THUNDER BAY - Any kid will tell you that playing in the mud can be a lot of fun. And if they can do it while their parents cheer them on, all the better.
On Sunday, it was the kid’s turn to get muddy during the inaugural Little Muckers event at Mount Baldy Ski Area. On Saturday, the first Mud and Suds was held at the ski hill, which brought in more than 900 contestants and raised more than $56,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
“With our first year of our ownership at the ski hill, these are the kind of events we want to help with the community and bring people out to Mount Baldy just like in the winter,” said Kristof Kardas, one of the owners of Mount Baldy Ski Area.
Like Mud and Suds, Little Muckers was also a fundraiser, with all money raised going toward Camp Quality. Kardas said he hopes it raised just as much if not more as Mud and Suds.
And while the adults had a blast on Saturday, Kardas said it was important to have a day especially for the kids, too.
“It brings everyone together,” he said. “We are a family ski hill. You can’t do one without the other. The kids have their own little teams together. It’s about team building and the costumes are amazing.”
There was no shortage of imaginative and creative costumes, from kids wearing crowns to suspenders and glasses as they tackled muddy trails, monkey bars, an uphill run, and a waterslide for some added fun.
Sophia Legary, Madison Breton, and McKenna Murphy, all 12-years-old, were part of the team, Dirty Little Muckers.
For the Dirty Little Muckers, the hardest part of the course was the uphill climb to the waterslide.
“It was really tiring,” said Sophia.
But that wasn’t the only challenge facing the girls. It is a mud run after all.
“There were a couple of tires buried in the mud and your feet would get stuck,” Madison said.
“You have to run really fast,” Sophia added. “When you run slowly, you sink more. So you just have to get through it.”
Despite the tiring uphill climb and the tricky mud, the girls said the course was still a little too easy.
“I hope it’s a little more challenging and longer next year,” McKenna said.
“And I hope there is a swimming part to it, too,” Sophia added.
For Terry Brooke and his four-year-old son, Logan, the entire event was well worth getting a little dirty.
“It was a blast,” Brooke said. “It was a great time for sure. It was a lot of fun and it was fun with the kids. We will come back next year for sure.”
Kardas said given the success of the event’s first year, they are hoping to make it an annual tradition and keep making it bigger and better.
“We would love to have it annually and just keep growing with it,” Kardas said. “We had an amazing turnout yesterday. But now we know we can take it to the next level, add more implements, make it bigger, have people from out of town come out here for it.”
And as long as they don’t take away the waterslide, Logan will be happy.
“I ran it twice,” Logan said. “Because I love the waterslide.”
