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"Summer heat can be unbearable, but one Michigan county has a creative way to battle the weather.\nMud Day, which has been a Wayne County tradition for the past 26 years, began on Tuesday at 11 a.m. and lasted for two hours. In 81-degree weather, kids under the age of 12 competed in games and relay races in a giant mud pit, vying for the titles of Mud King and Mud Queen. \n\"The parks department wanted to come up with a creative new event,\" said Lawrence Hemingway, the parks director for Wayne County, which includes Detroit. \"We built a pit and it has grown over the years.\"\nSee also: 8 Summer Camps From Movies That Need to Exist\nThe mud pit is a permanent section of Hines Park in suburban Detroit, measuring 1.5 feet deep, 70 feet wide and 150 feet long. Since it's a standing fixture, there's no need for fresh mud to be carted in for the annual event, but the parks department adds soil as needed every five years or so.\nMud Day is also an opportunity for the local Hazmat unit to train for a chemical emergency. The team brings portable showers and other water devices to hose off muddy kids as practice.\nSo enjoy, vicariously.\n\n\nMud Day 2014\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTwo children grin after participating in Mud Day in Wayne County, Michigan, on July 8, 2014. \n\nImage:  Lawrence Hemingway\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDespite the drizzly weather, Mud Day enthusiasts still showed up to play. \n\nImage:  Lawrence Hemingway\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA boy mugs for the camera after jumping in the mud pit.\n\nImage:  Lawrence Hemingway\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Mud king and queen, 6-year-old Anthony Werling and 9-year-old Jillian Palshan, pose with their crowns. \n\nImage:  Lawrence Hemingway\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParticipants soak in the mud after two hours of games and relay races.\n\nImage:  Lawrence Hemingway\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/07/08/michigan-mud-day-2014/>