The Lion’s Club held the first Mint Festival in 1957. The
Lions Club, which was chartered in 1951, wanted to create
a festival to celebrate the abundance of mint being farmed in this
area. This idea gave the City of Jefferson the distinction of being
named the “Mint Capital of the World".
In 1958, as “gimmick” to draw a crowd, Lions Club member
Monte Weddle
came up with the idea to have a frog jump. The frog jump was modeled
after the famous frog jump in Angels Camp, of Calavaras County
California. Rules were obtained and revised to fit Jefferson’s needs
and Mr. Weddle served as the announcer for the frog jump for
the next 25 years.
The Lions Club sponsored the Mint Festival from 1954 to 1987.
The Jefferson Community
Service organization chaired the festival from 1988-1991 with the
Lions Club taking over again from 1992-1995. Since 2002, the Greater
Jefferson Improvement Association (renamed Jefferson Area Chamber of
Commerce in 2005) has sponsored the event.
This year, Jefferson Festivals, Inc. is being chartered to take over
production of the festival. Numerous volunteers,
who care for our community and continuing tradition, have generously
stepped forward to give festival goers an event they can be proud
of and look forward to year after year!
Schedule:
Friday
6:00 pm Queens Coronation
8:00 (approx) Live Music
Saturday
9:00 Car Show Registration Opens
10:00 Parade Downtown
10:00 Vendors Open
12:00 Car Show Registration
Closes
3:00 Car Show Awards
Live Entertainment on Stage all Day
Exact times and entertainers to be announced at a
later date.
Sunday:
12:00 Frog Jump Registration
1:00 Frog Jump Competition
More Entertainment to be Announced