4-H Youth Fair – a video
courtesy of Guven Witteveen
Mint Festival 2016 – Special Section
Briggs District Library Proposal passes
Here are the results of the August 2 millage vote to fund the new Briggs District Library:
YES 1,691 53.80%
NO 1,452 46.20%
National Night Out
with an album by Maralyn Fink
Tuesday evening I roamed to the park for our local National Night Out. It was another beautiful evening for an outing.
Many residents and children were gathered there for free hot dogs, Andy T’s corn and ice cream sandwiches. The event was well represented by our local emergency personnel, and it was a great opportunity to thank them for their service.
There were many things like inflatables as well as seeing up close the emergency vehicles inside and out for the kids to check out and learn about. Ben Helms also had his police canine named Duke there.
All in all it was a great night, seeing friends and neighbors come together to make this event what it is meant to be.
Thank you to all that helped in whatever way they could to help make this night a success.
2016 St. Johns Mint Festival Survey
Be sure to download and return this survey to give your personal take on the Mint Festival. Download it here.
Museum open for Mint Festival – August 13 and 14
While attending the Mint Festival this year, plan to visit the Paine-Gillam-Scott House, Swegles General Store and Carriage House, west of the Clinton County Courthouse on Maple Street.
The featured exhibit on agriculture includes Mint Farming in Clinton County with photos of early mint stills and newspaper articles from 1930’s and 40’s along with a display of farming photographs from many Clinton County residents, who either grew up or had ancestors who lived on a farm.
The Carriage House on the Museum grounds contains a model of a mint still, an old manure spreader converted to a mint planter and tools used for processing mint. The Swegles General Store has mint along with many other spices used in cooking and canning.
Recent acquisitions in the Paine-Gillam-Scott House include an old Victrola in the library and a cook stove in the kitchen, plus many displays have been updated with different items from the collections.
Plan to visit the Museum complex during the Mint Festival weekend August 13 and 14 from 1 to 4 pm.
For further information, contact the Museum at PGSMuseum@hotmail.com, call 989-224-2894 or 989-292-9096. Or visit the website at PGSmuseum.com.
Irish melodies soar at Concert in the Park – August 10
Tunes from the Emerald Isle will carry on gentle summer breezes when Monday’s Supper entertains guests August 10 as part of the St. Johns Concert in the Park weekly series. The music begins at 7 p.m. at the William E. Tennant Performance Shell in the St. Johns City Park; no admission charge.
Founders of the group are three-time Irish Music Award nominees, Siusan O’Rourke and Zig Zeitler, who received the honor of Best Celtic Album in 2014 from Celtic Echoes for their CD “Chance The Arm.” The talented duo is adding another layer to their performance style by welcoming a pair of musical cohorts, Kathy Morris and Nellie Schrantz, into the fold.
The new members bring some fun and lively elements to the mix by including fiddle, bodhran (drum), and harmony vocals. Based in Saginaw, the band’s repertoire includes age-old traditional Irish songs along with new and contemporary music.
Concert guests can expect to hear beautiful vocals and excellent instrumentation in songs like “Danny Boy,” “Banks Of Red Roses,” “Gowden Locks O Anna,” “Derry Street,” “Bold Riley” and many other Irish favorites.
Concert in the Park is sponsored by the Clinton County Arts Council and the City of St. Johns with support from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Concerts are held each Wednesday evening; rain or shine. The St. Johns Lions and Lioness Club staff a concession stand that offers light refreshments.
For detailed information on the Concert in the Park series visit the CCAC web site, http://www.clintoncountyarts.org/ and check out the St. Johns City Park Performance Shell page on Facebook.
St. Johns Concert in the Park 2016 Schedule
St. Johns City Park Performance Shell
Wednesday evenings, 7 p.m.
Aug. 10: The Music of Ireland, Monday’s Supper
Aug. 17: Beatles Tribute Band, Toppermost
Aug. 24: All Brass, Capital City Brass Band
Aug. 31: Elvis Impersonator, Matt King
Indie-Music Festival Coming – August 6
St. Johns will be the scene of a new and exciting event! “Mint by Midwest” (MXMW) will mark the very first Indie-Music Festival ever held in St. Johns. The Festival will take place on Saturday, August 6 from 3:00 – 10:00 p.m. in the William E Tennant Performance Shell located in the beautiful St. Johns City Park.
Festival sponsors include Edgewraps, Pope Construction and Uncle Johns Cider Mill. MXMW is a free event open to the public.
Bellingar Packing moves to Hitching Post site
The Hitching Post is closing, but that doesn’t mean the building will be vacant for very long. Bellingar Packing is getting set to expand its meat and poultry food operation at the prime highway site.
“The location on BR-127 is ideal for us,” Mike Bellingar says about his purchase of the Hitching Post and its upcoming transformation into a retail shop. “Shirley is a wonderful person and we are very pleased to be moving into the Hitching Post building.”
Retail sales will remain as the primary focus at the new Bellingar’s store which will enhance its reputation for providing fresh, top quality meat and poultry products to consumers in mid-Michigan and beyond. Bellingar’s existing store is located north of the Hitching Post on Wilson Road, west of BR-127.
“We currently have a fully stocked retail meat case along with take-out items like pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, so the transition to the new store will include those and other deli-style items,” Bellingar says, noting an exact date for opening the BR-127 store has not been determined. “We will open as soon as possible after the sale closes August 10. It’s an exciting time for us.”
For detailed information on Bellingar’s visit http://bellingarpacking.com/ or check it out on Facebook.
See Rhonda’s feature article on the Hitching Post in Random Notes.
