Children covered in paint ran to various tents holding gooey slime balls. They dug through the dirt with forks and squirted shaving cream at one another.
They filled plastic bags with baking soda, vinegar and paint powder and then watched in delight as the mixture oozed and plopped onto sheets of paper to make a colorful, and very messy, art project.
This untidiness was not unorganized. Rather, it was the result of the annual Messy Mania event, a summer gathering organized by the Bloomington Parks and Recreations Department.
“It gives the kids something to do outside of their homes where they can get messy and the parents don’t have to pick up after them,” said Lynsie Haag, a community events specialist for the department. “We take care of everything, all the activity prep time and cleanup, for them. They just have to come and play.”
This year’s event was the biggest yet, with more activity stations and a larger space. It was the first time the festivities have taken place in Bryan Park.
This venue worked well because once the children were covered in sweat, dirt and paint they could easily hop in the park’s swimming pool to clean up.
To make a day in the park even more enticing, temperatures were predicted to be higher than 90 degrees. This forecast meant, under the parks department’s new “90 Degree Pool Days” rule, the community was welcome to swim for free from 4-6 p.m. at either Bryan Park Pool or Mills Pool.
This free admission is granted during these times on any days when the forecast shows temperatures 90 degrees or higher.
Before a dip in the pool, though, parents paid the $5-per-child entrance fee to make a mess. Haag guessed about 100 children came to enjoy the fun.
“We come to Messy Mania every year and the kids just love it,” Fawn McCauley, a local mom, said. “I think it brings everybody together from all walks of life and from all parts of Bloomington. Things like this strengthen the community here.”
McCauley attended the event with her young daughter, Rose, and her friend, Ashley Gustin. During the school year, the women work as teachers.
“I love this because it gives us something to do in the summer,” Gustin said. “I like having organized events like this to get us out of the house.”
Other activities kids could participate in included rubber band painting, during which paint-soaked rubber bands are flicked above paper so the paint splatters across the page, as well as across the artist’s face.
Children could also squish and play with potato flakes and create giant bubbles using hula-hoops.
