It was a damp and cloudy Saturday morning. It was that sad type of weather where the clouds are eternally on the cusp of raining, yet it never comes. Essentially, it was the weather equivalent of that “I feel like I’m about to sneeze, but this potential sneeze prefers to tease” experience. In short, it was a far cry from the sunny and pristine childhood Saturdays you typically associate with cereal.

But I wasn’t about to let that dampen my mood, as well. Because it was 6:30am, and it was time to get driving. Why? Because it was the day of the 2015 Cereal City Festival, of course! Hosted every summer by Kellogg’s and Post in their shared city headquarters of Battle Creek, Michigan, the festival is an all-you-can-eat extravaganza celebrating the food which we all love, and which Battle Creek is built on (you can’t prove to me that the soil isn’t Cocoa Pebble dust). Somewhere in Minnesota, General Mills watches with jealousy.

Along with two of my friends, I made the pilgrimage to this cereal nirvana and was able to pull myself out of a food coma long enough to write about it. I won’t bore you with any buildup or exposition in which I describe my growing anticipation during the long car ride. No: let’s start this story right in Battle Creek itself!

When I stepped out of the car, I was immediately struck with a tantalizing aroma. Even though we parked blocks from the festival itself, the sweet scent of cereal was in the air itself. Partially following the smell and my sixth sense which magnetically pulls me toward cereal, but mostly following the huge crowds of people all walking in the same direction, we navigated through beautiful Battle Creek until we reached the heart of the action. A fire truck roadblock— complete with smiling firefighters posing with children for photo ops —signaled the beginning of the event.

Wow.

It was a long street of countless picnic tables (this festival probably keeps the picnic table industry alive, too). Spaced out amongst the tables were the more important fixtures: large tents filled with volunteers, pouring bowl after bowl after bowl after oh sweet cereal powers that be, there are so many bowls. From Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes to Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles, all of your Kellogg’s and Post favorites were represented here.

And, oh, what’s this? Yes, even Ralston Corn Flakes and Corn Biscuits were available! This may seem odd to some, as former cereal kingpin and Cereal City mainstay Ralston is known now for producing mostly pet food along with Purina. But I welcomed the diversity, and used it as an excuse to ungracefully gobble down cereal like a dog and lap up the milk like a cat.

In a challenge that seems like it would belong on The Amazing Race, after grabbing a bowl, you must locate one of the festival’s wandering cereal gurus and trust that he or she pours the right amount of milk for you. I know, I know: many cereal fans are particular about milk ratios, but this move is understandable by the festival in order to keep “opportunity seekers” from sneaking off with six gallons of 2% (“Hey honey, look what I…found…today!”)

What about after you finish the bowl? Well grab another! And another! Then walk to the next tent and do it again! You can even stop by one of the Pop-Tart peddlers, who will dole you out free pastries as you awkwardly stuff them into your camera bag and mumble guiltily about how you’re just “taking a few extra for your mom.” Don’t judge me.

And I know this is a mainly cereal blog, but let’s just take a minute to appreciate these Pop-Tarts. I’ve always loved Pop-Tarts, probably because the endless colorful flavors and holographic packaging make them seem like goofy, edible trading cards. That’s why it felt particularly noteworthy to receive these rare “one pastry packs,” which I have never seen before and now consider to be limited edition collector’s items rivaling a first edition holographic Charizard in eBay value. I’ll probably frame mine.

At the end of the row of tents and tables was a stage featuring live music and a booth selling officially licensed Kellogg’s merchandise. I plumbed the depths of the bargain bin and came up with a $5 historical artifact from 2012 advertising some long-forgotten Cheez-it promotion. It had nothing to do with cereal, but darn it, if the day ever comes when I don’t buy a shirt with a dapper Pepper Jack on it, call the FBI, because someone has stolen my identity.

I also couldn’t resist buying a “Breakfast Club” shirt featuring the most iconic members of the Kellogg’s Krew. It was the least I could do to try and compete with the girl I saw wearing an actual Breakfast Club t-shirt depicting the 1985 movie, a wardrobe choice that was made with either a strong sense of irony or a tragic misunderstanding of what the festival would be about.

After this was a cluster of non-cereal tents and vendors which range from the benign (loud salespeople brandishing “magic” cleaning products and fragile paper crafts) to the straight up hokey (one word: Scientology). Also conspicuously present was a circus-y trailer selling all manner of fried food, appealing to that niche audience of people who like the chase their Frosted Mini-Wheats down with an elephant ear and butterfly chips. This whole area gave the festival a bizarre “county fair” feeling which was a little off-putting. But at least it gave people something to look at whilst digesting a metric ton of Raisin Bran.

Capping off the experience were a few iconic cereal mascots running around. I spotted Sugar Bear in the distance, but was unable to track him down amongst the crowd. I did, however, get a photo with Dig ‘Em the frog of Honey Smacks fame. Since Honey Smacks and Golden Crisp are so similar, I can only assume Dig ‘Em stealthily “took care of” Sugar Bear in order to revel in the spotlight uncontested. The puffed wheat industry sure must be full of bad blood. And sugar.

Satisfied with our cereal-filled bellies, we began our trek out, savoring the scent of the magical, cereal-infused atmosphere as long as possible. Who knows what next year will bring? After all, Cereal City 2014 (a far sunnier day) featured a Sugar Bear hot air balloon. If you love cereal and are in the area, I invite you to check it out.

All in all, it felt like a big win. Sure, the festival is a sugar rush that will leave you crashing on the drive home, but it’s worth it for the breakfast buffet bonanza and the shared celebration of a breakfast pastime beloved by so many for so long.