Trucks will get down, dirty at Extreme 4x4 Challenge

Tri-City farmers Zach and Jenny Berg were looking for a fun way to relax after harvest last fall when they came up with MudFest '09.

The celebration was originally planned to include just family and friends, but they ended inviting the whole town to their farm and nursery off Road 68 in Pasco.

The event featured all sorts of outrageous dirty fun like tractor pulls, dirt drags, mug bog races, tugs of war and rock crawls.

The Bergs are doing it again this year on June 26-27. And this time they'll hold it at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick.

"We quickly found out there were too many reasons why Franklin County and our neighbors didn't want us to have it (at the farm)," Jenny Berg said.

The traffic jam from the 3,000 people who attended last year's event had something to do with that, she added.

"But that was OK because we quickly found another venue that could hold the traffic," she added.

The two-day event -- now called Extreme 4x4 Challenge -- will feature the tractor pull, dirt drags and the music of Stomping Grounds on June 26. On June 27 it'll be the mug bog races, rock crawls and a tug of war that anyone can take part in, Berg said.

"Any vehicle can sign up and they basically go one-on-one to see who can pull the other over the line," she said.

General admission to Extreme 4x4 Challenge is $12 in advance, or $15 at the gate for adults and $6 for kids 5-12. VIP tickets are $25 for Saturday and $20 for Sunday for both adults and kids. Proceeds from the event will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Advanced tickets are available at Ranch and Home or at www.allseasonspasco.com. The Pasco Eagles also will have a beer garden on site with proceeds going to St. Jude's.

*Dori O'Neal: 582-1514; doneal@tricityherald.com

This story was originally published June 25, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Trucks will get down, dirty at Extreme 4x4 Challenge ."