Child’s Play

By Candace Doyle

Being editor of The Daily Reporter has its perks. First, months ago, I got to drive a mini-excavator, courtesy of FABCO Rentals in Waukesha.

And on June 12, for the first time ever, I got a tour in an articulated dump truck of Alby Materials' ready-mix plant in Waterford during its widely successful Kids' Day. I also got to see what a draw construction equipment is for kids of all ages.

The second annual event showcased a multitude of equipment —- backhoes, bulldozers and mini-excavators — and kids got a chance to test them out in a safe environment.

"They see it all the time," said Alby's office manager, Margaret Bower. "To be able to get on it and touch it, they just love it."

Also, the event, attended by more than 1,500 in its inaugural year, featured activities like rock painting, a fossil hunt, a coloring contest, a bounce gym, a golf tee-to-green contest and a chance to find hidden treasures in the sand.

Added this year, too, were outside vendors, including one offering hot-air balloon rides and another providing a rock-climbing wall, Bower said.

Bower said the number of attendees and dollars raised this year — proceeds benefit area schools — have not been tallied yet. But she said initial counts surpass last year's.

"It was successful, we feel," she said. "We had a pretty good turnout."

Perhaps the biggest hit of the event — and yet another perk of the job — was being able to hobnob with the construction industry's biggest and most beloved celeb.

Yes, Bob the Builder — a/k/a Butch Eucker, production manager for Teronomy Builders Inc., East Troy — was there.

Eucker said Alby put out the call for volunteers, and Teronomy Builders heeded it.

"They asked for volunteers, and we got everything together," he said.

Not as simple as it sounds, though, playing Bob the Builder. You can't buy Bob's shirt anywhere, so Eucker's mother-in-law hand-sewed one, patch by patch.

And despite Bob's popularity, Teronomy Builders had to go to Chicago to find a headpiece.

"I was sweating like crazy underneath that," Eucker said.

But it was worth it, he said, as he made lots of little friends.

"Seventy percent loved me and would give me a hug," he said.

And the remaining 30 percent? Well, some fans prefer to work behind the scenes, and Eucker told of a young boy who, despite wearing a Bob the Builder T-shirt and his parents' insistence that he loved the character, clung to his mom's leg instead of meeting his hero.

"When he got his chance to have his picture taken with Bob the Builder, he got shy," Eucker said.