Kids and adults gather together for a quick drone picture on top of Sand Mountain Saturday afternoon, August 20, 2022 as Dig It Days was in full motion. Todd Texley with Aggregate Resources of Ballantine helped supply the 400 tons of sand pile for kids to dig in and find buried necklaces for prizes during the two-day event at MontanaFair. (Drone Image by Jonathan McNiven)
A long and steady line of exuberant kids with their parents or grandparents streamed into Dig It Days last Friday and Saturday afternoons – anxious to explore and operate the big machines used in construction.
“We have been waiting for weeks for this,” said one mother as her three kids picked out orange t-shirts and bright yellow play safety helmets. Others ran straight from the entrance to pounce on the huge pile of sand known as Sand Mountain, unable to restrain their enthusiasm to “play in the dirt.”
Over the course of the two-day event about 5000 kids, teens, and adults attended the third annual Dig It Days, according to organizer Jonathan McNiven with Yellowstone Family, the non-profit organization that produces the event. This was Dig It Days’ third event, having had to skip one year because of COVID.
The purpose of Dig It Days is in keeping with that of Yellowstone Family, to present wholesome family entertainment that is fun and educational, and supports the community, while being safe. It’s a perfect match with the needs of the construction industry to inspire interest in construction careers and help students get the education needed through job opportunities and scholarships.
None of the event would be possible without the very active support of 24 sponsors. Not only do they help fund its cost, but they put in the hard work of setting up the acres of displays and infrastructure, the staging of big equipment, hauling sand, water and supplies, and providing volunteers to oversee the safety and assist kids in operating and exploring the pieces of equipment.
The Eklund kids, left to right, Raymond, Esther, Joshua, Joley Race (cousin), and Allison pose with their newly acquired Dig It Days t-shirts after talking to Travia Forte at KULR 8 Saturday afternoon. (Jonathan McNiven Photo)
Topping off their involvement is a competition among the operators of the excavators to move eggs from one spot to another with the excavator shovel, without breaking them. The operator who first succeeds in moving three eggs wins $500. The winner this year was Josh Broadbent, who turned around and donated the prize back to Yellowstone Family for scholarships.
Yellowstone Family announced that $12,000 will be donated from Dig It Days — $10,000 will be donated to scholarships through the Montana Contractors Association, $1,000 will go to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and $1,000 to the new Veterans’ Navigation Network.
Representing one of the events sponsors, RDO Equipment Co. of Billings, Billings store manager, John Hurd said he was impressed with the number of people who came to Dig It Days. “It was amazing,” he said. “It is just a super fun time… It is exciting to see the families and kids, the experience, construction and technology. It was great to see the number of parents and grandparents who got in the machine with their child. They had just as much fun operating them as did the kids.”
“It’s a great opportunity to introduce new technology to people. I look forward to next year bringing even more,” said Hurd, adding that he hopes to be able to continue to expand it each year.
Software, made by Teleo, was demonstrated operating a 333-G John Deere skid steer. Operated from the comfort of a van, attendees were invited to try their own hand at operating the robotic skid steer – It is the future!
John Hurd was presented with a plaque of appreciation from Yellowstone Family, for his efforts since “day one,” in helping to make Dig It Days a success.
Hurd said that he was pleased to see Torgerson’s, LLC – a hundred-year-old construction equipment dealer — as a sponsor this year.
Luke Hamel, equipment sales consultant for Torgerson’s, LLC , attending Dig It Days for the first time, said he was impressed. “It was great. We had a good turnout. I heard from numerous people that their kids look forward to it every year. There were good family vibes. There were a lot of Moms and Dads who had never run an excavator. This gave them an opportunity to get into a machine and to see the industry that we are in.”
Above: RDO Equipment Co. Store Manager John Hurd, left, poses with his newly awarded plaque from Jonathan McNiven, right, Chairman of Yellowstone Family and Dig It Days event organizer Saturday August 20, 2022 due to John’s many years of commitment to education (25 years at Wyo Tech), Store Manager for 5 years and years of support for Dig It Days. (Courtesy photo)
Brandon Lance from MDU attended Dig It Days for the first time. After seeing it advertised, he said, he and his wife decided to take their nine-year-old son to the event. “It was a great event. It gives kids an opportunity to operate equipment they might not have a chance to operate.” He said he was especially impressed with the Montana811.org display.
“I hope to see it grow and be successful in the coming years,” said Lance, who fully understands the importance of encouraging interest in construction for the future sustainability of the industry. Almost every piece of equipment on display at Dig It Days, he said, is used to install MDU’s gas lines. “It was incredible.”
Among the other sponsors and volunteers were Montana811.org, Modern Machinery, Montana Contractors Assoc., COP Construction, NorthWestern Energy, RDO Equipment Co., Build Montana, Montana Equipment Dealers, Cenex, Torgersons, CHS, Aggregate Resources, Inc., NTEC Spring Creek Mine, Madison River Propane, Oneok Rockies Midstream, Billings Construction Supply, Billings Towing, Quikcrete, Big Sky Business Journal and Yellowstone County News – and many others who donated time, supplies or equipment. Tell them Thank You
