The 38th annual Silver Bells in the City festival kicks off Friday evening in downtown Lansing. Nearby, a new feature for the city this year converts a park into a holiday marketplace.
A cluster of small wooden sheds ring a small ice rink in Reutter Park at Capitol Avenue and Kalamazoo.
The Kringle Holiday Market features 10 vendors selling food and keepsakes.
By noon, Ella Karrick had only a few curious customers stop by her stand, Groovy Gemstones.
“We’re starting off a little slower, but I mean, it’s cold and it’s Michigan, and it’s early on in the day,” Karrick said. “But we have Silver Bells tonight and I’m really excited to see some people.”
A few yards away, Pam Philo at Honey Bun Bakery called the market “a fantastic idea.”
“I think that Lansing needs more pop-up markets like this, especially in the downtown area. And I think the ice rink is a super cool thing because we’ve never had that before,” said Philo.
Jazmin Anderson with Downtown Lansing, Inc. says the sheds will be a permanent fixture of Reutter Park.
“Our hopes are to have like a farmers’ market down there and other events like concerts in the park, and just use the sheds as much as possible with a variety of different things, and hopefully some of those vendors come back out for other activities,” Anderson said.
The Kringle Holiday Market will be open through December 17.