Builders save scraps at ‘SponCon’

If you were on the market for a rickshaw, living room set or trebuchet, then Home ReSource's Spontaneous Construction 2010 was the place to be on Saturday.

The seventh-annual event has become a well-known tradition in the Missoula area and gives builders, artists and creators the chance to rummage through the nonprofit organization's recycled home supplies and build something useful, unique or fun in just six hours. The event also brought local food, brews and music to entertain both builders and observers.

According to Events Coordinator Jes Mullette, SponCon has been one of the group's best fundraisers and it is always an easy sell to the people of Missoula.

"Missoulians are passionate about a few things," she said. "They're passionate about reusing and sustainable living, they're passionate about parties and they're passionate about supporting small businesses, and this does that."

The two groups, professionals and amateurs, split the competition. Both groups paid an entrance fee of $20 to $30.

One of the professional groups was Adapt, Design, and Build, who worked through the day to create a wooden recliner, made of steam-shaped wood, and an accompanying table and lamp. That was the perfect spot to sit and sip a martini, according to Kevin Depuy.

"There's a severe shortage of martini chairs on the market," Depuy joked. "Frank Sinatra would be proud."

Depuy and his wife Alli have participated in the event for the past few years and always look forward to the friendly competition.

"You get to come out, drink beer and play with power tools," she said.

While the Depuys worked from experience, Team Awesome, made up of people from Earthbound Productions, were banking on might and creativity as they slowly pieced together a rickshaw from old staircase railings and wooden wheels.

One of the team members, Andrea Harsell, usually attends as a musician but decided to take a swing at the construction side of the event this year, having been inspired by the many interesting items that the event has produced in years past.

"Everything is really cool when it's done," she said. "You don't just walk by and say ‘what the hell is that?'"

One item that could have gotten that reaction was a trebuchet, a massive slingshot based on designs from revolutionary France, built by Luke Moorhead and friends. Using a 55-gallon drum filled with water as a counterweight, the odd-looking contraption slung water balloons, watermelons, cabbage and even a bowling ball, one piece of ammunition that had less then perfect results.

Regardless of its success, Moorhead, who has worked construction in the past and seen the waste that it can create, said that SponCon is a great event for the community and environment.

"Using leftover construction waste for good is fantastic, and you (get) a lot of cool things," he said. "Some things more useful than a trebuchet."

justin.franz@umontana.edu