On April 18, 1990, the Bethel Citizen listed the activities that would begin at the Bethel Village Green that Sunday, April 22: a mud parade, mud volleyball, and other contests and games throughout the day.

The events were, “designed to highlight the messy side of spring in western Maine,” wrote Bethel Citizen Assistant Editor Mike Daniels.

Anyone who spent time in Bethel knew the town could throw a party: two Guinness World Record snow persons (1999 and 2008), an ice maze, a snowboarders’ halfpipe on Main Street one Friday night and more. Mud Day didn’t seem to be out of the realm of possibilities.

Former Bethel Chamber of Commerce Director Robin Zinchuk credited former Sunday River Marketing Director Wende Gray with coming up with the idea for Mud Day. A $1,750 Maine tourism grant helped promote the event — successfully, as Zinchuk told reporter Bruce Farrin — with people from as far away as Connecticut calling the chamber to express interest.

This event would come to span the entire weekend.

The 45-degree temperatures at the Saturday morning race surprised runners who were competing at Gould Academy in the “Run for the Muddy.”

“No one said we would be running on ice,” said one of the 38 competitors.

A fundraiser Saturday at Telstar Regional High School featured the creation of the world’s largest mud pie. Students in the junior class, with help from teacher Bruce Powell, built the 10-foot-diameter structure early in the day. After filling it with 600 gallons of milk and 34 boxes of donated Royal instant pudding, each weighing 45 pounds, the class sold portions for $2 each.

The 6,300-pound pie was unveiled at 5 p.m. that day.

“More like a giant pudding,” Gray said.

Daniels, of the Bethel Citizen, quoted an organizer who said it was meant to bring the community together after a long winter season: “It’s a chance for everyone to get outside and have some fun. Mud season is part of life here, and we might as well celebrate it.”

One of the more challenging events of Sunday’s lineup was balancing on a beam above a mud pit. Another was a tug-of-war over a mud pit.

While this year’s mud season has been decidedly drier than in past years, beware … the mud may still be coming. Want to embrace the season as they did in 1990? Find a little mud and squish your toes around before you can’t be outside at all. Black fly season is next.