It’s the Mudder of All Missions

The mud was flying at Mission San Juan Capistrano on Saturday. And Congressman Ron Packard was up to his forearms.

“This won’t be new to me,” said Packard (R-Oceanside).

He joined a team of about 50 politicians and local volunteers who turned out for the first “Mud-Slinging Festival,” a grimy afternoon organized to shore up the mission’s aging adobe walls.

“Adobe buildings by nature erode,” said Gerald Miller, administrator of Mission San Juan Capistrano. “We’re trying to get some helping hands to put mud on the wall to preserve the structure. The new surface will reinforce the walls and we can slow down the ravages of time, rain and erosion.”

San Juan Capistrano Mayor Carolyn Nash was a hesitant to dig into one of the mud wagons.

“I’m hoping they have Baggies for the hands,” Nash said, holding out both her hands.

“Oh well, I’m going to be tough and sling the mud anyway,” she said, laughing.

People of all ages lined a wall that stretched 120 feet. Adults and children gleefully slapped the surface with hands dripping with slimy mud.

Parents snapped photographs of their children at work while others called out to their young ones not to get “too dirty.”

“I’m not much for getting my hands dirty,” said John Potter, as he videotaped his 10-year-old daughter, Nicole, who was dipping a paintbrush into a pail of thick mud.

She yelled back, “I do it all the time!”

The children said playing with the mud was pure fun.

“You get to get messy and your Mom doesn’t care,” said Laura McCoy, 10, of Cypress.

Those who watched the mud festivities said they were happy to see the community spirit.

“I like things that are old and historic. It’s good to preserve the structure so that my kids and their kids can see it,” said Esther Steele, 65, who stood holding her great nephew, Jordan Potter, 2.

The mission was built in 1776 by hand with adobe bricks. The new mud acts as a sealant for the dried adobe bricks, protecting them from further deterioration from the environment.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is one of nine missions along the California coast and is the only one in Orange County. Currently, the mission is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation to preserve the historic site.

Miller, who coordinated the event, said the idea of inviting politicians to the event came from Assemblyman Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside.

“(Morrow) said, ‘Why don’t you let the professional mudslingers show you how.’ So I’m letting the politicians lead the way,” Miller said.

“We haven’t had an election in a while, we’re getting rusty,” Morrow said, laughing.

For David Balardes, tribal chairman of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, and whose ancestors have lived in the city for more than 10 generations, applying mud to the mission holds special meaning.

“People need to see what our ancestors did. The process it took to construct this mission,” Balardes said.

* A REAL DRAW

San Juan Capistrano has inspired painters for more than a century. B3