The sound of hammers, shovels and cranes fills the air as construction professionals, apprentices and community members alike gear up for friendly competition. A fire truck and helicopter stand by, waiting to be explored by eager children. And so the annual Construction Rodeo, a fundraising event held by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Keystone Chapter in Manheim, Pa., for the past 14 years, kicks off.
The Construction Rodeo offers competitive events and activities for a wide variety of attendees—and it’s all for a good cause. At the September event, ABC’s Keystone Chapter raised nearly $13,000 in donations and sponsorships for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ABC’s Merit Shop Training and Research Center.
Construction professionals and apprentices paid $15 to enter various competitions, including carpentry, plumbing, crane operating, drywall, electrical wiring, and backhoe and excavator operation. This year, 77 construction professionals and 12 ABC Keystone Chapter apprentices participated.
“We work to change the tasks and events each year,” says Sherry Evans, director of meetings and events for the chapter. “We’ve had so many contractors returning each year that we want to keep it competitive.”
The competitions serve as great practice for the apprentices, with the winners competing in the National Craft Championships, to be held at ABC’s EdCon & Expo, April 12–15 in San Antonio.
“We’re so happy to have professional construction workers returning year after year, but the rodeo has become very popular with local families as well,” Evans says.
About 3,000 community members attended, and they were not left out from showcasing their construction skills. For example, participants paid $1 to enter a nail driving contest for the chance to win $50. A similar contest took place for children, who used mallets and pegs. High school students had the opportunity to take on the construction obstacle course, which involved shoveling sand, changing a light bulb and other activities.
In addition to the many games and competitive events, the Construction Rodeo also offered an interactive safety area, where kids could explore an ambulance and fire truck, as well as a Life Flight helicopter flown in from local Hershey Medical Center. Cleveland Brothers Equipment also brought in its simulator so the kids could experience what it feels like to operate heavy construction machinery.
“It was a beautiful day, with great weather, and we really love having the event near our office building,” Evans says. “We had so many kids and families and lots to keep them entertained on a Sunday afternoon.”
The rodeo has helped raise a total of more than $330,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation over the years. The event planning committee, which has grown to 20 members, continues to bring new ideas to improve the event.
“We’re already looking forward to next year,” Evans says.