It was a blast: Water fights help close out Frontier Days

It wasn’t just the rain that passed through the area Sunday afternoon that brought Arlington Heights Frontier Days its wet finale.

With crowds cheering them on at Miner Street and Haddow Avenue, teams of four competed in the annual Frontier Days Water Fights. Their goal — using a firefighters’ water hoses to push a barrel into their opposing team’s territory before they did it to you.

The event has been a popular Frontier Days tradition for more than 30 years, said Alex Bellusci, one of the many firefighters who volunteered at the event.

“We love coming out here, doing public events,” Bellusci said. “It’s a great day; the guys look forward to it every year.”

Elaine Schreck of Arlington Heights and her team took home the trophy for the women’s division. It was their 10th year of competing in the fights.

“We love the festival, and all of these little events that go on during it are what makes Frontier Days so special,” Schreck said.