100 Years Young. JOLLY TIME Pop Corn Celebrates A Century Of Family And Fun During National Popcorn Poppin' Month.

Awards $1,000 Kernels of Kindness Awards to 100 Americans making a difference in their communities.

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Oct 16, 2014, 10:04 ET

SIOUX CITY, Iowa, Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- JOLLY TIME® Pop Corn, America's original brand name popcorn, turns 100 today during National Popcorn Poppin' Month. This major milestone is being celebrated with fun initiatives, including a new online virtual museum, a grassroots community awards program called Kernels of Kindness™, and a consumer offer of limited edition JOLLY TIME Pop Corn 100^th Birthday popcorn bowls.

JOLLY TIME Pop Corn celebrates 100th birthday!

100 Years Young. JOLLY TIME Pop Corn Celebrates a Century of Family and Fun During National Popcorn Poppin' Month.

JOLLY TIME was founded by Cloid Smith in Sioux City, Iowa in 1914. Smith pioneered the U.S. popcorn industry, personally hand-shelling the popcorn with his son, Howard, and selling product to small grocers and street cart vendors. As the Smith family grew, so did the legacy of JOLLY TIME Pop Corn.

"JOLLY TIME is proud to be a family-owned company that is also family-centric," said Garry Smith, president and fourth generation member of the Smith family to lead JOLLY TIME Pop Corn. "Whether for family game nights, movies or parties, we are honored to have been the favorite popcorn for fun family events throughout the past one hundred years, and look forward to one hundred more."

Today, JOLLY TIME has sold nearly three billion pounds of popcorn, offering its American-grown products in grocery stores nationwide and in nearly 40 countries. JOLLY TIME Pop Corn is gluten-free and is made using non-GMO popcorn kernels. The company's products have carried the Good Housekeeping Seal since 1925, longer than any other food product. From classic flavors—including Blast O' Butter®, Crispy 'n White® and KettleMania®—to more contemporary spins such as Mallow Magic® and Jalapeno Butter, as well as innovative partnerships with Weight Watchers® and Smart Balance®, JOLLY TIME embraces an entrepreneurial spirit while remaining true to its deep Midwest roots.

Experience the full, rich history of JOLLY TIME in the newly launched online virtual museum at www.jollytime.com/museum.

KERNELS OF KINDNESS
To commemorate 100 years, JOLLY TIME Pop Corn launched Kernels of Kindness, a national grassroots program awarding $1,000 to 100 people and organizations bringing joy and happiness to others by doing good in their communities. In total, the program received 6,620 entries from throughout the United States.

The 100 Kernels of Kindness winners represent 34 states and encompass a variety of inspirational people and organizations, including:

Gerald Pallesen, 86, Marcus, Iowa, a WWII veteran who drives to the funeral of every single military veteran in Iowa to play TAPS with his grandson.
Demagio Mansell, 22, Boca Raton, Fla., a college student who motivates needy students to stay in school by supplying them with backpacks and school supplies.
Michelle Curan, 42, Las Vegas, Nev., a chef who as a child often went without birthday cakes, creates one-of-a-kind birthday cakes for critically ill children.
Shannon Palermo, 54, Phoenix, Ariz., who builds mobile homes for the homeless, in addition to providing blankets, pillows and food to help them survive.
Jessica Kidd, 28, Fredericksburg, Va., who provides unique handmade hospital gowns for chronically or terminally ill children through Gracie's Gowns.

"Commitment to community has been a priority for JOLLY TIME since my great-grandfather first founded the company in 1914," said Smith. "In celebration of our centennial year, we wanted to extend that commitment to people making a difference in their communities. We're excited to see what $100,000 of good across the U.S. will bring."

All 100 Kernels of Kindness winners and their stories are featured in a special online gallery at www.jollytime.com/family/kernels-of-kindness.

FREE OFFER: 100^th BIRTHDAY POPCORN BOWL
JOLLY TIME was among the first recorded companies to offer free gifts to customers in exchange for them mailing in proofs-of-purchase in the late 1930s. The company continues that tradition today. For its 100th birthday, fans can mail in six proofs-of-purchase from any JOLLY TIME Pop Corn product, and receive a free limited edition JOLLY TIME Pop Corn 100th Birthday popcorn bowl.

NATIONAL POPCORN POPPIN' MONTH: "POP UP" FACTS
October marks another special time for popcorn lovers: National Popcorn Poppin' Month. Here are a few popcorn facts JOLLY TIME has accumulated over the past 100 years:

Americans consume 16 billion quarts of popcorn each year. That's 51 quarts per man, woman and child.
More than 352,028,160 popped kernels would be needed to create a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles.
Most popcorn comes in two basic shapes when popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble when coated.

For vintage photos and ads, written materials, and a b-roll package that captures JOLLY TIME's celebrated story, visit this portal.

ABOUT JOLLY TIME® POP CORN
The American Pop Corn Company of Sioux City, Iowa, is an independent and family-owned company that, for 100 years, has produced and marketed JOLLY TIME Pop Corn, the first-ever branded popcorn. JOLLY TIME offers a variety of traditional and microwave popcorn products in grocery stores nationwide and in nearly 40 countries around the globe. It has the only microwave popcorn endorsed by Weight Watchers®, in addition to the only microwave popcorn made with the Smart Balance® patented blend of oils. JOLLY TIME Pop Corn is gluten-free and is made using GMO-free popcorn. Learn more at www.jollytime.com.

Video - http://youtu.be/5X0gsQ_bb4g
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141009/151359

SOURCE JOLLY TIME Pop Corn