Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Melonfest bounced back on Sunday following severe storms that blew through, although not all businesses and vendors were as lucky.

Strong storms with high winds storms knocked out power and downed trees late Saturday afternoon.

Many 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, and a number of vendors suffered damage and losses.

Warnings were said to have been issued at the festival, and many stated that radar indicated the storm was going to pass over and miss the area but instead sunny skies abruptly disappeared to darkness and intense winds – with booths, tents, tables, and chairs flying around and people running 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 Wild Birds Unlimited - located across the way from the Howell Opera House and Bentley Lake Farms melon stand.

Laurel Zoot 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”.

Zoot 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.

Zoot said when she arrived Sunday morning, tents were in mangles all over at the Library lot, and you could see holes/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 that had a rough weekend are able to get back on their feet.