From Dec. 4 to 7, Terex Construction Americas hosted dealers and customers to its King of the Dirt Demo Days in Memphis, Tenn.

Guests described the event, which was held for two separate groups (one from Dec. 4 to 5, the other from Dec. 6 to 7), as first-class from start to finish. After guests checked in to the historic Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis and received a welcome reception by Terex representatives, many guests made their way to nearby Beale Street, the world-famous home of the Blues.

Day two was busy. After breakfast and some brief remarks from the Terex staff at the Peabody Hotel, dealers and contractors boarded buses bound for Memphis Motorsports Park where they were entertained by the Terex demonstration team and their “Diggin’-Movin’-and-Groovin’” loader backhoe show. Later, Terex product managers provided attendees with an overview and walk-around of the vast collection of equipment the company manufactures. Each guest also was offered an opportunity to operate each piece of equipment to gain a better perspective of the depth of the Terex line-up of machines.

Guests took a break at midday and enjoyed a Memphis-style barbecue lunch catered by the 2006 Memphis BBQ champions, Pig-N-Whistle.

During both two-day sessions, Terex held three backhoe loader skills competition events. The best operator was named “King of the Dirt,” an accolade which put each in the running for an incredible prize package. The first group’s winner was Jake Colle of PW Norfleet LLC, Newberry, Fla. Wayne Luker of Luker & Sons, Atmore, Ala., earned the crown for the second group.

Terex also treated both groups to a ride-along with a professional racecar driver on the three-quarter-mile tri-oval track at Memphis Motorsports Park. (Three cars were ready to take guests on a heart-pounding four-lap ride.)

After the ride-along, Terex shuttled guests back to the Peabody just in time to see the 5 p.m. march of the internationally famous Peabody Ducks. Attendees then made a march of their own down Beale Street, led by a Blues musician to a closing reception and dinner at Pat O’Briens. The after dinner party was held just outside the door of Pat O’Briens where Terex gave guests a Beale Street VIP card, which provided complimentary admission to any of the clubs along the famous route (A stop in B.B. King’s Blues Club was one of the more popular places where guests used their VIP cards.)

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