Downtown Battle Creek to transform into Winter Wanderland this weekend

Deanna York can still remember the joys of attending community events as a child in southwest Detroit.

Oftentimes as an adult, she's wished she could relive those moments.

To that end, York, now a small-business owner in Battle Creek, has teamed up with multiple community partners to make that dream a reality, helping to launch the city's first Winter Wanderland event this weekend in downtown Battle Creek.

Horse-drawn carriage rides, a holiday tree forest, an indoor snowball fight and multiple vendor markets are just a few of the attractions people will be able to enjoy Friday and Saturday during the inaugural event.

"It’s all about bringing the community together," York said. "It's about creating those memories, allowing kids to come down and experience the environment, the culture of Battle Creek, the spirit of Christmas."

A maker's market dubbed the "Night Bazaar" — featuring wares from a variety of local artisans and creators — will kick things off from 4-8 p.m. Friday inside Kellogg Arena. Live holiday music and indoor activities for kids, including an inflatable slide, a Santa meet-and-greet and an indoor snowball fight will be included in the event.

Carriage rides will be offered downtown from 5-8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, with pick-up and drop-off at two locations: BC Cargo and State Street Commons. Free 10-minute massages, courtesy of York's small business Invigorating Touch, will also be offered in the area of BC Cargo, along with a hot chocolate station featuring warm cocoa, marshmallows, sprinkles and other toppings.

A holiday tree forest, featuring a variety of trees decorated by local businesses and nonprofits, will also be on display in Festival Market Square. A second holiday craft and vendor show will be held inside Kellogg Arena from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

A full list of events is available at battlecreekwinterwanderland.com.

York's idea for Winter Wanderland was sparked, in part, by her prior experience organizing an Easter egg hunt for her fellow gym members at Holmes Fitness in 2021. That experience led York to think bigger, putting on a city-wide Easter egg hunt this spring at Riverside Elementary.

York applied for and received a $3,000 placemaking grant from Penetrator Events to support the event, along with countless donations.

"The outpouring from this city is just heartwarming," York said of the experience. "I received monetary donations, I received eggs filled with candy, baskets, stuffed animals. I even had 25 people volunteer their time to come down there and help me rock that event out."

York estimates 450 people attended the community Easter egg hunt this spring. Motivated by the turnout, she set her sights on the winter season with the mindset of, "Let’s stimulate this economy, let’s bring people down here so they can see what it’s like in downtown Battle Creek."

Partnering with Penetrator Events and Sprout BC Founder Jeremy Andrews, John Hart of the Battle Creek Small Business Development Office, Breaking Bred and Kellogg Arena, York has brought her vision to life.

"There’s strength in numbers, especially with the work downtown and with event planning," Hart said. "We’re not relying on one agency to do it. We’re collaborating so that it’s involving the community, it’s direct community involvement in the planning and delivery of the programming.

"It’s more sustainable that way, it’s more holistic that way."

Breaking Bred, the hospitality and event business launched by Cafe Rica owners Tristan and Jackson Bredehoft, and the Battle Creek Farmers Market will host the "Night Bazaar" Friday. More than 60 vendors will be on hand to sell their wares, ranging from jewelry to soaps to candles and beyond.

With support from Tristan's partner, Michelle Salazar, the Bredehofts launched Breaking Bred Bazaar, an open-air marketplace for makers and artisans in the Battle Creek area, this summer. The market was held along Michigan Avenue the last Sunday of every month, May through September, with participation growing from 10 vendors to more than 30 by the end of the season.

"It just shows that things like this are possible in Battle Creek, things like this are wanted in Battle Creek and things like this are amazing for Battle Creek," Tristan Bredehoft said.

"The community has given a lot to us, they’ve supported us through a lot of tough times," Bredehoft continued. "They supported us when (Cafe Rica was) tiny and in a cargo unit. We've gotten a lot of support from the community, especially the downtown community and so we want to give back to them. These events are one of the ways that we can."

Andrews views Winter Wanderland as yet another opportunity to draw people downtown.

"It’s about being a good partner with all of our small businesses, the ones that are doing well and the ones that are struggling and trying to use all of our collective abilities to bring them more customers, bring people from the south side of town into downtown, but more importantly to bring people from out of town into town," Andrews said. "I would like us to attract dollars from communities outside of Battle Creek and continue to become a place that people want to go to even if they’re not from here."

"The idea is we’re going to grow this thing," Hart added. "Next year it’ll have even more programming, extend maybe more than one weekend."

For more information, visit battlecreekwinterwanderland.com.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Downtown Battle Creek to transform into Winter Wanderland this weekend