The Day of Down-and-Dirty (Photostory)

Brannigan Stiles, Maddie Herrington, Reporters|May 26, 2022

As+participants+get+Down+and+Dirty+in+the+10+competitions%2C+being+covered+in+mud+is+guaranteed.+

Maddie Herrington

As participants get “Down and Dirty” in the 10 competitions, being covered in mud is guaranteed.

On Saturday, May 21, Down-and-Dirty made its comeback to Dallastown. The day-long event consisted of several heats of teams who participated in ten events set up around the soccer fields, including a mud pit, a slip-and-slide, Jenga, and more. 

Each team was against another team,  trying to beat them in the events. Whichever team won the most obstacles at the end was the winner. A separate prize was also awarded to the best-dressed team of each heat. 

Official Cat Packs Program Logo- Featured On Their Website. Cat Packs was introduced as a independent program after COVID struck the District.
Backpack to Cat Pack
Flyer for this years Down-and-Dirty can be seen posted all around the high school with the information about the event.
The Return of Down-and-Dirty

Even with the extreme heat of the day, there were still many spectators there to watch and take part in the fun. Along with the main course, food trucks like Sweet Willows and Bricker’s French Fries were there for everyone to enjoy.

Down-and-Dirty last took place in 2018 but ended due to the retirement of Pat McKinney, who was previously in charge. After four years of students begging for it to come back, the Dallastown Cat Pack program decided to put the event on again.

The teams competed in a foam pit treasure hunt that ended up being a fan-favorite competition of the day. The teams were each told a colored container they must look for. In those containers, letters could be found inside. Once all containers were collected, each team must put together the correct word that the letters spell out. Whichever team guessed the word first, wins. (Maddie Herrington)

Cat Packs is a program that gives students access to food when not at school by sending home backpacks full of non-perishable foods. All the funds raised at Down-and-Dirty benefitted this program and the students. For more information on Cat Packs and what they do, read the article titled “Backpack to Cat Pack”.

“We have very minimal operational expenses, so aside from those, all our funds go to purchasing groceries for Dallastown students,” Cat Packs president Emily Lauer said.

There were tons of volunteers helping behind the scenes to make the event a success. Programs like the National Honors Society and the Dallastown wrestling team, along with individual volunteers aided in setting up on the morning of and tearing down afterward.

Participants compete in the slingshot competition where three people handle the slingshot and the rest of the teammates catch them in a laundry basket at the bottom of the hill. The team that caught the most in the basket wins. (Maddie Herrington)

There was a lot of great feedback from the community about the event. Down-and-Dirty was a favorite of previous Dallastown students and this year didn’t disappoint.

“I had a lot of fun and enjoyed participating and I hope to do it again next year,” says sophomore Olivia Brenneman.

As of now, Cat Packs plans on making Down-and-Dirty an annual tradition just like it used to be. Although there may be little changes, everyone can plan on participating in the fun again next year.

Sweet Willows Creamery and Brickers French Fries were the two food trucks that were stationed at the event. Participants rewarded themselves by enjoying an ice cream cone when they were done their heat. (Maddie Herrington)
Prior to the beginning of each event, volunteers told teams what the objective of the game was. (Brannigan Stiles)
The AvengHERs team posed after completing the foam pit competition. From far left- Chloe Isett, Reagan Klinka, McKenna Kelley, Campbell Willoughby, Annabelle Wunderlich (Maddie Herrington)
The slip- and- slide competition was the perfect way to cool down from the hot day. (Maddie Herrington)
The dirtiest event of the day was definitely the mud pit. Teams had the challenge of finding small trinkets burried in the mud, and whichever team found their five toys first won. (Brannigan Stiles)
The “Formal Fancies” compete in the sock toss. The first participant in the line throws a water-filled sock back to all the teammates. If the sock is dropped along the way, they have to throw it back down to the bottom and start over again. The team with the most socks in the bucket at the end time, wins. (Maddie Herrington)
Besides the main course competition, there was also a challenge of who had the best outfits. Teams went all out in matching their outfits in an attempt of winning best costume. (Brannigan Stiles)
One of the first obstacles that the teams competed in, was a jumping ball competition. One member from each team had to jump their way across the grass and look for colored sticks. The team that collected all the sticks first, wins. (Maddie Herrington)