Visit NASCO at the 2026 International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo

The utility trade’s premier event returns to Kansas October 14-17, and NASCO is bringing the ArcWear line to the expo floor at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Why the International Lineman’s Rodeo Is a Can’t-Miss Event

The first Lineman’s Rodeo was held in September 1984 with twelve teams from Kansas and Missouri. Forty-two years later, it is the one week a year the electric utility trade puts its skills on the clock in front of everybody. Here is what the 2026 event looks like:

• Competition at full scale. By the Rodeo’s own count: 290 journeyman teams, 364 apprentices, 5,242 verified attendees and more than 100 electric utility companies on site, from eight countries. Team events this year are Hurtman Rescue, Pole Climb and two mystery events. Apprentices add a written test.
• A free Safety & Training Conference on October 14-15. A day and a half of sessions at no cost to attendees, covering fall protection component compatibility, winch and recovery safety, near-miss reporting and whether calling 911 is actually enough.
• Two days on the expo floor. Thursday, October 15 from noon to 5:00 PM and Friday, October 16 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with 205 exhibiting companies at the Overland Park Convention Center. Friday night is the Barbecue and Trade Night.
• Rodeo day in Bonner Springs. Opening ceremony at 7:00 AM Saturday, October 17 at the National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame, competition at 7:30, awards banquet that evening. Evergy and the KC Board of Public Utilities are the host utilities.

Pole climbing, hot sticks, working from the pole: skills a lineman uses less often now, and needs to be sharp on when the call comes at 2 AM.

What We’re Bringing to Overland Park: The ArcWear Line

NASCO engineers FR rainwear for the two hazards that put line crews at the greatest risk: electric arc flash and hydrocarbon flash fire. Three garments worth handling in person:

• ArcJoule – Waterproof, breathable and multi-hazard. ASTM F1891 arc rating of 11 cal/cm² ATPV with 76% heat attenuation and 33 cal/cm² breakopen, NFPA 70E HRC 2, ASTM F2733 flash fire at 6.56% body burn, ANSI 107 Type R Class 3 hi-vis. PTFE moisture barrier, seams sealed with Nomex tape, 10.5 oz/yd² finished. Now available in women’s sizing.
• ArcLite Air – The lightest weight multi-hazard protective outerwear available. Arc and flash fire protection, ANSI 107 Class 3 visibility, fall protection access, cut for men and women. Real protection for linemen without the weight.
• Rampart – Built for long-duration rain events, the kind that follow a storm call. An ExoGuard outer shell over a breathable urethane moisture barrier and a Polartec PowerDry inner layer, with 3M 9720 reflective trim. Arc rated to ASTM F1891 and NFPA 70E, flash fire rated to ASTM F2733, ANSI 107 Type R Class 3.

Every NASCO garment is cut and sewn in Washington, Indiana. USA-made. ISO 9001 certified. Built for the work your crews actually do.

Find Us on the Expo Floor

The expo runs Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at the Overland Park Convention Center, and it is the only stretch of the week when the whole industry is under one roof and not on the clock. Come put your hands on the fabric, check the trim placement, try the fall protection access, and ask the questions a spec sheet does not answer.

Booth number: TBA. Check back here or follow us on LinkedIn for our location once the floorplan is final.

About NASCO

For more than 40 years, NASCO has engineered protective rainwear for workers facing arc flash, flash fire, chemical splash and punishing weather, without sacrificing mobility. Our job is simple: get your people home safe.

Let’s Connect in Overland Park

Bring your toughest rainwear spec challenges, or just stop by to talk about what is holding up in the field and what isn’t. Book a 15-minute meeting with the NASCO team and walk away with field-ready answers.