Mardi Gras parades, the Christmas parade, the Tree Lighting ceremony, ArtWalk, the Arts and Crafts Festival — different events, but with a few things in common. Crowds, for example. And trash.

If you have ever lingered around after one of these events, you were probably shocked by the amount of litter strewn throughout the city. Beads, cups, cigarette butts, napkins, bags, bottles and cans. They hang from the trees, cloister in the flower beds and line the gullies and gutters.

Yet incredibly, after each event, while we are sleeping, the mess and faded flowers disappear, and, for many of us, our home trash and recycling items.

We wake up in the morning to find that the streets are once again pristine, the new flowers are blooming with an intensity that demands attention and all the trash has been carted away.

Who are these obscure workers, who work so diligently, often while we sleep?

This week is National Public Works Week. NPWW calls attention to the importance of the men and women who serve us every day, often without us even noticing. It gives us an opportunity to recognize the tens of thousands of men and women throughout our nation who provide and maintain the infrastructure and services we know as “public works.” From garbage, trash and recyclables pickup to city construction, street repair, mosquito control, landfill operation, park grounds maintenance, horticulture and landscaping, municipal workers strive to improve residents’ quality of life and keep their towns beautiful.

NPWW, held during the third full week of May, has been observed each year since 1960, with activities such as parades, displays of public works equipment, high school essay contests and the issuance of proclamations by mayors and governors often marking the occasion.

The Fairhope Department of Public Works will host its first Equipment Rodeo, a friendly competition between city equipment operators, today at the public works warehouse on South Section Street. Workers will have an opportunity to show off their backhoe operating skills as they compete in three separate events. The top two winners will go on to compete at the state level, and will be recognized at a special luncheon that will be held at the bay front park on May 24. The public is encouraged to attend the competition and cheer on the contestants during the competition, but the luncheon, planned for all 55 of the public works employees, is private. The rodeo begins at noon, and is expected to last about two hours, said Jennifer Fidler, director of public works.

“Our public works employees are very diverse, and become well versed in different trades,” said Fidler. “They may be working on the pier one day, setting up for a festival the next day and picking up garbage the next. These are talented individuals who are called upon to perform a variety of jobs.”

The public is also invited to tour the city greenhouse on Nichols Avenue on May 23, where a new automated city garbage truck will be on display.

Fidler hopes these events will acquaint young people with career opportunities available in the field of public works.