As a steady stream of water spouted from a Buchanan Fire Department truck, dozens of children ran gleefully through the spray Thursday in the Buchanan Common Area.

The activity was part of the fifth annual Buchanan Spray Day, a free event open to the public and hosted by the Buchanan Fire Department and Buchanan District Library. Bobby Blaylock, the assistant fire chief and Sarah Gault, the youth services coordinator at the library first came up with the idea to start the event, during one scorching hot summer.

On Thursday, Blaylock attended with his grandkids and said he was happy with the turn out.

“This is awesome,” Blaylock said. “I was a little worried about the weather, but this has turned out really good.”

Many of those who participated were covered in mud and wet grass from head to toe. With a running leap, some even turned the slippery field into a make shift slip and slide.

Kristen Southwood, of Galien, had not attended the event until this year. When a friend invited her, she said it sounded like a fun summer activity.

Southwood brought her 4-year-old son, Carter, to the event.

Across the field from his mom, Carter was jumping up and down in a muddy puddle.

“He was so excited to come,” Southwood said. “As you can see, he is loving the mud.”

Southwood said she liked that the city of Buchanan offers so many fun, free summer activities for families, such as Spray Day and Thrill on the Hill.

Nearby, Kristy Schlutt, of Buchanan, watched her daughter, Brooke, 8, play in the water, while her son, Silas, 6, tested the water from the sidelines.

Schlutt has attended Spray Day with her children for the past three years.

Throughout the summer, Schlutt said her family utilizes several of Buchanan’s free programs, such as Stop, Lunch and Listen, a partnership with the Summer Reading Program.

“The kids just have fun and it is a way that they can run into kids from school,” Schlutt said. “The city does a great job and the library, as far as providing a lot of opportunities to get out and do things. A lot of things do not cost money and that is a plus.”

Helping to monitor the water from a perch atop the fire truck, Dalton Dobrzyaowski, a cadet for the Buchanan Fire Department, said he volunteered his time to help out with the event.

“I just wanted to give the chance to have some fun and enjoy the beautiful weather,” Dobrzyaowski said.