Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1546085
Nuts and Bolts News Continued from page 35 A hidden gem Despite its national reach, the HCEA remains relatively unknown locally — something its members hope will change. "We are the best-kept secret in our own area," he said. "So many people in Wood County don't even know we're here." With its new museum, expand- ing programs, and hands-on spring show, the organization hopes to change that — invit- ing the public not just to ob- serve history, but to experience it in motion. The shows host- ed at the site are part of that outreach to educate the local community about the historical significance of the equipment and the mission of the associa- tion to preserve that history. About the Spring Show The Historical Construction Equipment Association's first Spring Show runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sun- day, May 23-24, at the asso- ciation's headquarters, 16623 Liberty Hi Road, Bowling Green. Admission is $10 per day or $15 for a two-day pass per person, with kids 12 and under admitted free. The show features the grand opening of the 20,000 square feet National Construction Equipment Museum. Inside the museum are displays of various types of construction equipment, including shovels, cranes, and excavators; con- crete, aggregate, and paving equipment; trenchers and underground equipment; and graders, crawler and wheel tractors, and loaders. The dis- plays show the progression of each type of equipment from the earliest to the more cur- rent. There will also be a silent auction within the museum, featuring items such as scale models, toy collections, and construction memorabilia. Outside, on some of the sites' 80 acres, will be active demonstrations of antique construction equipment, a vin- tage belt-driven rock crusher and an operating dirt pit. The HCEA event also cele- brates "Big Bertha's" 100th birthday. The Link Belt K-2 "Big Bertha" is a historic 1926 lattice-boom crawler crane that was widely used for heavy material handling. It was com- monly equipped with a clam- shell bucket to dredge, move aggregates and feed antique rock crushers at job sites. It is now famous for being the oldest known existing crane manufactured by the Link-Belt Company and is historically significant as the first antique machine fully restored by the association. 37 IDA Universal Q3 2026 Recognizable from the road is the HCEA's giant, 150-ton TEREX 33-15 from the General Motors mining truck line.. For the young and young at heart, there will be a gigantic sandbox with toys. Kids can participate in an equipment scavenger hunt, bounce house, obstacle course and pedal tractor pull. Article: https://bgindependentmedia.org/