John Deere on display at DigIt Days 2019.
To pull off a “top notch” event in three months that includes heavy equipment that kids and adults can operate in a safe and fun manner actually occurred last weekend. About 1,000 people attended the first ever DigIt Days in Lockwood even though the day started with cloudy skies and other events were occurring at the same time. A one-word text sent to the event organizer from an attendee was “Outstanding.”
A little group of YCN staff huddled together in May in the one-window closet office contemplating if this brainchild event was a good idea or not. The general consensus was Yes. However, the next question that was posed was is there enough time? The answer was No, UNLESS a full-on offensive blitz exploded into action and all hands were on deck in pulling off the first ever Yellowstone DigIt Days.
Premium sponsors were secured in a matter of about two weeks, a tax-exempt nonprofit was initiated, marketing materials abruptly started. An event name was quickly secured with a domain name, and a website was eventually thrown up and lots of individuals started scampering around like working honey bees.
Securing a good location to pull off the event in Yellowstone County with lots of open ground was in high order. Town Pump responded quickly with a willingness to help while paperwork to have the event was being constructed. At the same time, Knife River and RDO Equipment Co. felt the pressure to deliver in such a short timeframe so preparations were underway with a general layout and scheduling the equipment safely for the event once the piece of property was being secured.
In June and July, there were five different moving targets for this event, marketing, land agreement, nonprofit tax-exempt status, event layout, and securing the event date!
With all the players now involved, the date of August 24 had to be moved due to a company conflict with another event. So, everything was moved up one week to Saturday, August 17th. With so many other events going on the same day from MontanaFair, Threshing Bee, Crow Fair, 4-H animal sale and being the last weekend before school starts, marketing materials were quickly changed to reflect the new event date. A marketing and social media blitz was accelerated with two weeks to go leading up to the event.
Feedback from other attendees reflected the general consensus of the event as one attendee Rayanne Crick, posted on a Facebook page called Billings Customer Service Watchdog group that has over 23,000 members.
She posted, “Just wanting to give a HUGE shout out to the organizers & sponsors of the first annual Dig It Days held in Lockwood today.
“My kids had the BEST time. This event was so well run. Lots for the kids to do, lots of freebies like shovels & pails, books, shirts & hats, moon sand, sunglasses etc.”
“There was a ton of educational things like 811 Call Before you Dig & the opportunity to decorate a concrete stone to take home.
“The food trucks were a welcome sight to fill my kids’ bellies & the AWESOME sand pile was a great addition to an already fun day.
“By far the highlights of the day for my kids were climbing in all the heavy equipment & having the opportunity to run a ‘real’ back hoe & excavator.
“If anyone knows the organizers or any of the sponsors, please tell them that this was simply the best day in a really long time.”
Evelyn Pyburn, one of the event organizers and owner of the Big Sky Business Journal stated, “The turnout was fabulous given all the other events that were going on Saturday, but then why shouldn’t it entice everyone with a kid who loves trucks and tractors and diggers and dirt? Despite the cold day everyone seemed to enjoy the day. As they left many, many of them said thanks and said they had had a great time. One man said it was the best time his family ever had. And quite frequently they said they hoped we would put it on again next year.
Many kids were seen crying because they had to leave – leave the sand mountain most especially. Some parents left with their kids only to return with their own special “digging” toys to play in the mountain of sand. Special thanks must go to some extremely dedicated sponsors who really put their all into the project.”
Dave Resch, Vice President of Knife River’s Intermountain region and event sponsor stated, “Knife River participated in the first annual DigIt Days and feels that it was a great success.
The looks on the kids’ faces were priceless. The kids, (and I use that term loosely as the kids ranged from young to old), were completely fascinated by the ability to operate a real piece of equipment. It was not a video game simulator, but an open cab, diesel running, pull the levers and dig dirt real piece of equipment. The amount of family involvement and interaction was amazing.”
A grandmother stated while waiting in line, “the lines are shorter than the fair and the rides last a lot longer.” She was so thankful for this opportunity for her grandson to be able to operate a piece of equipment.
A “not so young” attendee said, “driving an excavator was on my bucket list” and he figured he would not ever get the chance. Well his bucket list is now a little shorter!
Josh Peck, NorthWestern Energy representative and sponsor of the event, released the following statement. “DigIt Days was a fun filled family day of exciting hands-on activities. I cannot think of a better way to promote the very important craft jobs to kids. Our team really enjoyed interacting with kids and talking about the importance of calling 811 before digging projects. It was a very well-organized event where safety was paramount. I see a bright future for this event and look forward to being involved in 2020.”
Event organizer and chairman of the nonprofit Yellowstone Family, Jonathan McNiven, was pleased to see the response from the community. “I can’t say enough about the committee and my staff that helped pull this off in such short order and in such quality fashion.” He continued, “this is the type of event I have been thinking about bringing to Yellowstone County since buying the Yellowstone County News in 2014, but I didn’t know what event it would be until I came across this idea. It met all my criteria in bringing industry professionals together with local community individuals to provide a family wholesome, educational and constructive event. However, he continued, “we would not be able to pull off an event like this in such short order without the full support of our main sponsors NorthWestern Energy, ExxonMobil, Knife River and RDO Equipment Company. They were fabulous to work with and quick to respond!”
Tina Beach, Public Awareness Specialist at the CHS refinery in Laurel attended the event and stated afterwards, “I was a little skeptical due to the short turnaround from concept to deliverables. However, having been able to be there and see it first hand; your staff and sponsors did an exceptional job! You delivered a wholesome family event, that educated and created awareness about the importance of “Tap, Click or Call 811, Before You dig!”. I wanted to let you know that I thought this event was top notch! From the prospecting activity, making stepping stones, running the backhoes and digging in the largest sandpile ever for prizes, this event was well thought out, fun, organized, and educational. CHS Inc. is on board to sponsor next year. This will be an event that all underground utilities will want to be a part of. A big, “We’re Digging It!” from Cenex & Front Range Pipelines on educating and keeping our communities safe. Thank you for your preparation and passion to give back to our community!
John Hurd, store manager at RDO Equipment Company released the following statement in that he felt the 1st Annual DigIt Days was a huge success as well!, “Thank you to Yellowstone Family and all the other organizations and companies involved to make this event so special for the kids and families that attended. We at RDO Equipment Co appreciate the opportunity to be a part of such a unique and special event! We are all in and look forward to an even bigger show in 2020!”
As for next year, Jonathan McNiven stated, “if we can do what I want to do, it will be epic! Plus, we’ll have 12 months to plan for it instead of three.” he chuckled.
