Saturday’s Mud Jam may have seemed like a fun way to while away some time on a Saturday with a little bit of frivolity, but it’s actually a very important event that helps support the Peanut Fest.

During springtime, thoughts of fall, the peanut harvest and festivals in the crisp autumn air are far away. But the Mud Jam is an integral part of Peanut Fest.

This year’s event was the third annual. It was started after a run of bad weather luck resulted in lower than expected revenues at Peanut Fest, and Mud Jam answered the need for additional cash while also putting to use the facility that is already available all year long for something other than the four-day fall event.

And while it is that — the Mud Jam raises about $20,000 each year, Suffolk Festivals Director Lisa Key said Saturday — Mud Jam is also just a good time for folks in Suffolk to get together. And this year, unlike during the Peanut Fests that gave rise to it, there was great weather for Mud Jam.

The events since have been muddy and fun, giving folks who crave their annual dosage of down-and-dirty fun during the Peanut Fest’s demolition derby a fix midway between events.

The move toward producing another event at the Peanut Festival site during the fall festival’s “off season” is a good one that we hope will help sustain the festival for many years to come. The Mud Jams have proven popular, and not only will they help produce a bigger and better Peanut Festival, one of Suffolk’s signature events, but also they utilize the site rather than its sitting vacant most of the year and provide great family entertainment unlike anything that can be found in Suffolk the rest of the year.