Hundreds of students from across the Mid-Columbia donned hard hats, tried out heavy equipment and participated in other hands-on activities as part of the recent Tri-Cities Construction Career Day at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick.

The Tri-Cities chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction sponsored the Oct. 1 event, along with Tri-Tech Skills Center and dozens of local companies.

The event gave students a firsthand look at careers in construction and construction-related fields, plus information on training centers and community and technical college programs. Benton PUD also provided a high voltage demonstration.

About 600 students from the Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Kiona-Benton City, Columbia, Finley, Prosser and North Franklin school districts took part.