Illinois Sugar Cookie

This familiar nickname for Illinois dates back at least as far as 1842. Most of the state was once covered with prairie grasses. Today, Illinois continues to pay homage to the prairie. According to the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois has designated the third full week of September as Illinois Prairie Week "...to be observed throughout the State as a week for holding appropriate events and observances in the public schools and elsewhere to demonstrate the value of preserving and reestablishing native Illinois prairies."