It will be a weekend all about mud and music as the first ever Extreme Mudfest hits Bonnyville.
This coming weekend, Aug. 21 to 23, locals and visitors alike will descend on the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds for a three-day event inspired by mud.
“The Road Hammers have the single 'Mud' and we're working with them on this event. So we thought what a cool thing to do, to wrap an event around the song,” said Billie Jo Aasen, president of 542 Entertainment.
Together, The Road Hammers, Fuelled by Rednecks and 542 Entertainment have teamed up with the Canadian Mud Racing Organization (CMRO) to bring some of the best mudders to Bonnyville for Mudfest. Kicking-off on Aug. 21, there will be a Friday night super modified shootout and modified lawn mower racing. Hitting the stage that night is local boys from the FKB Band and The Trews.
The mudding continues the following day with CMRO sanctioned racing, truck demolition derby, tuff truck challenge, modified lawn mower racing and even a watermelon-eating contest. Live music that night includes another local band Killers and Kings, who will be opening for country music star Aaron Pritchett and the popular country-rock band The Road Hammers.
“Clayton Bellamy (of The Road Hammers) is a local from Bonnyville, so we thought it'd be really neat to do Mudfest in his hometown,” said Aasen. “It's just the perfect opportunity to help this event grow and to wrap our brand around it.”
Since The Road Hammers are at the centre of Extreme Mudfest, Aasen said there would be an extra surprise for one lucky fan when the band hits the stage on Saturday night.
“We will be announcing our winner who will win an all expense paid trip to Las Vegas for the Kobalt 400 and they'll be going down with The Road Hammers in March. That'll be really exciting.”
Sunday, Aug. 23 is family day at the mudfest. The winners of the weekend will emerge, as the finals for all of the categories will be raced that day.
Ticket sales have been going well for the inaugural event, with organizers expecting to see a lot of sales at the gate. There are still spots left for competitors to enter the racing events as well. However, Aasen recommends that anyone interested in purchasing tickets to the event or registering to compete do so ahead of time since prices go up at the gate.
It will be a weekend for mudding enthusiasts of all ages. To make it a family event, they've added a kids' zone with bouncy castles and monster truck rides. For those looking for just a weekend of partying, there is on-site camping still available for weekend pass holders.
After months and months of planning, Aasen's ecstatic for the first Extreme Mudfest to finally be here.
“First year events are both nerve racking and really exciting, because you can't wait to see how everyone reacts to what you've spent so much time building. We're really happy we made this decision to build our first mudding and music event in Bonnyville.”
With the great reception the event has received, Aasen added that they're definitely going to be making Extreme Mudfest an annual event.
For more information about Extreme Mudfest, go to www.extrememudfest.com.
