- MintFest is starting in St. Johns August 9th.
- Local businesses, including The Minty Mitten, are preparing for a surge in engagement. Cindy Irish highlights that Mint Fest not only draws new customers but also generates substantial revenue, which is crucial for St. John's economy.
- Video shows mint products, and how The Minty Mitten is preparing for the weekend.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Mint Fest is just around the corner. I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, here in St. Johns, learning how Mint Fest is helping businesses in my neighborhood thrive.
Financial backer Cindy Irish is helping to get ready for a very busy weekend, otherwise known as Mint Fest.
"Already we have had Mint Festival goers coming in this morning—people from Cadillac, Traverse City, all over," said Irish.
Irish told me Mint Fest brings in more customers than usual thanks to the mint and its roots here in St. Johns.
"With all of the activities going on, we will probably see ten times the customers on Saturday alone than we normally do."
This creates new engagement with customers.
"I mean people come down every day and say, 'We didn’t realize everything that was down here now,'" said Irish.
There is also a lot of revenue and impact for small businesses, which Mayor Scott Dzurka says means a lot to the small city.
"So many of our businesses, including our Downtown Development Authority, give up their time to make sure that residents and participants of Mint Fest just have a great time downtown," said Dzurka.
That revenue comes from homemade mint products offered by vendors all weekend, including The Minty Mitten.
"We have products from Livingston Farms, Hanover’s Mints, and numerous products made here on site," said Irish.
The mint products pay tribute to mint farming, which got its start in St. Johns in the 19th century. Mint Fest kicks off Friday at 2 p.m. and is expected to bring in more than 30,000 visitors over the weekend, generating an estimated $2 million that will go back into the city.
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