Organizers of this weekend’s Summer Mudfest 2007 claim their event will have all the fun and excitement of the Redneck Games but with none of the drunken nudity.

Robert Eitel and Michael Adkins are avid four-wheeler riders who were forced to create their own family-friendly mud festival because they didn’t feel comfortable taking their wives and children along with them to any of the area’s existing rides.

“The kind of events that happened at the Redneck Games a few weeks ago give both mudding and East Texas a bad name. A lot of the rides are like that now, so we decided, as both riders and family men, to start Mudfest,” Eitel said. “We just thought that there needed to be a different type of ride out there for people to go to. We want the public to know that most people who ride ATVs (All-Terrian Vehicles) don’t do it naked.”

The festivities started Thursday at noon at Mudcreek Off-road Park, although most of the events and races kicked off this morning. The weekend’s complete schedule of events is adjacent to this story.

“This year’s theme is Splash Fest. We made a waterfall on the powerline in Mudcreek. You can go down the powerline now and just get drenched. We’ve got mud truck racing, competition rides, mud bogs and a lot more,” Eitel said. Continue reading →