News + Events

Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU) and Kansas 811 will be hosting the 2025 Kansas Utility Locate Rodeo September 10–11, 2025, at the KMU Training Center in McPherson, Kansas. This annual free event is exclusively for underground utility locators and offers a unique opportunity for locators to showcase their skills and compete with the best in the industry. Registration is now open!

Participants are invited to participate in one of four divisions: gas, water, electric, or telecommunications. Each division will have a first-, second-, and third-place monetary prize. The first-place winner of each division earns a sponsorship to the International Locate Rodeo held in Springfield, Missouri, where they will represent both Kansas and their organization.

Visit the official event website for more information or click here to register for free now.

Event Schedule

Wednesday, September 10

• 3:00–4:00 p.m.: Check-In at the KMU Training Center (2090 E A Ave, McPherson, KS 67460)
• 4:00 p.m.: Mandatory Competitor Meeting
  *If you do not attend this meeting, you will not be able to compete.
• 5:00 p.m.: Dinner and Sponsor Social

Thursday, September 11

• 7:30 a.m.: Judges/ Volunteer Meeting
• 8:30 a.m.: Competition Begins
• 11:30 a.m.: Lunch
• 4:00 p.m.: Award Ceremony

If you are interested in sponsoring the Kansas Utility Locate Rodeo, contact Shannon Achilles at [email protected]. We encourage you to share this opportunity with your colleagues and friends in the industry, and we hope to see you there!

Kansas 811 invites excavators and their crews to the 2025 Excavator Workshops! Unlike years past, we will be holding six full-day workshops in the following locations.

Click the city/state to register and secure your spot at these free events!

At each location, we are offering the following sessions:

Attendees are welcome to attend any or all sessions that interest you

Don’t miss this opportunity – register now!
To register, please click on the city of the location you would like to attend from the list shown above. When registering, please indicate whether you will be attending lunch and/or the locator training by selecting the check box next to those items.

Know someone who may benefit from this training?
Share the link to the post with any colleagues or connections that you think may be interested in attending – we’d love to have them join us!

Please contact Arch York or Keely Hosmann with questions.

As many of you may have heard, we are excited to announce the upcoming Kansas Locate Rodeo! This is an event exclusively for underground utility locators and offers a unique opportunity for locators to showcase their skills and compete with the best in the industry. Registration is FREE.

Event Details:

Tuesday, September 10

3 – 4 p.m.: Competitor Check-In (KMU Training Center – 2090 East Ave A, McPherson, KS)
4 p.m.: Mandatory Competitor Meeting (NOTE: If you do not attend this meeting, you will not be able to compete.)
5 p.m.: Pizza Dinner/Sponsor Mix and Mingle

Wednesday, September 11

7:30 a.m.: Judges/ Volunteer Meeting
8:30 a.m.: Competition Starts
Beginning at 11:30 a.m.: Lunch will be served during the competition, as time allows for each competitor
4 p.m.: Award Ceremony – Trophies and prizes to be awarded

You’re on the go — take Kansas 811 with you! The free Kansas 811 app is available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Submit, manage and monitor locate requests using Kansas 811’s ticket submission and management software right from your phone.

The Kansas 811 app offers convenient and powerful features for excavators, homeowners, and member utilities, including:

Access Videos & Resources
View a variety of helpful materials right inside the app’s Resource Center. You’re just moments away from the KS safe digging manual, regulations, and more!

Submit & Manage Tickets
Submit and manage locate requests using ITIC in just a few taps! Log in to ISITE for access to all of Kansas 811’s online tools.

Search Previously Submitted Tickets
Ticket Search makes it simple to find previously submitted tickets, view positive response history, and visit an online worksite map. Ready to dig in? Download the app today!