Larry and Maria Jappe opened the Mint for business 14 months ago. They first opened it on November 1, 2016. Maria said she wanted to have some kind of celebration in November, but just couldn’t get it scheduled. It’s been a great year. The highlights of the year; First and foremost, the people of Big Sandy who supported the business. Marla said, “The people of Big Sandy are fun and the community is just wonderful” Second, the employees of the Mint. She said they couldn’t have done it without the staff. They have been great to work with. Other highlights for the year were giving a facelift to an already established business with new paint and flooring. Of course, the addition of the wildlife display was also considered to be one of the highlights. Maria said that she and Lawrence, her son, enjoy making more creative specials. They’ve been coming up with a number of fun alternatives allowing for a few new choices to eat along with an established menu.
The Mint hired a new band for the celebration, The Street Jam Band which played the night away. The Street Jam Band members are from all over the state. There are four male members; two from Lewistown, one from Billings, and one from Malta. Families danced together with grandpas and grandchildren taking a whirl. They fed 130 people a free meal of Larry’s Award Winning Smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork, Scalloped Potatoes, Salads, and Rolls. The highlight of the evening for the Jappe’s was getting to say thank you to everyone in a really fun way. It was a great way to celebrate community. Big Sandy is a wonderful place with fabulous people.
