Bonner Springs ? Nearly 1,000 linemen and apprentices gathered in Bonner Springs this weekend to shimmy up poles at the 20th annual Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo.

The event, which started 20 years ago in Manhattan, attracted participants from across the United States, as well as Ireland, England, Jamaica and Canada, and was held at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame.

“They are a very proud group,” said Wayman Bonham, a business manager with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union representing linemen. “They just love to show off their skills.”

Contests required linemen to scurry up an area of more than 200 poles.

In one competition, the linemen rescued mannequins representing injured utility workers. In another, they rescued eggs, placed them in their mouths and raced back down the poles — some in less than two minutes.

“This is the grand championship,” said Dale Warman, director of field operations for the Kansas City Power & Light Co.

The linemen have to earn the right to compete by winning contests in their own cities and states, said Warman, a former lineman who has worked with the rodeo since its inception.

“These people have electrified the nation. Without them, our coffeepots couldn’t burn,” Bonham said. “It’s probably one of the most important trades in the nation.”

The winners of the rodeo were honored Saturday night at a banquet featuring the Irish team’s favorite thing about Kansas City — its steaks.