The Marko’s vs Eagles Water Balloon War took place Saturday under clear skies in 80 degree heat. The weather was perfect for the wet, wild splash fest that ensued. On top of it being a good time for all involved, it also raised over $600 that will be split between ARRF and the Roslyn Library.
This year, Marko’s took home the trophy, but it was a challenging (and protested) decision. There were three primary criteria for winning: enthusiasm, revenue raised for charity, and overall badass-ness. Enthusiasm went to the Eagles. The Eagle’s had many enthusiastic participants and rained a storm of water balloons down on Marko’s (Eagles easily had double the amount of balloons as Marko’s). Likewise, at times, the entire Eagles patio would empty out as the participants brought the war to Marko’s front door. Contrarily, the revenue category went to Marko’s. Though it was only a slight difference, Marko’s tipped the scales back in their direction by raising just a little more money for the causes. This made the final decision come down to overall badass-ness, which was a challenging category for the judges. To help paint a picture, here are some quick highlights of the battle:
- Tom (Eagles) would often run solo missions, barging into enemy territory to wreak havoc – frequently soaking Marko’s with their own supplies.
- Becky and Tina (Marko’s) were a suicide squadron waging close proximity battles at the Eagles (even being taken hostage at one point).
- Mid battle, a team of anarchist warriors (who fight for no side) showed up in the middle of the two patios to wage war on both establishments.
- Justin (Eagles) had the golden arm. His aim was spot on and he pegged numerous targets on the head, chest and everywhere else. At one point, he even took out an embedded photo journalist.
- The battle started with balloons, but quickly escalated to super soakers, buckets and even garden hoses.
Certainly, there was no clear winner in badass-ness up until one of the very last moves of the war. Marko’s sent a spy. Daniel waited patiently at the Eagles and was accepted as one of their own – until everyone’s guard was down. Then, he calmly walked up to Jim (President of the Eagle’s Platoon) and shouted “Go Marko’s” as he doused him in a bucket of water from the Eagle’s own fill station. In one shady swoop, this strategy tipped the scales ever so slightly toward Marko’s for the win.
