Lineman Rodeo Competition Held in Bonner Springs, KS on October 13

Five linemen from the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) will compete against hundreds of other utility workers from across the nation and as far away as Canada, Hawaii and the United Kingdom at the 35th Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo in Bonner Springs, KS, testing their professional and trade skills in a unique competition that is open to the public.  Thousands of utility professionals are in town for an annual trade show and expo in Overland Park, KS, with the highlight being the “Lineman’s Rodeo,” a series of competitions testing various lineman skills and safety techniques.

BPU will be represented by Eric Ferguson, David Shore, David Westfall, Jake Janes, and Trenton Overton this year, competing against more than 1,000 linemen representing over 230 teams from various private and municipal utilities

The rodeo competition will occur on Saturday, October 13th, 2018 at the Agricultural Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, kicking off at 7:00 am.  Team and apprentice events will include The Hurtman Rescue, the Pole Climb, and several mystery events. An Awards Banquet will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center at 7:00 p.m. that evening.

The International Lineman’s Rodeo was first held in 1984 and was created to maintain a focus on safety and safe work practices and to recognize the technical craft skills of utility lineman. One other purpose has always been for the participants to have fun while sharing work knowledge with others in their trade from different companies and different parts of the country.  Go to www.linemansrodeokc.com for more information about this event.


About BPU
BPU’s water department was originally created in 1909, and its electric utility was operational in 1912. The purpose of the utility, then and to this day, is to provide the highest quality electric and water services at the lowest possible cost. Today the publicly owned utility serves approximately 65,000 electric and 51,000 water customers, primarily in Wyandotte County, Kansas. The mission of the utility and its employees is “to focus on the needs of our customers, to improve the quality of life in our community while promoting safe, reliable and sustainable utilities.” BPU’s Web site is www.bpu.com.