Iowa One Call is celebrating Aug. 11 as 811 Day as a way to remind Iowans to call 811 before they do any type of digging. Not only is Thursday, Aug. 11 811 Day, it is also the first day of the 2016 Iowa State Fair, and Iowa One Call will be carrying the 811 theme through at their exhibit in the Varied Industries building. Their mascot, Gabby the Groundhog, will be there and attendees will have a chance to spin and win prizes on the roulette wheel. They will be giving away 811 t-shirts and other merchandise along with prizes for kids. 811 is the national three-digit number that, when dialed on any telephone, connects callers anywhere in the country to their state’s one call notification center. Iowa law requires all persons planning to perform any projects that will entail digging to dial 811 or submitting an online locate request via www.iowaonecall.com. Failure to comply may result in cases of financial liability and civil penalties. More importantly, failure to call may result in fire and/or explosion, electrical shock or the contamination of an entire community’s drinking water.
