52 Dates: #25 - Town Water Fight in Bunkerville

July 05, 2012

52 Dates: #25 - Town Water Fight in Bunkerville

On Tuesday we drove the 5 minutes out to Bunkerville to check out their annual 3rd of July town water fight. Yes, you heard me right. TOWN. WATER. FIGHT. As we pulled off into Bunkerville a huge red banner strung across a parked truck read something like, "Caution: Town Water Fight In Progress" - wish I would have snapped a picture. Apparently this is a tradition that has been going on for 30+ years and keeps getting bigger each year. Everybody and their dog comes out for the fun. Literally. Poor wet pups in the back of trucks and barking on front lawns were getting as soaked as their owners!

Here are some of my preliminary shots from a distance when we were just observing. Basically, home owners have hoses, water balloon launchers, squirt guns, buckets, and any other water missiles you can think of to protect against truckloads of assaultants with wet projectiles.

We started out in our car, just driving around and surveying the madness. Then we progressed to the church parking lot, trying to stay well out of harms way. A friendly passerby gave Daphne some ammunition just in case she decided to join the mayhem.

Pictures weren't doing it justice, so I took this video to try and highlight some of the action - again, from a safe distance. Check out the guy in the gray shirt on the truck at the end who gets knocked sideways!

Eventually, we met up with these crazy kids - Brogan, Shantel Felshaw and family who were hauling a hydro-seeder full of 40 degree water. We could hear them coming all the way down the street because they had gone to the cement plant (where they have to keep the water almost at freezing temperatures) to fill up their water tanks and when they would blast the other trucks or home owners a shrill scream could be heard up and down the streets!

Burke jumped on top to launch water balloons while Daphne and I loaded inside the safety of the cab to enjoy the craziness without getting wet!

Such a good time. Burke was drenched from head to toe by the time we went down Chapel Way, but grinning from ear to ear. I loved that everyone was out - old and young - enjoying a unique community tradition. Even the missionaries made an appearance!