Summer heat can be unbearable, but one Michigan county has a creative way to battle the weather.
Mud Day, which has been a Wayne County tradition for the past 26 years, began on Tuesday at 11 a.m. and lasted for two hours. In 81-degree weather, kids under the age of 12 competed in games and relay races in a giant mud pit, vying for the titles of Mud King and Mud Queen.
"The parks department wanted to come up with a creative new event," said Lawrence Hemingway, the parks director for Wayne County, which includes Detroit. "We built a pit and it has grown over the years."
[seealso slug="best-movie-summer-camps"]
The mud pit is a permanent section of Hines Park in suburban Detroit, measuring 1.5 feet deep, 70 feet wide and 150 feet long. Since it's a standing fixture, there's no need for fresh mud to be carted in for the annual event, but the parks department adds soil as needed every five years or so.
Mud Day is also an opportunity for the local Hazmat unit to train for a chemical emergency. The team brings portable showers and other water devices to hose off muddy kids as practice.
So enjoy, vicariously.
[nggallery id="17507" layout="list"]