Clinton County has long history of growing mint
In 1935 the first Mint Festival was held in St. Johns. Mint was the reason the city was doing so well, and it was a reason to celebrate. The festival has not been continual, but in 1985 it was brought back and has been going strong ever since.
The unique concentration of mint farms in St. Johns and the surrounding Clinton County lead to St. Johns being dubbed “Mint City USA.” The Mint Festival, held each year in August, is an opportunity to honor the legacy of hardworking mint farming families, celebrate our vibrant community, and of course, enjoy a good ‘ol scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
MMDHD recognizes ACE Award winners
Mid-Michigan District Health Department is proud to recognize Linda Gronda, and Alex Fisher as recipients of their ACE Award.
Linda is an Executive Public Health Representative, and Alex is a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor with MMDHD.
The ACE (Achievement, Character, Excellence) Award is given to employees who have gone above and beyond what is expected, and demonstrated achievement, character and excellence in their work. Congratulations, Linda and Alex!
Summer Orchestra gets ’em ready for fall
Summer Orchestra is a fun time for middle school orchestra students. The new 6th graders get an introduction to learning their new instruments, and the older students get a refresher on technique and play some fun music together.
Meet the Interns — Bre Swift
Bre Swift from St. Johns and entering her final semester at Ferris State University. She is preparing to graduate in December with a Hospitality Management Degree.
Her Internship is serving as the David L. Eisler Center Intern. “I had an previous internship as required for my Hospitality Management degree, this is a “level two” opportunity, where I manage the logistics of events, apply software to our organizational efforts and take up ‘behind the scenes’ aspects of event operations.”
Bre’s Future Plans: “I can see taking my career pursuits in this direction, even starting here at Ferris as it would be a great way to use and build my skills. My internship has shown me a great deal about the importance of this work for successfully presenting an event.”
Other Campus Activities: Bre is a member of the Hospitality Management Student Organization on campus, and early in her Ferris experience Swift was on the executive board of a performing group, A Capella.
Remember when? – Gerald Henning, 1998 Mint Festival Grand Marshall
courtesy of Larry Houghton
Leo, Gerald and Paul Henning in 2012
For a man with over fifty years of mint farming in his blood, you’d think accepting this year’s appointment as St. Johns Mint Festival’s Grand Marshall would be an easy choice.
For Gerald (Jerry) Henning, 71, it was not.
Henning is a reserved, quiet man, not an attention-seeker. “I’m not that kind of a person,” he says.
But after reflecting on his mint-raising days working alongside his father, three uncles, numerous cousins, three brothers, eight sisters and his own four children, he said, “What better way to honor them. I’ll do it.”
Mint farming for the Henning clan has truly been a family affair from the beginning. Jerry’s father, Leo, and his Uncle Ernie, known locally as the Henning brothers, started growing peppermint in 1923 on forty acres along Krepps Road, just north of Parks Road. They were also among the first to grow spearmint in the area. Mint is still being grown on a portion of this muck land by St. Johns resident Pete Kurncz.
The Hennings brothers’ father, Andrew, had moved to the St. Johns area about 1885 from New York state. German-born, he had immigrated to America at age three.
“Grandfather Henning settled in a log cabin three miles east of St. Johns on Wildcat Road,” Jerry says. The Henning brothers were born in a house Andrew built nearby, currently the residence of the Erron Barks family. Here, Jerry recalls, the family raised corn, cattle, milk cows, and cared for more than a dozen work horses.
The brothers’ first try at raising peppermint was successful so in 1924 they built their own mint still at the Krepps Road site. A more modern still replaced the original in 1943 when Jerry was a teenager. Still standing today, it distilled Henning’s mint for forty five years.
In 1997 the old still became the rallying point for over eighty family members who congregated for a huge bonfire and to reminisce at their own “mint reunion.” All of Jerry’s siblings attended except one sister who has vowed to be at their 1998 gathering.
Jerry Henning became intimately involved in harvesting mint as a lad of seven. “I wanted to help out so I asked my dad if I could pitch mint,” Jerry says. After the mint had been cut it would be stacked in smaller piles, Jerry explains, then pitched with a fork onto a horse-drawn wagon.
“My dad said, ‘No, you’re too young yet.’ I pleaded with him until he finally said, ‘Okay.’ So I pitched just one load and then quit! I was so tired and sore.”
At age nine, Jerry was able to help out in a bigger way. “I knew how to drive a Model D2 Caterpillar tractor. One time the horses and a mint wagon got stuck in a boggy field. I was able to pull both of them out with the D2,” Jerry says.
As youngsters, Jerry, his brothers and cousins were so enthralled with mint stills they built their own toy models. Jerry explains, “We used a syrup pail for a collector and connected various sized tin cans for a boiler and a condenser. For piping we salvaged hose out of old furniture and automobile seats where it was sewn into upholstery for strength. And you know…they worked! We actually extracted small amounts of mint oil.”
The entire family pitched in during harvest. His younger sisters and female cousins took turns driving trucks. The boys helped in the cutting and gathering of the mint. Some worked twenty-four hours straight when the mint was dry but rain was on the way. Helping out during mint harvest was “always exciting,” Jerry remembers. “I couldn’t wait for the first load to come in.”
“It was a fun business, rewarding but full of hard work,” Jerry says, “and I enjoyed every minute.”
In those days, mint oil was usually purchased by wholesalers. A.M. Todd Company and Lehmans were active buyers in Clinton County. Todd’s warehouse for mint purchases was located on Railroad Street in St. Johns at the new Briggs Library site.
Mint buyers set prices in the spring for the late-summer production. “Some years we got hurt. Some years we made good,” says Jerry. Companies like Palmolive-Peet would also broker directly for mint oil. “In some years we sold our entire crop to Wrigleys.”
By the 1940s, Henning’s mint fields had expanded to over two hundred acres. In the 1950s, Jerry ran the operation with his brothers, Dean, Paul and Leo, Jr. During the 1960s, his brothers began leaving the mint business to pursue other careers. Jerry and his immediate family became the sole operators. By then, Jerry and his wife, Virgene, had four children to help out.
Jerry’s children were quick to accept harvest responsibilities, too. They and a few hired neighbors chopped the mint and trucked it to the still where Jerry handled the oil extraction process. On good days as many as fifteen truckloads of mint passed through the still. Virgene, who died in 1996, was not directly involved in handling mint but she was a vital part of the family’s harvesting effort: she cooked all the meals for the hungry workers. The work day began with a hearty breakfast. Lunch was eaten on the fly. Supper was more elaborate and gave the tired Hennings time to replenish both body and spirit as a family. Virgene would even bring an evening lunch to the fields if work ran into the night.
Today, Jerry speaks of his children with great pride. All were graduates of St. Johns High School. Jay, the youngest, lives on Townsend Road and works in the Aeronautical Section of MDOT in Lansing; Beth (Platz), is a transcriptionist in St. Johns; Jack is a leasing broker for GE Capital in Ohio; and Lynn, the oldest, is an author and a sports writer for the Detroit News. “I’m glad my kids got the chance to grow up on the farm. They enjoyed it, too,” Henning says.
The Henning kids all became expert drivers due to their farm experience. Jerry recalls with a smile, “In driver’s education class, Beth could parallel park before the others even knew how to start a car!” She had started driving a farm truck when she could only see through the steering wheel rather than over it. And those trucks had strong clutches which required equally strong legs to operate.
Does Jerry Henning miss mint farming? “I do and I don’t,” he says, philosophically. “Mint never has been and never will be a sure thing.” The threat of bad weather and devastating pests were always present. “Sometimes it could be nerve wracking,” Jerry says.
Henning vividly remembers June 7, 1949. “During the night we lost our entire crop to frost. All 210 acres,” he sadly recalls.
“Although mint was our basic crop, we grew nearly all our own food,” Jerry says. “We raised cattle, pigs and chickens, had a huge garden and some fruit trees. Mint farming will always be here but it’ll never be the same. Today it’s not quite that easy.”
To supplement his farm income, Jerry began installing farm drainage systems. Business grew steadily until Jerry devoted all his time to it in 1988 when he ceased farming mint. Not surprising, Henning Trenching and Excavating, Inc., still relies on family involvement – his brother, Dean, fills in wherever needed.
Jerry expresses his deep feelings for mint farming when he says, “The Mint Festival is more than a parade and some display booths. I hope our visitors will be interested enough to understand what mint farmers go through” to produce a crop…and to survive. Hopefully today’s mint farmers have lots of family help as the Hennings did.
Being Grand Marshall this year is Jerry Henning’s quiet way of saying ‘Thanks’ to three generations of Hennings who made mint farming his way of life for over fifty years. And a way of building strong families to boot.
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Why Do Cats Wiggle Before They Pounce?
courtesy of Hannah Hart, DVM
Anyone who has had the pleasure of cat parenthood has seen their furry feline stalk a favorite toy. They crouch low to the ground and wiggle their hind end back and forth before pouncing, ending the hunt by successfully capturing their “prey.”
The butt wiggle is undoubtedly cute and entertaining, but it also serves a few practical purposes for cats.
What Causes the Butt Wiggle in a Cat That’s About To Pounce?
Currently there is very little formal, peer-reviewed research into butt wiggling in cats. However, evolutionary biomechanics professor John Hutchinson of the Royal Veterinary College in London believes the increased traction from butt wiggling—along with preparing the cat’s vision, balance, and muscular system for pouncing—is the most likely explanation.
Here are some of the most common theories about this behavior.
1. Cats Wiggle for Stability
One of the main explanations for the butt wiggle has to do with the differences in how cats move their hind legs when they are walking versus pouncing. When cats walk, they alternate moving their hind legs to propel themselves forward from point A to point B. But when cats jump or pounce to capture prey, they push off the ground with both hind legs at the same time to give the movement more power, speed, and distance.
The ground beneath the cat must be sturdy enough to support this coordinated movement of the hind limbs. So, this theory suggests that a cat wiggles:
– To test the solidness of the ground before making the leap
– To ensure they have sufficient traction
– To keep themselves well-balanced before pushing off the ground
Miscalculating the strength of the ground or their lack of balance could lead to escaped prey or even injury if the ground gives way underneath them. While house cats are more likely than wild cats to wiggle their butt before they pounce, this behavior has also been observed in big cats like mountain lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards.
2. Cats Wiggle While They Plan
Another theory suggests butt wiggling is a form of planning cats use to prepare their muscles for a big, powerful movement—one that must be precise for a successful hunt. These small muscle movements give cats a short aerobic workout and stretch their muscles out to allow for better pouncing.
3. Cats Wiggle Because It’s Fun
When cats engage in hunting and play, their brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of excitement, motivation, and pleasure. The butt-wiggling behavior may be something that cats do because it’s fun for them. It may also help them release any excess energy created by the surge of dopamine.
Do Cats Learn the Butt Wiggle or Do It Instinctively?
The predominant idea behind cat butt wiggling is that it’s a little bit of both. Kittens begin to practice hunting behaviors when they’re as young as 6–7 weeks old, and this may include attempts at the butt wiggle seen in older cats.
But a kitten’s movements are often uncoordinated, requiring dedicated practice to improve their pounce. So, kittens may need to rely on older cats (such as their mother) to demonstrate proper hunting behaviors such as stalking, crouching, and pouncing to help perfect their own skill.
Other Signs That a Cat Is About To Pounce
Besides the butt wiggle, cats can show other body language signals indicating they may be about to pounce.
– Dilated pupils: When cats are excited or nervous while hunting, their pupils may dilate from a rush of adrenaline. They may also stare wide-eyed and unblinking at their target.
– Pointed ears and whiskers: The cat’s ears and whiskers are often pointed forward, demonstrating alertness and interest.
– Chattering or clicking
– Creeping: They may creep in short, slow bursts with their body low to the ground and their hind legs tucked toward the prey or a toy before they pounce.
– Tail twitching
If you see these signs along with the butt wiggle while your cat is playing, it’s a good indication that they are practicing their hunting skills. Hopefully, your cat has a wide variety of toys to stalk, and their pre-pounce butt wiggle doesn’t mean they’re about to launch themselves at your feet!