Time to Get Dirty: Blake’s Prairie Battle at the Bog Returns to Bloomington
If you've never been to a mud bog, you may be wondering what in the world people find so entertaining about watching somebody intentionally drive a vehicle into a giant pit of mud. The short answer is: probably everything. Me? I say, "Gun It!"
The 11th Annual Blake’s Prairie Battle at the Bog is coming to the Bloomington Fairgrounds in Bloomington, Wisconsin, on Sunday, September 20th, starting at noon. It's a free-to-watch, family-friendly event built around a simple premise: take some seriously capable machines, point them toward a mud pit, and see who can get through it the fastest.
If you've never experienced a mudding event before, this might be one of those places where you show up wondering what all the fuss is about and leave wondering why you didn't find these people sooner.
For the uninitiated, a mud bog is basically a race through a pit filled with mud. I had many a friend who loved to do it on back country roads, Level Bs, and the occasional cornfield or two. In this case, Jeff Struntz, who helps put on Blake’s Prairie Battle at the Bog, describes the pit as roughly 150 feet long and about knee-deep. Competitors hit the mud, put the pedal down and do their best to make it all the way through.
Sometimes the machine charges through like it was built for the job. Sometimes the mud wins. That's part of the fun; well, that and an ice-cold beverage if memory serves me right. Mud bogging is a little bit motorsport, a little bit competition, and a whole lot of getting dirty.
Blake's Prairie Battle at the Bog has plenty of variety, too. Classes include 2x4 ATV, 4x4 ATV, UTV, snowmobile, diesel truck, stock truck, street stock, street modified, modified, pro mod, and super mod. In other words, if you like things with engines, wheels, and questionable levels of filth, there is a pretty good chance you will find something worth watching, and by the end it'll be painted in mud.
Competitors get two runs. The first pass goes through the classes in the correct order, while the second pass goes in reverse order. A driver's best time from either pass becomes their official run time. If a machine does not make it all the way through the pit, the distance it traveled determines the result. The entry fee depends on the class. ATV, UTV, and snowmobile entries are $10. Diesel truck through street stock classes are also $10, while street modified through super mod classes are $20. A pit pass is $10 for those who want to get closer to the action. By the way, the top three finishers in each class receive trophies and a payout, with 100 percent of the entry fees going back to the competitors.
For those of you that want the glory and the pay out, there is some cost. However, for spectators the price of admission is a whole lot easier to swallow. It's totally free. There will be some bleachers available, or you can bring your own chair and find a good spot to watch the action. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on the grounds. No carry-ins or coolers are allowed at this event.
Here's the best thing about mud bogging: you don't need to know anything about it to enjoy. You don't have to be able to tell a street modified truck from a super mod. You don't need to know what kind of tires somebody is running, or understand every mechanical decision that goes into building one of these beastly machines. You just need to appreciate the sight of somebody hitting a mud pit with the throttle wide open.
There is something about an event like this that brings people together. Call it a red-neck fantasy land, heck, it basically is and I'm all about it! The competitors know each other. Families come out. Friends gather around the pit. People talk about their machines, compare setups, and swap stories about past runs. Just like running flooded roads and fields when were teens and maybe a bit more "devil may care." If you've never been to a mudding event, there is a decent chance you will discover something about yourself. Who knows? You might just find your people.
The 11th Annual Blake's Prairie Battle at the Bog takes place Sunday, September 20th, at the Bloomington Fairgrounds in Wisconsin, 570 Mill Street. The event begins at noon, spectator admission is free, food and beverages will be available for purchase, and competitors will be battling it out through a knee-deep, 150-foot-long pit. Bring on the mud, just leave the good shoes at home.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
