MINT HILL, NC – Saturday, August 20, brought a crowd to Mint Hill Veterans Memorial Park for the third Family Fun Night of the summer sponsored by Edifice, Inc., and Mint Hill Orthodontics!
Crowds began to gather at 6:30 to take advantage of the always-popular Kid Zone. Sponsored by Mint Hill Orthodontics, the Kid Zone features larger-than-life versions of popular family games like Jenga, Connect 4, Checkers and Cornhole as well as a bounce house and inflatable obstacle course.
“We’re just out here promoting braces!” joked Alyssa from Mint Hill Orthodontics. “We’re all about straight teeth! We’re out here giving stuff away and trying to get new patients.”
Park patrons lined up to purchase dinner and dessert from some of Mint Hill’s favorite food trucks. Thrasher Dawgs was on site with loaded hot dogs and nachos, and B Cook’s offered up burgers and buffalo chicken sammies. To satisfy guests’ sweet tooth, local favorites Mama K’s Kettle Corn and Sammy’s Snowballs offered kettle corn, cotton candy and shaved ice. Abbott’s Frozen Custard made an appearance later in the evening.
Across the field, several vendors were set up. Clear Creek Baptist Church promoted their AWANA program beginning in September. AWANA, which takes place on Sunday nights at 5:30 following Clear Creek’s Community meal, is a program that focuses on teaching kids scripture. AWANA kicks off on September 11.
Next to Clear Creek were Courtney and Ashlee from the Wingate P.U.P.P.Y (Performance Understanding & Person Perception in Youth) Lab. Courtney and Ashlee work with Dr. Candace Lapan to investigate children’s ideas about themselves and their peers and how these views change with age through fun games and animated stories. For more information or to participate in a study, visit www.wingatepuppylab.weebly.com.
Kids flocked to the lower soccer field around 6:50 when the Mint Hill Fire Department arrived to spray the crowd “just for fun.” With the sun beating down, it felt warmer than the weather report’s 85 degrees, and the icy cold spray from the fire hose was just the ticket for cooling off before the concert kicked off.
The focal point of the evening was entertainment from Alamance County band Red Dirt Revival. RDR had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing with their mix of country classics, modern hits and original songs. One of the highlights of their program was when they invited all the veterans in attendance to come to the stage and sign a pair of boots that will be auctioned off to benefit veterans.
If you’re sad to have missed out on Red Dirt Revival, you’ll want to mark your calendar for two events coming to the park this September. On September 10, Mint Hill Events will hold their second “Music & Brews” event with beer, food, games and music from High Fidelity. September 17 will the last Family Fun Night of the season with food trucks, family games and music from Jay Hoff & Co. Both events begin at 6:30 pm with music starting at 7:00 pm. Make sure to follow @MintHillEvents to stay up to date on all the fun happening in Mint Hill this fall!
