Michigan Mud Day is Good Clean Fun

Detroit Free Press: Buckingham Palace has Kate and William, and now Westland has its own young royals: Cole and Kathyrn. Cole Argo, 10, of Novi and Kathyrn Hepp, 6, of Northville are the newly crowned king and queen of the 24th annual Mud Day.

Cole and Kathryn were among roughly 5,000 people who used the event as a way to beat the heat Tuesday at Hines Park in Westland. Children and adults alike dove into the mud pit, which took about 200 tons of topsoil and 20,000 gallons of water to create.

"The kids love it," said Brianna Conatser, 29, of Redford, who was enjoying her second year at Mud Day with her three kids. "They just love to get dirty." Though Conatser admits she's no fan of the mud, she couldn't stop her youngest daughter, 2-year-old Bella, from diving in.

"She was in way before me," Conatser said, snapping a photo of Bella covered head to toe in mud.

Although the event was originally designed for those 12 and younger, dozens of the young-at-heart joined in the fun, like Dan Perone. "This is my first time coming, and I definitely plan on coming back," said Perrone of Canton, who brought along his girlfriend, Candi Bostain of Romulus, to celebrate his 48th birthday in the mud bath. "It's a new adventure for us."

The two have been together for two years and said they are always searching for ways to have fun together. "There's nothing like the mud squishing between your toes," Bostain said. "Now I know what pigs feel like."

Mud Day offered many activities for its participants, including limbo contests, races and the crowning of a mud king and queen, an honor bestowed on the two people covered in the most mud.

But some kids didn't take to being slathered with mud. "I made up my mind, I'm not going in," said Spencer Christ, 5, of Dearborn Heights. His mother tried to convince him to just stick his feet in the brown goop, but he refused.

Wayne County's director of parks and recreation said the secret to the event's success is that it's all about the kids. "Kids always have to stay clean at home," Director Beverly Watts said. "This is one day where they can get down and dirty."