MINT HILL, NC – Saturday, April 29, brought a welcome break from rainy weather for the Annual Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park.
Originally held on a Sunday in August at Mint Hill’s Park on Wilgrove, the event then called “Sunday Afternoon in the Park” was spearheaded by the late Tina Ross, a dedicated public servant and supporter of the arts who served on Mint Hill’s Board of Commissioners from 2003 until her passing in 2018.
The third annual Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park was scheduled for October of 2022, but plans were forced to change when Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Florida, creating washout conditions up and down the East coast. Mint Hill Events made the decision to postpone until April to account for weather as well as other holiday events, and they hope to keep the event in the spring moving forward.
On Saturday, April 29, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, around thirty local artists displayed, demonstrated, and sold an endless array of unique handmade items in front of Town Hall. If you needed a patriotic decorative gnome proudly bearing the insignia of our armed forces, Craft Shack Corner was the place to go. Need a bandana, bow tie or tutu for your four-legged friend? Try The Dappled Dog, LLC. Paintings, jewelry, hats, crocheted, items, hair bows, baked goods, pottery, soaps, bath bombs, wooden bowls, candles – there was truly something for everyone.
Some vendors, like Mint Hill Arts, Potteria, Pottery 51, and Mini Me Makes It, were from right here in Mint Hill. Others, like Midland-based crochet artist Patty from The Petunia Patch and Pilar’s Art from Mount Holly came from a bit farther away. There was a good mix of new merchandise and artisans who had participated in the Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park before.
Festive music drifted from the speakers as patrons wandered through the booths, enjoying the sunshine, and the day was punctuated with performances by Butler High School’s A Capella and Choir groups, the Independence Jazz Band, and Legacy Theater and Music Company. Groups of spectators congregated around the fountain to take in the live entertainment, enjoying lunch or snacks from A Little Taste of Chicago, The Boba Tea Bar, and Sprinkles.
The spirit of the event and Ross herself was captured by Tonya Pohlmann from Cedar Oak Farm and C.O.F. Pottery. A potter for three decades, Tonya started Cedar Oak Farm Pottery in January in an effort to, as her slogan says, “bring the arts and agriculture together.” She’s offering a selection of 8-week classes over the summer at her farm in Indian Trail, and her goal is to eventually build a barn that will grow the school. “I want to share the farm,” she says simply. “We all only get so much time.”
Next up for Mint Hill Events is the summer’s first Family Fun Night, which will take place at Veterans Park on Saturday, May 20. For more information on Mint Hill Events’ summer entertainment series and everything fun going down in Mint Hill, make sure to follow Mint Hill Events and Town of Mint Hill on social media.
