Valparaiso, colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
Popcorn is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.
The Marion Popcorn Festival is held every year in downtown Marion, Ohio, United States. The festival was established in 1981 and is held annually during the first weekend after Labor Day in September. Marion was once an epicenter of popcorn manufacturing, made by such companies as Wyandot Snacks and Orville Redenbacher's. Wyandot Snacks was once the largest exporter of popcorn in the United States, and Cracker Jack was manufactured in Marion for almost a decade. In 1982, the second year of the festival, Wyandot Snacks presented a 40 foot long bag of popcorn, which they submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records for consideration as the largest bag of popcorn in the world.
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a 350-acre (140 ha) campus.
Poppycock is a brand of candied popcorn. Though it is marketed in a variety of combinations, the original mixture consists of clusters of popcorn, almonds, and pecans covered in a candy glaze. Other specialty combinations include mixtures with emphasis on cashews, chocolate, and pecans.
Orville Clarence Redenbacher was an American food scientist and businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name which is now owned by Conagra Brands. The New York Times described him as "the agricultural visionary who all but single-handedly revolutionized the American popcorn industry".
Orville Redenbacher's is an American brand of popcorn made originally by Chester Inc.
The Calumet, also commonly called the Valpo Local, was a 43.6-mile (70.2 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak between Chicago and Valparaiso, Indiana. Despite Amtrak's mandate to provide only intercity service, the Calumet was a commuter train. Transferred from Conrail in 1979, the full route was shared with Amtrak's Broadway Limited until 1990; the Calumet was discontinued the next year.
Valparaiso High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana.
The annual Van Buren Popcorn Festival is a festival held each August, typically during the 1st or 2nd full Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the month, in Van Buren, Indiana. The festival is held in celebration of the central role of popcorn to the town. As with many small town festivals, Van Buren's focuses on a theme that has meaning to the community. First held in 1973, the Popcorn Festival has become a homecoming event to many "expatriate" residents of this small community.
Jones High School is located in the Parramore/Lorna Doone neighborhood in the urban heart of Orlando, Florida at 801 S. Rio Grande Avenue. It is a public school in the Orange County School District. The school mascot is the Tiger and the colors are orange and green.
The Valparaiso Beacons is the name of the athletic teams from Valparaiso University – often referred to as Valpo – in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. The Beacons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level and are members of the Missouri Valley Conference in all sports except football, bowling, and men's swimming.
H. Jonathon Costas is an American singer, musician and politician serving as mayor of Valparaiso, Indiana. He is a member of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, an elder law attorney, and a small business owner. He was first elected mayor in 2003 and served until 2020, before being re-elected in 2023.
The Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The basketball team competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, having joined that league in 2017 after 10 seasons in the Horizon League. The Beacons play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23, 2016, in the NIT Quarterfinal. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2015.
Indy Pride Festival is the annual week of LGBT pride events in Indianapolis. The week is organized by LGBT organization Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival. Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.
Charles F. Bowman was an American businessman who partnered with Orville Redenbacher to create a popping corn which won a third of the US market for unpopped popcorn by the mid-1970s. The corn was marketed as Orville Redenbacher's and is now owned by ConAgra Brands.
Valpo Velvet is a "mom and pop" ice cream shop in Valparaiso, Indiana. It has been owned and run by the Brown family since 1947.
José D. Padilla is the 19th President of Valparaiso University. Padilla was most recently vice president, university counsel, and secretary of the University of Colorado system, and previously held similar roles for 15 years at DePaul University.
