The 40th annual Mint Festival in St. Johns concluded Sunday with its signature event - the Peppermint Patty Plop, where a cow determines the winners of a raffle.
- The Mint Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary this year in St. Johns, known as "Mint City USA."
- The festival's unique finale features a cow whose "plop" location determines a raffle winner.
- The Peppermint Patty Plop has been a tradition for 37 years and raises funds for the St. Johns Kiwanis Club.
WATCH: St. Johns celebrates 40 years of minty tradition, holds cow plop contest
I was at the biggest event of the year in St. Johns this weekend - the 40th anniversary of the Mint Festival. As the celebration for a place known as "Mint City USA" came to a close Sunday, I caught up with neighbors to hear what the tradition means to them.
It was the first Mint Festival for neighbor Tabitha Stanley, who was looking forward to one particularly unique event.
"I am from Detroit, Novi. This is nothing they would have down there," Stanley said.
The star of the event wasn't the mint queen, but someone a little more unexpected - a cow named Jingle Bell Jive.
"The cow will roam the field. Wherever it plops, that's the winner," explained event organizers.
The concept caught some attendees by surprise.
"Cow poop! But I thought peppermint patty plop was where the cow was going to lay down. Not where the cow was going to poop," Stanley said, laughing.
This unique event fundraises for the St. Johns Kiwanis Club. Neighbors buy raffle tickets linked to a spot on the grass where the cow roams. As the Mint Festival celebrates 40 years, the Peppermint Patty Plop celebrates 37 years of tradition.
Ellie Fedewa, whose cow Jingle Bell Jive was the star of the show, was excited to be part of this year's event.
When asked what it meant that so many people came to watch her and Jingle Bell Jive, Fedewa responded, "It means a lot, it means a lot to me."
About 23 minutes into the event, the crowd erupted in cheers as Jingle Bell Jive finally "plopped", bringing a celebratory end to another year of this beloved community tradition.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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