COMMERCE CITY, CO - As part of the year-long 50th anniversary celebration of the Bobcat loader, a traveling historical exhibit is visiting 23 Bobcat dealers in the United States and Canada. The Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday, July 30. The Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour was hosted by Bobcat of the Rockies.

Guests who visited the Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour viewed an exhibit with an overview of Bobcat history, several early Bobcat loaders and a collection of Bobcat memorabilia from the last 50 years.

Attendees viewed demonstrations showing Bobcat equipment and the numerous applications the equipment can perform when used with Bobcat attachments. Equipment operators were able to test their skill on Bobcat equipment through a variety of competitions during a Bobcat operator skills course.

Door prizes were awarded throughout the day. Barb Anderson of Anderson and Associates Landscape won a Bobcat attachment. Ten attendees were selected as finalists for The Great Road Tour Giveaway. At the end of the Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed North American Road Tour, finalists from each dealership will be included in a national drawing. The winner of The Great Road Tour Giveaway will receive one of two $50,000 contractor equipment packages. The finalists included Rick Brickell of Dick Brickell & Sons Inc., Jon Weidrich of A & J Time Rental, Tom Dymesich of AJI Irrigation Company, Eddie Pacheco of Imperial Concrete, Janelle Bauer of Premier Services, Greg Priest of Priest Construction Inc., Phil Bartle of Bartle Concrete Inc., Bob Marvel of Marvel Concrete, Lynsey Kling of Kling Construction Inc. and Dustin Hoffschneider of Concrete Management.

In 1958, a company from North Dakota forged a partnership with two blacksmith-inventor brothers and built a machine that changed the way people worked. Melroe Manufacturing Company purchased the rights to an innovative machine designed by Cyril and Louis Keller. The first Melroe Self-Propelled Loader was a three-wheeled, front-end loader that was the precursor to the skid-steer loader in 1960 and the Bobcat brand two years later.