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IBEW Local 743 members work on one of two remote electrical rooms at the Reading Fairground site. From left, back row, Local 743 Business Manager Randy L. Kieffer, Darren Emmich, Dave Baskowski and Matt Bietrowski; front row, John Ruth and David Galowski.

To the Rescue: The Berks County Building & Construction Trades Council donates $3 million in labor, equipment and material to build a dreamthat was the caption of a full page notice printed in Pennsylvanias Reading Eagle newspaper last summer. Over 300 members of the Berks County Building & Construction Trades Council have volunteered their time to build a new Reading Fairgrounds for farm kids, city kids and grown-up kids of all ages to enjoy.

     The Reading Fair has been a tradition in Berks County for nearly 150 years, but because of other demands for the land on which the fair was held, that tradition appeared to be coming to an end. Fortunately, the Berks County Commissioners provided 61 acres for a new fairground in another locationand, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the trade union volunteers, the all-new Reading Fairgrounds opened August 7, 2000.

    IBEW Local 743 members and the Berks County Building and Construction Trades Council volunteered to donate all their labor for the $3 million project. This project covers 66 acres of ground and is enormous in scope, said Local 743 Business Manager Randy L. Kieffer, who is president of the council. Members of IBEW Local 777, a utility local also in Reading, planted the utility poles at the fairground.

     Among the businesses that donated equipment and services were IBEW employers Medlar Electric Company, Pagoda Electric, The Warko Group, H.B. Frazer Company and GPU Energy.