Yeti Fest!

I first heard about Yeti Fest in a book I read last month. Wade Rouse (his pen name Viola Shipman after his grandmother) writes heartfelt novels that are typically set in Michigan. I cannot speak for all his books, but the four I have read hold many ties to the area I live in now. The Secret of Snow was set right in Traverse City, which of course I loved. In the book, the main character attends the Yeti Fest in Sutton’s Bay so naturally I had to google to see if it’s a real thing. It is so I made sure to mark it on the calendar!

Yesterday, we arrived in Sutton’s Bay early afternoon and had plans to meet Ryan’s sister, her husband, and our newest niece Hazel. The quaint little town was pretty busy with people coming out to enjoy the festivities. We parked right by the skating rink where they were preparing for a hockey tournament. Then we headed to the main street and excitedly met up with Betsy, Karl, and baby Hazel.

Right after, we happened to run into our neighbors who let us know where face painting was. Unfortunately, the line was pretty long. Instead, we walked back to the ice rink. The hockey game had started, and the boys watched for a bit.

We all held sweet little Hazel, the most adorable snow baby by the way. Lucas also saw one of his best friends from school, so it was nice to have an opportunity to meet his parents.

After the game, the boys were getting pretty hangry. We walked down to VI Grill, a favorite restaurant of ours, and put our name in. While waiting, the boys checked out some fire trucks and roasted a few marshmallows over a fire.

Eventually our table was ready, and we enjoyed drinks and lunch together. Hazel was not a huge fan of Uncle Ryan today and it was pretty comical. Every time he talked to her or held her, she would pout and start to cry. Ryan is “that uncle” ha-ha. It was great catching up with Betsy and Karl and seeing the boys with their baby cousin.

After lunch, we said our goodbyes to Hazel and strolled down to the library for more Yeti Fest activities. Naturally a massive snow pile caught our attention, so we ended up playing on that instead.

A little bit later, we walked back to the van and noticed the ice rink was open to the public. The boys grabbed some hockey sticks and played for a while. It was a fun afternoon!