Just off Elm Street near Suttons Bay High School, those passing by may notice a large, sparkling and green shamrock decoration along the bridge in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day this month.
Those decorations and others seen over the last year, such as a Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas tree, were handmade by Suttons Bay residents Judy Walter and her husband Jon. The Walters, who were looking to downsize, moved into a home across from the small bridge last June. A month after settling into their new home, Judy said she and her daughter decided to add some Fourth of July decorations to the bridge for the first time.
“These are all done in jest and fun,” Walter said. “I’ve always done seasonal displays in my house, and I was feeling like this is a much smaller house and it was going to be a little bit harder to do that, so I might have been subconsciously looking for another way to replicate that…” Many of the other villages in Leelanau have annual July bridge walks, so to fill the absence of one in Suttons Bay, Walter had a small one of her own last year with about 13 people present, including her supportive neighbor Liz Vinnie.
