A&E

Frankfort business recently hosted 'brick wall' contest

The best masons in Illinois came together to test their skill, speed and stamina by battling to see who could build the biggest and best 26-foot-tall brick wall in one hour.

The competition marked the second of 24 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional Series competitions to be held across North America in 2019. The winner of the each regional qualifies to compete in 2020 World Championship on Feb. 5, 2020 at the World of Concrete expo in Las Vegas.

Ten teams of masons and tenders lined the arena at Tri-State Cut Stone and Brick in Frankfort ready to prove they’re the best craftsmen in the region.

Mason Grzegorz Goral and mason tender Stefan Majercak of Molloy Masonry in Chicago took home top honors with a brick count of 607, winning a free trip to Las Vegas for the World Championship, a cash prize of $650, a Marshalltown tool bag, Stabila Level and the title, “Illinois’ Best Bricklayer.”

Nine teams of post-secondary students from the District Council Training Center were also allowed to compete in their own competition designed specifically for their skill level.

They were given 20 minutes to build an abbreviated version of the wall being constructed during the main event.

Mason Fernando Verdin and his mason won took top honors with a brick count of 112, earning $150 for his efforts.

The SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 was established by SPEC MIX in 2003 to showcase the skill and craftsmanship of professional masons.

It is featured as the headliner event of MASONRY MADNESS™ Day during the World of Concrete.

The Championship finale draws as many as 6,000 spectators with thousands of live webcast viewers across the world who tune in to watch this bricklayer battle.

To learn more about the national event, visit specmix.com.