Humanitarian of the Year

Quarry Quest captures the spirit of giving

Quarry Quest Neenah

As the dust settles on Quarry Quest’s ninth year, the event leaves behind the drawings and footprints of children and their parents.

An 8-foot cement wall towers over the white gravel. It’s covered with crayon and chalk markings, one of which reads, “Thank you for the fun!”

The phrase represents a big part of the event, hosted every year by Michels Materials at its limestone quarry in Neenah. But there’s more to Quarry Quest than the fun, as the many charities that benefit from the event, which was named Wisconsin Builder’s and The Daily Reporter’s Humanitarian of the Year, could attest.

Each year, Quarry Quest draws between 15,000 and 20,000 people, said Craig Uhlenbrauck, vice president of marketing for Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah. It was inspired by Dozer Day, which is a similar event sponsored every other year by Halquist Stone Co. in Sussex.

Dozer Day’s success led to a teaming of Michels, Miron and the Fox Cities Children’s Museum in Appleton to put on an event of their own. It was originally intended as a fund-raiser for the museum, but as the event grew, so did the number of beneficiaries.

Weis Earth Science Museum, the Bay Lakes Boy Scouts Council, the Quarry Quest Environmental Field Trip fund and other local children’s charities now all benefit, said Holly Gygax, marketing manager for Michels.

An estimated $650,000 was raised since Quarry Quest’s start, and that number will continue to grow, said Bob Bingen, Michels’ general manager for quarries.

“It’s a neat event,” he said. “I think it’s become a mainstay of the Fox Valley.”

Beyond attracting thousands of attendees, Quarry Quest also brings in about 1,000 volunteers each year.

“I could not ask for a better group of people to do the event with,” Bingen said. “You see smiles on kids’ faces, but you also see smiles on the volunteers’ faces. They have their hearts in the right place.”

The volunteers enhance the sense of learning and family togetherness that the event offers. Not only is Quarry Quest an event, it’s also an experience.

“It is a lot of work but it is well worth it,” Bingen said. “It provides a day of entertainment but also education for everyone who attends.”

Children and their parents see the necessity of a quarry. Children also learn how the quarry works and even get to help run the machinery with the help of a machine operator.

That kind of exposure to the construction industry helps Quarry Quest go beyond the basics of raising money for good causes. It gives children an in-sight into a possible career.

“We still need people who have a craft,” Bingen said.

Children learn about the quarry as they wander through it. They can tour The Three Little Pigs Tour of Homes and learn that an “average of 120 tons of crushed stone, sand and gravel are used in the construction of a single home,” according to a Quarry Quest sign.

They can also help raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters by Golfing for Charity. They can Drop a Line and go fishing in the quarry while raising money for Habitat for Humanity.

But Quarry Quest isn’t just for kids. It’s a natural setting for parents to join in and get just as messy as their children.

“It’s a harder time keeping control of the parents than the kids,” said Uhlenbrauck.

Whether it’s digging for fossils or treasure, mixing concrete or laying bricks, the event offers visitors, Uhlenbrauck said, a “unique experience, nothing else like it.”

By Kristen Winiarski