Carnival season

By |  June 15, 2015

It’s that time of year  – when kids are out of school and carnivals, amusement parks and local festivals are in full swing. It’s also the time of year when many aggregate operations host community events at their sites. A Massachusetts quarry decided to combine the ideas when it held a community open house at its operation in Swampscott, Mass., an Aggregate Industries site that was formerly Lynn Sand and Stone Co.

The Salem News reports that Aggregate Industries set up a mini carnival on the quarry floor as a way to connect with the community and show local residents a little bit about the aggregates business.

John Nicol, an Aggregate Industries sales rep, said a school bus carrying visitors down into the 250-ft.-deep quarry is kind of like entering Jurassic Park, with its towering walls and moonscape appearance. Company officials said the event was expected to draw about 3,000 people.

Equipment manufacturers have gotten in the carnival spirit, too.

Diggerland USA, a construction-themed adventure park in West Berlin, N.J., featuring specially modified JCB construction equipment, celebrated its one-year anniversary with a special event this month.

“We’ve been honored to play a role in the development of this unique theme park,” said Thom Peebles, vice president of marketing for JCB North America.

Since opening its doors one year ago, Diggerland USA has provided children and their families with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with heavy equipment in a safe, fun atmosphere.

“Diggerland USA is playing a dual role by both entertaining and educating children who may someday want to turn their experiences here into lifelong careers in [construction/mining],” Peebles said.

In an example of another type of community outreach, Bond Construction Corp. in Massachusetts has opened one of its sand-and-gravel pits to a team from Worcester Polytechnic Institute that is testing some very interesting high-tech instruments.

These are prototypes of rovers that could someday go to Mars or another planetary body in the solar system. Check out our upcoming July issue to read more about how Bond Construction Corp. is helping out.

Photo credit: twoblueday / Foter / CC BY

This article is tagged with , , , and posted in Editors' Blog

About the Author:

Darren Constantino is an editor of Pit & Quarry magazine. He can be reached at dconstantino@northcoastmedia.net.

Comments are closed