Sparta, with a population approximately 6,400 people, is located in Randolph County in southwestern Illinois.

One of Sparta's earliest claims to fame was in 1966, when it served as the filming location for the movie In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Although the movie was set in Mississippi, Sparta was chosen because racial relations were not as tense as they were in the south. The town's name in the movie was changed to Sparta so that the local signs could be used.

Sparta is also the location of the Sparta Blues Fest, a two-day music festival held every summer at the Sparta fairgraounds. Several blues bands perform over the two days.

In 2006, construction was completed in Sparta on the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, a shooting and camping facility operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The WSRC hosts several shooting competitions, including the Amateur Trapshooting Association's Grand American World Trapshooting Championships. This is the topmost level of trapshooting competitions, and draws about 15,000 competitors each year.