Since January, Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County residents have been exploring local landmarks and competing for prizes through a citywide scavenger hunt.
The Ypsi Winter Games, which runs until April 15, 2026, has brought players to notable places like the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, Riverside Park and the Ypsilanti Water Tower. At each location, participants in the event use clues from the event's website to scan codes hidden there, which can then be cashed in for Ypsilanti-themed prizes.
First founded in 2023, the Ypsi Winter Games was created by a group of passionate residents inspired by the Ann Arbor Summer Games, an annual scavenger hunt hosted by the Ann Arbor District Library. With the support of competitive badge hunters, the Ypsi Winter Games, according to their website, has become a staple in the Ypsilanti community — or so participants thought.
In reality, the Ypsi Winter Games are more than a scavenger hunt; they were first and foremost a scheme hatched by Ypsilanti resident Christopher Kok to propose to Julian Ho.
"We always loved the Ann Arbor Summer Games," Kok said. After seeing how Ho had enjoyed the Ann Arbor District Library's scavenger hunt, Kok decided to create a similar one throughout Ypsilanti. From the beginning, its website, which features some fabricated information, was all created with the hope of throwing Ho off of Kok's plan, while promoting community-based fun at the same time.
While the Ypsi Winter Games' website states that the scavenger hunt is the product of multiple passionate individuals, in actuality, the work was mostly done by Kok. The FAQ section also states that the 2026 Ypsi Winter Games is on its third year, when in reality its the first time the city has seen it.
However, the prizes offered by the Ypsi Winter Games are real, and can be obtained by participants once the event ends, either at a meet-up spot, or personally delivered to them by Kok. The prizes are sponsored by the Ypsilanti Township, which offered Ypsilanti-themed items to Kok for the prize pool. Some of the prizes that participants can earn by cashing in the points they receive by finding clues are an Ypsilanti-themed tote bag, journal and pen, and a handmade water tower token.
Updated only a couple of weeks prior to the hunt's conclusion, a handful of new badges appeared on the website, leading participants to find more codes at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.
"I always knew I wanted the Frieghthouse to be a center point for where I proposed, because that's where she started her art market, and art markets have become a huge part of our lives in the last year," Kok said. "One of the badges is set there, and I only released it towards the last couple weeks so that she wouldn't accidentally go there ahead of time."
On March 15, Kok led Ho to the Ypsilanti Freighthouse before what Ho believed to be a small gathering at a local restaurant. Prior to arriving, Kok had programmed the code to have an easter egg where if a certain sequence of numbers was pressed into a phone, a secret message would appear. According to Kok, the message told her that he had a question for her.
"That's when I proposed," Kok said. "She definitely didn't expect it ... it had been going on for a while ... I think she really liked that a lot of our friends were involved in testing the games, tricking her to coming out for lunch and dressing up."
Christopher Kok surprises Julian Ho with a proposal in front of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse on March 15, 2026. (Courtesy of Christopher Kok)
Ho said she was excited to see Ypsilanti embracing a similar idea as Ann Arbor, encouraging residents to engage with the local area.
"I thought vaguely that a city wide scavenger hunt would be a really cute engagement idea, but I had no idea he was planning this," Ho said.
Ho started crocheting around the winter of 2024, with her first table event taking place at the Ypsi Flea Market in the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.
"I'm very much self-taught, and a very avid crafter. For the past few years, I've done a lot of fiber art, and have fallen in love with how fun and tactile it is," Ho said. "I wanted to share that with people, and I think that's when I decided to open a small business and do some art markets ... The Freighthouse [was my] first milestone with it."
Christopher Kok and Julian Ho pose for a group photo in Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor after a surprise proposal on March 15, 2026. (Courtesy of Christopher Kok)
Badge hunters wishing to participate can still get in on the action. The scavenger hunt will officially close on April 15.
For more information on the event and how to participate, instructions on getting started can be found on the Ypsi Winter Games' website. To view the website in its entirety, users are required to sign up with an email and password.
