MINT HILL, NC – Mint Hill Madness 2021 was a roaring success! COVID-related cancellations and postponements meant that Mint Hill hadn’t seen a party this size in two years, but this year’s Mint Hill Madness was definitely worth the wait.
The festival opened at 3:00 pm on Thursday, October 21, with “All You Can Ride” night sponsored by Mint Hill Orthodontics. With the purchase of a $25 wristband, carnival-goers enjoyed unlimited access to all the rides all night long! New additions to this year’s carnival included more mechanical rides, midway games, and axe throwing. Thirsty Horses kicked off a weekend of stellar entertainment on the Novant Health Main Stage covering everyone’s favorites from the 60s through today.
Friday brought more unique entertainment from the four-piece Marine quartet Sounds Downrange and 70s party and dance band Groove Machine. Thursday and Friday also gave Mint Hill-area elementary and middle school students the chance to show off their school spirit with “Spirit Night” sponsored by Chick-Fil-A. The PTAs from Bain Elementary School and Queen’s Grant Middle school each won a $500 prize package courtesy of Chick-Fil-A and Mint Hill events for showing the most school spirit.
Event sponsor Novant Health was a huge presence at Mint Hill Madness this year. On Thursday and Friday, Novant’s Critical Care Helicopter touched down on the lower soccer field for photos, tours and questions. On Saturday, Novant held a vaccine clinic on site where they offered free Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations – first doses, second doses, and boosters – as well as flu shots.
On Saturday, the Madness kicked off well before the festival opened with the Mint Hill Lions Club 5k. Over 200 runners participated to raise funds for Camp Dogwood, the North Carolina Brigher Visions Foundation, Lion Services Vision Clinic, and various other needs within the community.
The Novant Health Main Stage was jam-packed with entertainment on Saturday. At 2:00, a large crowd gathered on the green for the Mint Hill Scholarship Pageant. 34 young women from ages 1 to 20 participated in the pageant, showing off not only their smiles but also their poise and personality. The title of Miss Mint Hill and the grand prize of a $1000 scholarship furnished by Robinson Orthodontics went to Kayla Bigley, who also won Photogenic and Best Smile in the Miss Division and the $100 interview prize sponsored by Todd Younker State Farm Insurance.
Large crowds flocked to the park for Saturday’s prime-time entertainment. At 4:00 pm on Saturday, young blues-rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and Voice contestant Jake Haldenvang took the main stage. At 7:30 pm, Eagles Tribute Band On the Border treated the audience to a 2-hour long journey through the Eagles greatest hits from ballads like “Desperado” to rock hits “Life in the Fastlane.”
Mint Hill Madness went out with a bang on Saturday with one of the largest fireworks shows in the Southeast. An all-American, patriotic tribute to the USA, the fireworks extravaganza was this biggest show Mint Hill has ever seen, not to mention the first fireworks to hit Mint Hill’s skies in 882 days!
The “Madness” would not have been possible without the hard work of so many groups and individuals and the sponsorship of so many local organizations, including event sponsor Novant Health, wristband sponsor Mint Hill Orthodontics, and Food Tent sponsor Waste Pro. From resurrecting time-honored Mint Hill traditions that had been on hold indefinitely to celebrating new ones, Mint Hill Madness 2021 was a wild success.
“We had really good crowds,” said Mayor Brad Simmons. “Traffic has flowed well. And the kids are having a great time, which is a really important part of it. I think probably my favorite part is the kids being able to come out here and have fun and ride the rides and not be stuck in the house after the ordeal we’ve been through in the last year.”