Stuard mud day is a splash

Typical playground activities were abandoned for Stuard Elementary School’s Mudventure on Sept. 12, where students and young siblings frolic, slide, and roll in mud, sand, and sludge. The annual event gives kids a chance to do what they may otherwise be scolded for — getting absolutely filthy.

Parents and bystanders kept a cautious lookout for splattering mud and out-of-control water hoses, but were still the unintentional targets of the excitement.

When fourth-grader Ellie Caron was asked why she was burying Brady Broussard up to his smile in sand, she simply answered, “Because,” without looking up from patting the mound with a plastic shovel.

Second grade twins Maverick and Piper Johnson show what happens when you do the mud ball roll.

Liam Mendoza nudges a ball through mud using only his head, a slimy requirement for the mud ball race.

Sophia Broussard hoses off after she and her friends spent an hour smearing mud on each other.

Jonah Blassingame fully emerges himself in the joy of getting muddy.

Ellie Caron buries a giggling Brady Broussard in the sand box.

Getting clean is part of the fun for Stuard Mudventure fans.

A mud pit free-for-all

Four-year-old D. J. Duncan searches through Jello for floating balls in a less-muddy contest.

Bodies in the sand

Bath time doesn't do much good when the water is murky.

“This year I think the kiddos’ favorite part was the head rolling, where they raced to push a ball with their head down the muddy path,” Roberts said. “But we added an extra fun water rinse off at the end that was donated to us by Phillips.”

Roberts said Katie Griffin is the "mastermind behind this event" and it is an idea she continues from when she was an educator in Arizona.

Food trucks, frozen treats, and lunchroom tables provided a picnic atmosphere in the parking lot for the families.