Dozer Day® is like a fair, except the rides are heavy construction equipment and emergency vehicles. For kids of all ages, getting behind the wheels of these giant machines are a dream come true.

The kids sit in the driver’s seat of dozers, excavators, and other equipment and actually drive with a professional operator at their side. At the same time, they’re learning about building sustainable communities, opportunities in the construction industry, and safety.

They can also explore fire trucks and ambulances.

The adults can drive dozers, excavators, rollers, and other heavy construction equipment on their own.

Other activities include a scavenger hunt, diamond dig, and shooting for prizes game.

Dozer Day is in the Coca-Cola Grandstand at the Yakima State Fair Park on Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. The park is located at 1301 South Fair Avenue in Yakima, Washington.

Advance admission is $8 for children (ages 2–12) and seniors (60 and older), $10 for adults, and free for ages 2 and younger. Buy tickets online at TicketsWest, by phone at (800) 325-7328, or at the Central Washington State Fair Box Office.

Tickets at the gate on event days are $11 for kids and seniors and $13 for adults.

Tickets are good for only one day. If you attend both days, you need to purchase a separate ticket for each day.

Parking at the Yakima State Fair Park is free.

Halquist Stone founded Dozer Day and hosted the first event in Wisconsin, where proceeds benefited the local schools. In 2008, the Nutter Family Foundation acquired the rights to the Dozer Day® trademarks and event and started hosting events throughout the United States. Now, Dozer Days are held in these locations:

• Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho at 101 N. Cabela Way, Post Falls, Idaho (May 18-19, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Kansas City, Missouri (site currently under construction)
• Puyallup, Washington, at the Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Avenue SW on the West Side near Green Gate (June 1-2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Vancouver, Washington, at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds (May 18-19, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Yakima, Washington, at the Yakima Fair State Park, 1301 South Fair Avenue (April 13-14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Another Dozer Day will start soon in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Watch for information at the Dozer Day website.

The Nutter Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by the Nutter Corporation, a family-owned and operated heavy civil contractor based in Vancouver, Washington. The company specializes in building transportation infrastructures and does business in Washington, Oregon, and North Dakota.

Learn more about the Nutter Family Foundation’s projects through the Nutter Corporation’s community page.