General Information:

This website is for Backhoe, Loader and Snowplow, Competition Attendee Registration Only!

Event dates: May 20-21, 2026

Register here for the Snowplow, Backhoe and Loader competitions held at the APWA Chicago Metro Chapter Expo & Roadeo.  This is the only local/regional event in the Chicago public works area. This year’s annual event is being held at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, IL. We encourage your agency to participate! This is an event that involves our front-line personnel and we have a good time in the process.  Come out and cheer your team on to victory, and visit the Expo and ROADeo for new and valuable ideas for your agency. The fee also includes lunch.

The APWA Chicago Metro Chapter Expo & ROADeo is the ONLY conference in Chicagoland focused on Public Works.

• The BACKHOE competition will be held on Wednesday, May 20 with the winner receiving a free trip to Houston to compete at the National Roadeo.  We will test your operator’s knowledge of equipment safety and mechanical operation, and we will grade their maneuvering of a backhoe through an obstacle course.
• The LOADER competition will be held on Wednesday, May 20. We will test your operator’s knowledge of equipment safety and mechanical operation, and we will grade their maneuvering of a front-end loader through an obstacle course.

Participants can either participate in the Backhoe or Loader event, but will not be allowed to compete in both.

• The SNOWPLOW competition will be held on Thursday, May 21. Your team will be tested on their knowledge of vehicle safety, mechanical knowledge of snow control equipment and their driving ability while navigating through an obstacle course.  The competition will require a 2-member team to drive your agency’s snowplow-equipped truck through the course.  Watch out for parked cars!  A plow with a minimum width of eleven feet (11’) will be required for the competition. 
• Because of time constraints, we must limit participation to the first forty (40) Snowplow Team applicants, first fifty (50) Loader driver entries and the first fifty (50) Backhoe driver entries. Please submit your application(s) by Friday, May 15, 2026.  Your registration fee will also include the same-day registration to the APWA Conference and Equipment Show for each team member, including lunch. 

Refund Policy: Cancellation of your registration will not be accepted due to the limited number of attendees at the competition. Consideration for refunds for registration may be made on a case-by-case basis and only if you send an email to: APWA Chicago Metro Expo & ROADeo c/o jleib@mountprospect.org with a written request and the reason you are requesting the refund.  You will then be notified within five working days with the status of the refund request.