FELLSMERE — Mud-bogging, dirt biking and four-wheeling took to the muddy tracks of MESA Park Saturday, drawing a few hundred people out to the Fellsmere site. Riders and enthusiasts will be out again Sunday and Monday.
Theresa Duke and Ron McMath, both of Bulldog Auto Sales, on County Road 512 in front of MESA Park, wanted to bring life back to the facility and administrators with the City of Fellsmere allowed them to do just that – for a limited amount of time.
The mud-bogging will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday – out of deference to area churches, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. Parking and admission are free. Riding, too, is free.
Duke got temporary approval from the city to hold the three-day free community event as a trial balloon, to determine the interest and noise level before going to the Fellsmere City Council later this month to request more events.
“I am overwhelmed,” Duke said of the turnout Saturday – four hours in and they had more than 200 signed waivers from spectators and participants.
She said she wanted to get the mud-bogging and dirt-bike riding going again to keep kids off the street – literally.
Her own daughter, 17-year-old Alex, is an enthusiast and has plenty of room at home to ride her own vehicles. Other kids don’t have that luxury, Duke said.
“There obviously is a need,” she said of providing closer-to-home opportunities for riding, which helps keep local dollars local and curbs riding on unwilling private property owners’ lands.
John Felkey, a long-time Fellsmere resident, took to the course on his 2009 Kawasaki KX250F bike and caught air on the “doubles” – the dirt hills placed closed together.
“I want this to continue,” Felkey said of having MESA Park open for such events. “I want to support it.”
He said that if not for the course at MESA, he’d have to go elsewhere and spend about $100 in gas to get there and back.
“It could bring back money to this area,” Felkey said of renewing interest in mud-bogging and riding at MESA. “The economy is horrible. Why would we turn down money?”
Others who came out to MESA on Saturday agreed that they would like to see the park reopen again for racing.
“It’s just a blast,” said John Salmon, of Sebastian, who drove his 1997 Jeep Wrangler through the mud pit, throwing mud everywhere. He said it was like driving through dirty rain.
Even those who didn’t ride appeared to have a good time.
The Carstairs Family, of Sebastian, came out just to see what mud-bogging was all about.
“It’s definitely entertaining for the kids,” said Stephanie Carstairs, adding that it didn’t hurt the weather was good and the admission was free.
Eight-year-old Dawson Carstairs said he liked watching the dirt bikes and ATVs, especially when they caught air on the jumps.
His sister, Skylar, 10, said she wants an ATV so she could go riding.
“She likes to get dirty,” Stephanie said.
“We’re just one happy family enjoying the mud,” Dan Carstairs said.
