“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

J.K. Rowling made history with her famous quote by Albus Dumbledore in the renowned Harry Potter series. She makes it sound easy – if you want happiness, simply turn on the light. You’ve probably heard the quote, but have you ever thought about the amount of effort behind that flip of the switch?

There are about 115,000 lineworkers in the United States. These are the men and women, the electric warriors, who leave their homes and families every day to make sure the rest of the 155 million electric consumers in the U.S. have the capability to turn on the lights.

Imagine watching the Super Bowl, the game is tied, your team has the ball, they throw it in for a touchdown and….the power goes out. Not only are you unable to watch the game, your party snacks in the fridge start to warm up, and your phone is dead from all that fantasy football – say goodbye to Facebook Live saving the day. Time for the lineworker to step in. Out into the storm and up the pole they go with 30 pounds of gear, in 30 mile per hour winds to turn the power back on, all with fire in their hearts and bravery in their blood. The power returns. Your team wins the Super Bowl. The lineworker saves the day.

Tomorrow, April 18, is National Lineman Appreciation Day. It’s a day to reflect on the dedication and enthusiasm each and every lineworker has for their job.  Electricity is one of those essentials that goes unappreciated until it is gone, and lineworkers are the unsung heroes who go unappreciated for most of their careers. It’s time for that to change, it’s time to “Thank a Lineman.”

Fast forward to October 3-5.  ICUEE, the International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition – also known as the Demo Expo – makes its return in Louisville, Kentucky.

ICUEE invites thousands of lineworkers to get their hands dirty in our life-size equipment playground, network with other passionate lineworkers from around the world, and celebrate the hard work they love to do. Registration opens in May. The best way to stay in the loop and receive early-bird specials is to sign up for Show Alerts or check out the website http://www.icuee.com.

In honor of Lineman Appreciation Day, we invite everyone to attend ICUEE in October, think a little more about that light switch you flip on every day and thank a lineworker for keeping the lights on every chance you get.

For more information about National Lineman Appreciation Day and how you can get involved, visit www.linemanappreciationday.com.

For more information about exhibiting at ICUEE visit http://icuee.com/exhibit/exhibit-space-information/.

#ThankaLineman