Palo Mud Run -- Off For Now

My Ramblin' column in today's Gazette was supposed to be about Palo Fun Day, scheduled Saturday. But, with all of the rain the last few days it has been canceled. Officials are to decide soon if they'll reschedule it or pass on the festivities this year.

Darn it all. I hope they reschedule, but I can see why they wouldn't. Saturday was supposed to be a day of enjoyment for a community that was devastated by the Flood of 2008 when only a handful of the town's homes were left untouched by the high water and mud. But a lot of folks were sandbagging again this week because of high water and they just might not be in the mood to celebrate.

After all, this week's rain and sandbagging certainly brought back memories of previous flooding, whether that was last year, 1993 or earlier than that. It's bad news for all of the folks who must worry about keeping their homes dry again.

I hope Rick Holmes, who organized the mud run, will be able to get his friends together again if Fun Day is rescheduled. He was all set to go on the field east of the rebuilt Mini Mart. That's Rick at left with his mud runner, Wild Cherry VI, that has a 3,000 horsepower engine and can scoot down the 200-foot long mud run in 2.16 seconds at 112 mph.

While drivers and spectators would both undoubtedly enjoy the high-powered vehicles flying through the mud, I was most intrigued when Rick told me about the "Dash for Cash." I'm sure it would have been a popular participation event.

The "Dash for Cash" is where spectators sign up to run through the mud from one end to the other of the track, which is 2/3rds the length of a football field. It's done in two age groups -- 5 to 11 and 12 and older (including adults if you want to try it.) The entry fee is $5 each with the first person to cross the finish line in each group taking home all of the cash paid by entrants.

The Fun Day was supposed to come to a close with fireworks at dusk as the adult dance continued to the music of "Stranded in Iowa." Here's to hoping that folks don't get stranded in Palo and that Fun Day can still be a bang up good time.