For the first time ever at the Washington County Fair, fair-goers could experience the sounds, sights and sloppy thrills of a mud bog.
That is, as long as they had their knee-high muck boots, something to drink to ward off the day's heat and earplugs.
Parents covered their babies' ears and children clapped their hands over theirs as vehicle after vehicle revved their engines and braved the fairgrounds' soupy bog.
However, Elijah Foster of Marietta, 2, was more than happy to brave the mud near the grandstands.
With mud on his face and hands and halfway up his legs, Elijah ran his very own mini-mud bogger truck across the rutted tire tracks.
His mud bogger had mud up to its fenders, just like the competitors' trucks did.
Fact Box
About Mud Bogging:
Racers at the Washington County Fair mud bog competed in six classes: Street Stock Up to 33-inch tires, 34- to 36-inch, 37- to 40-inch, and 41- to 44-inch, Super Modified-Cut Tire and Outlaw 44-inch tractor tires.
Competitors must wear helmets in all but one class, and seatbelts for all classes.
A truck can only place once in the class in which they're competing, no matter how many runs the truck does.
According to general rules posted on the Washington County Fair website, "No Crybabies Allowed."
Elijah's parents, Jeremy and Teresa Foster of Marietta, enjoy mud bogs.
This year, they've been to other similar events at the fairgrounds and in Reno, Mineral Wells and St. Marys, W.Va.
Adam Paul of Marietta, 23 months, and his brother Bret Paul, 6, were at the mud bog with their mom, Sarah Pritchett of Marietta, and grandmother Evelyn Pritchett, also from Marietta.
"My boys are really into this," said Sarah Pritchett. "They love the trucks."
When a yellow and orange truck pulled up to the starting line, Bret Paul screamed "BamBam's here!" BamBam is the truck's name.
The Washington County Fair mud bog featured vehicles competing to see who could traverse the farthest across the muddy pit created by the company Mud Bogg of New Matamoras.
Mud Bogg has done three events at the Washington County Fairgrounds this year.
"We wanted to have one at the fair to put on a show for everybody," said Ryan Cisler, 21, who is with Mud Bogg. "I think they're getting a pretty good show."
The Mid-Ohio Valley experienced off-again, on-again precipitation over the Labor Day weekend.
"When it's hot the (mud) pit dries up and when it's raining it gets wet," noted Cisler. "It's always fun no matter what."
Between 70 and 80 trucks competed in the event. "It's one of the biggest turnouts we've had," said Cisler.
Boggers competed for prizes including $100 for "First Truck to Break the Pit" (go from the start line to finish line) and $100 for "Fastest Time of the Day."
Cisler, who raced in his first mud bog at age 15, said mud bogging is "more of a hobby, a sport" for him and his family.
"I just like seeing the competition," he said.
Mud Boggs' owner and Ryan's father, Scott Cisler, 49, of New Matamoras, got the crowd stirred up early in the event when his truck caught fire during a run.
Smoke poured from the vehicle as attendants ran to assist, one carrying a fire extinguisher.
"It just happens," Scott Cisler said. "Too much power in the motor and the transmission couldn't hold up."
"It (mud bogging) gets its name 'show time' for a reason," Scott Cisler added.
A competitive spirit runs through bogger Missy Bain's blood.
Racing in the class called "Street Stock up to 33-inch tires," Bain did her first run because of a dare her husband made.
"He said if I didn't do it, my sister would-and that was a challenge," Bain said. "I've been hooked ever since."
When she completed her first run, she "jumped about three feet off the ground" and wished for another entry in the event.
When she gets to the start line, Bain, 38, of Elizabeth, W.Va., said she tries to get in the right tracks and remember to shift gears at the right times.
Bain made two runs at Monday's mud bog, barreling 34 mud-flinging feet forward in the first run and 81.1 feet the second time.
According to Ryan Cisler, Mud Bogg will be at the 2013 Washington County Fair.
The company currently does 15 to 20 mud bogs around the Mid-Ohio Valley, including those in Wirt, Doddridge and Wetzel counties, Reno and St. Marys, W.Va.
