Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com

Howell's Melon Festival bounced back Sunday following severe storms that blew through Saturday evening, though some businesses and vendors either closed or had packed up and left.

Saturday's storms brought high winds that knocked out power and downed trees.

Attendees and vendors said the storm “came out of nowhere” and things quickly went from “fun to scary”.

Per DTE Energy’s Outage Map, power has been restored to the majority of customers.

Festival activities were cancelled following the storms but resumed Sunday. Some locations were changed due to damage, with a number of vendors suffering losses.

Warnings were said to have been issued at the festival, with some vendors stating radar indicated the storm was going to pass over and miss the area, but winds quickly toppled booths, tents, tables and chairs, fording people to run for cover.

Some booths were totaled, but many vendors expressed appreciation to community members and others who tried to help during the storm and in the aftermath.

The following was posted on social media by PweesCustomDesigns, middle photo:

“Friends, we are heartbroken to share that we will not be attending the final day of Howell Melon Fest. Yesterday’s severe weather caused significant damage to our booth and displays.

"As you can see in the photos, tents collapsed, products were soaked, and much of our setup was destroyed in the storm. We did everything we could to save as much inventory as possible, but unfortunately, the damage was too great to continue today.

"We are so thankful for the amazing community, fellow vendors, and friends who helped us pack up in the middle of the storm. Your support means the world.

"The good news: many of our items are still available online and will be restocked soon! I’ll also share updates about upcoming events where you can shop with us in person.

"Thank you for your understanding, encouragement, and continued love for PweesCustomDesigns. This is just a bump in the road, and I’ll be back stronger than ever!"

WHMI caught up with Laurel Zoet at Wild Birds Unlimited - located across the way from the Howell Opera House and Bentley Lake Farms melon stand.

Zoet said they were lucky compared to other vendors, and only a few items got carried off. She said staff was on site and got soaked trying to hold their tent and keep it from blowing away but she was informed it was a “good bonding experience amongst co-workers, so they rolled with it and did a good job”.

Zoet said from her understanding, there was really just no warning – and that people were watching radar but "the radar was not matching reality". She said within 3-4 minutes, it went really dark, the rain turned on like a light switch, the window at the Opera House blew out because of the pressure of the wind, and the roof flew off their neighbor’s tents.

Zoet said when she arrived Sunday morning, tents were all over the Library lot, and you could see holes and gaps where some vendors had to pack it in because they lost all of their inventory or set-ups. She added she hopes any festival vendors impacted are able to get back on their feet.