Iowa’s lineworkers showcased their climbing and electrical-equipment skills before hundreds of spectators at the 2026 Iowa State Fair.
The Iowa Lineman Rodeo returned to Elwell Family Park for a second year after debuting in 2025. The competition featured nearly 40 journeymen and apprentices scaling 40-foot wooden poles in a series of timed tasks similar to the work they perform on the job. The poles and wires in this contest were not active electrical work.
It is both a spectacle and a networking event for Iowa’s electric-utility industry, according to Chaz Allen, the executive director of the Iowa Utility Association, who helped coordinate the competition. Power companies and utilities from across Iowa sent lineworkers to compete in the rodeo.
“Last year, we had 11 journeymen and three apprentices,” Allen said. “We had 15 exhibitors last year; this year, we have 48. That tells you how excited people were to come back and tell their friends.”
The event featured four timed tasks:
Brian Dupont, a lineworker with Alliant Energy from Dubuque, said competing before a crowd adds an extra layer of pressure.
“It’s kind of a rush,” Dupont said. “Everything is timed. You’ve got a lot of people watching you. It’s kind of like playing sports, where you zone everything out and concentrate on what you’re doing.”
He said the camaraderie and competition brought him back for a second year.
“We have a big brotherhood in this industry,” he said. “Yeah, we work for different companies, but we all think the same. We all have the same mentality. We take a lot of pride in this. Not everybody can do what we do.”
Dupont’s family made the trip from Dubuque to see him compete.
“They’re pretty pumped up that they get to see their dad work,” Dupont said. “It’s a hazardous job, so obviously they can’t go out with us day after day. But to actually see us in action, I think they get a kick out of it.”
MidAmerican Energy won the overall all-around title in the journeyman division, while Alliant Energy swept the individual events, according to Allen. Prairie Energy won the apprentice division.
Winners took home a trophy and a championship belt buckle.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Lineman rodeo draws bigger crowd, more competitors at 2026 State Fair
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
