North Judson Mint Festival President Donna Henry presented the North Judson Town Council members with the special event permit application when they met Monday, February 17.
The North Judson Mint Festival is slated for June 13-15 this year. The theme is “Making Mint Memories”. A committee meeting is scheduled for tonight (February 20) at 6:30 p.m. CT at the North Judson-Wayne Township Public Library and it is open to the public.
Henry noted that the Dr. Ufkes Run/Walk event will take place around the North Judson Town Park at Weninger and George Streets this year. The map has yet to be finalized, but she indicated that the move is for safety and change of pace.
The town upgraded electric service at Norwayne Field in 2024 and Town Manager Joe Leszek said a walk-through in the area has not yet been done to be sure that everything is needed so that should be done before the permit is approved. They are waiting for better weather in the next week or so to conduct that walk through.
Council President John Rowe asked for an update on several items which will be addressed in a future meeting. Council member Eric Lewandowski noted that even with a $50 electric charge, booth space is one of the least expensive in festivals around the area. There could be discussions on increasing costs to help make the festival more profitable.
Lewandowski agreed to be the council’s liaison with the Mint Festival and that was approved by a vote of the council. Lewandowski abstained from the vote.
The council did unanimously vote to table the permit until a future meeting in order to conduct the electric walk-through and get answers to questions previously asked.
In a previous meeting, Deb and Terry Young asked the Town Council members for $3,000 to help bring in Henry Lee Summer as a part of the musician line up during the Mint Festival. Henry Lee Summer is a rock singer from Indiana and had many hit songs in the 1980s and his recent album was released in 2001. The council voted unanimously to provide the assistance in funding for Summer’s concert during the festival.
