visitors to the H-F Racquet and Fitness Club, Ice Arena, Irwin Center and the Goldberg Administration Building were greeted with popcorn as a way to “break up the monotony of winter,” said LeeAnn Fisk, coordinator of recreation for the park district.  The history of the event, according to the Chicago-based Popcorn Board, commemorates the days when anxious fans took to snacking on popcorn in anticipation of the Super Bowl. 

This is the third year the park district has taken to doling promotional popcorn prepared in donated machines from AAA Rental of Markham.  

Popping 50 pounds of kernels was not without incident, however, when the Flossmoor Fire Department responded to the scene as burning popcorn tripped the smoke alarm in the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena around 4:30 p.m. One engine carrying five Flossmoor firefighters arrived to reset the piercing alarm, which rang intermittently for 30 minutes. 

“Typical fire response… burned popcorn,” said Captain Keith Damm of the Flossmoor Fire Department. Damm added, “our budget actually allocates for this kind of thing!” 

Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Superintendent of Recreation Tracey Anderson describes National Popcorn Day as “a big event,” particularly enjoyed by those who work out at the Homewood-Flossmoor Racquet and Fitness Club. 

“How many calories are in here?” Anderson said they ask. 

Locals might hope for however many calories it takes to defeat the Green Bay Packers and catapult the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl.