Mud Days a blast

"It's just fun."

If you would have talked with any mud-bog racing enthusiasts this weekend, you would have learned that fun is a good enough reason for them to drive thier vehicle down into a three foot deep mud bog and try to reach the other side. And this last weekend, there was plenty of fun to be had.

In an effort to bring more entertainment to the West End, Kacy Noonan and Drew Sukow formed West End Entertainment, a company with that goal in mind. This last weekend, Friday through Sunday, they held their first event entitled Montana Mud Days. The event was held in Haugen inside a field where event organizers had created the perfect mud bog.

The weekend kicked off Friday night with a concert by the Copper Mountain Band and then on Saturday, emcee and marketing coordinator for the event, Danny Noonan, welcomed everyone, with a special welcome to the "mud lovers of all ages."

The event attracted those from as far as Missoula all the way over to Spokane. Drivers just wanted to be able to "put their truck in the mud." Danny said that Haugen is in the located in the perfect spot for hosting an event such as Montana Mud Days.

"We're in the perfect spot," Danny said, "because a lot of people from Washington and Idaho are interested in these types of events."

And interested they were.

On Saturday, the day kicked off with mud-bog racing. The goal? Be able to be the first to drive your vehicle through a mud-bog pit as quick as you could to beat your opponent. It sounds simple, but drivers quickly discovered that it wasn't as simple as it appeared.

The cars were organized into different classes that included open, stock, super stock, modified and super modified. The quick, speedy cars were able to skim over the top of the mud, cutting right through it to get to the other side, but when it came time for the larger vehicles, the drivers quickly found themselves stuck in the mud and waiting on the larger, more powerful vehicles to pull them out.

And as vehicle after vehicle became stuck in the muck, organizers quickly realized that their mud bog was too much and decided to clear a bit away to the drivers a better chance.

While the backhoe worked to clear away one side of the track, organizers had some trouble enticing people to run through the mud in the Dash for Cash, but eventually, after learning that there was a sprinkler to get cleaned off with, a pool of around 20 people decided to try their hand at running through the bog to claim a $1,000 prize. Other games including mud wrestling and a slip-in-slide also enticed those wanting to get dirty, but the spectators seemed to favor the mud-bog racing.

When the vehicles got stuck, the drivers did their best to avoid having to get down in the bog while trying to attach the chain to their vehicle so they could be pulled out. Spectators shouted for the drivers to "get in the mud," and often cheered when they did. But as much as the crowd loved seeing the vehicles get stuck, it was much more rewarding to watch a vehicle power through the bog. Audience members and those participating also enjoyed picking out which vehicle they thought would win only to be surprised when their choice didn't come in first.

"It's about the big loud trucks and a lot of mudslinging," Danny said. "It's knowing that you can't walk through the stuff, but that the most powerful trucks and vehicles can."

The Copper Mountain Band also performed on Saturday night for audiences. On Sunday, there were more mud games and mid-bog racing to behold.