HOLLY, Mich. (WXYZ) — The National Weather Service confirmed a weak, EF-0 tornado hit near Lake Fenton Monday night tracking through Holly, going right through a farm owned by the owners of the Holly Hotel.
“It took like a 40-foot-wide swath, west to east right through the farm,” owner George Kutlenios said of the tornado. "This is just another layer of impact, basically.”
Kutlenios and his wife Chrissy live on the 60-acre farm called Red Riding Hood Stables, which like the Holly Hotel, also operates as a wedding venue. The tornado damaged their wedding tent and tore down branches and roughly a dozen trees while also destroying a small greenhouse where brides prepare on their big day.
“We were going to buy a lottery ticket today because I think we used up all our bad luck in the last three weeks,” Kutlenios said with a smirk. "We have to laugh or smile our way through it.”
The fire at the historic restaurant was devastating, closing the restaurant and canceling weddings until further notice. The tornado, although weak, adds even more cost to their running list of repairs.
“We consider ourselves lucky. We’re fortunate that this is all that happened,” Kutlenios said of the damage. "We lost some beautiful trees and some fences and our little greenhouse thing, but no one was hurt.”
Despite the damage, the couple remains positive. All of their beloved horses were unharmed and their farm for the most part remains in tact. Along with a strong resilience to repair and reopen.
“We can replace stuff, life goes on,” Kutlenios said. “The things that were broke we’ll fix, and what else can you do?”
According to the NWS, the tornado was on the ground for about nine minutes, traveling 7.5 miles with peak winds hitting 65 mph.
Related: Crowdfunding campaign launched to help rebuild downtown Holly
