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 Bobcat of Indy North on June 28.

Guests who visited Bobcat of Indy North 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. These demonstrations culminated with a performance of the Bobcat Square Dance, a choreographed routine featuring four Bobcat skid steer loaders dancing like a group of human square dancers.

Equipment operators were able to test their skill on Bobcat equipment through a variety of competitions during the Bobcat Rodeo.

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. Two winners of The Great Road Tour Giveaway will receive $50,000 contractor equipment packages. The finalists included Mike Sullivan, Dan Dawson, Scott Perrine, Gina McKinley, Colby Hyduk, Carl Bowman, Jack Cook, Wayne Walls, William Brauman and Bob Owens.

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.

Throughout 2008, Bobcat Company will commemorate the partnership between the Melroe brothers and the Keller brothers, and the little loader that started the compact equipment industry 50 years ago.

Bobcat of Indy North is owned by Bobcat of Indy, which operates three locations:

• Bobcat of Anderson, 2075 East County Road 67, Anderson, Ind., 765/643-4222

• Bobcat of Indy, 2935 Bluff Road, Indianapolis, Ind., 317/787-2201

• Bobcat of Indy North, 4489 S. Indianapolis Road, Whitestown, Ind., 317/787-2201

For more information about Bobcat of Indy, visit www.bobcatofindy.com.