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 North Jersey, East on June 14.

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 past 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 tribute to Flag Day, featuring a choreographed dance of four Bobcat skid-steer loaders.

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

Throughout the day, approximately 400 guests also enjoyed a wide variety of food and music by a bagpipe band, owner Vinny Ryan’s Kerry Pipers of Bronx, N.Y.

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.

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 Company, headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International (DII), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment.

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