Inaugural Bantam Heritage Jeep Festival a Success

With row after row, and Jeep after Jeep, the Butler Fairgrounds played host to the inaugural this weekend.

Thousands of Jeep owners, Jeep historians, Jeep lovers, and Jeep enthusiasts came to Butler County to celebrate the Bantam Jeep’s 70th anniversary.

The Bantam Jeep was created by Butler's Bantam Company in 1941 in direct response to the U.S. Army, which was in need of a sturdy vehicle. Bantam invented the little car and tested it in the farm country of Butler County before it was introduced and accepted by the Army.

The event kicked off with a held Friday night before moving the festivities to the fairgrounds, where the Jeeps were on display.

There also was a Jeep "playground" where Jeep owners could drive their cars over a series of obstacles and off-road trails cut through the woods for more riding challenges -- perhaps imitating some of the test-drive conditions of the first proto-type Bantam Jeep 70 years ago.

Jeep owners came from all over the country. Many drove their Jeeps to the festival, but others towed them to the parade and fairgrounds.

Twin sisters Nanci Knight and Carol Mowry, 64, of Mansfield, OH, came in a pink “Iowa Jeep,” a 1960 Willy Jeep identical to their very first car.

“When we turned 16, our parents bought us a Jeep. A few years ago, we decided we wanted to relive our youth, so we found this one and started driving it places,” Knight said.

Mowry said they found the car four years ago. Since that time they have traveled to various car shows, festivals, and parades, including the recent twins festival in Twinsburg, OH. Mowry’s husband, Dick Mowry, accompanies the sisters on the trips and helps them tow the little pink car.

“They have a great time with it, and so do I” Dick Mowry said, “It is fun to see people’s reactions to the car and them.”

There were Jeeps from the 1940s to modern Jeeps just off the showroom floor, but the vehicles getting the most attention were those out of the ordinary, such as the Steelers Jeep owned by Brad and Becky Fox of Massillon, Ohio.

The Foxes say they live closer to Cleveland Brown country, where Steelers items aren’t very much appreciated.

“It was wonderful to be a parade where people were cheering and yelling for us,” Becky Fox said. “Back home, we aren’t so popular.”

Like many Jeep lovers at the festival, Brad Fox was enthusiastic about the event.

“We’ve been to a lot of Jeep events and this is by far the best. We just can’t believe the crowds,” he said. “And the parade was amazing. It made the trip worthwhile alone.”

Butler County Tourism and Convention Center, the organizers behind the event, were overwhelmed by the crowds -- and the response from Jeep owners.

Bureau member Patti Jo Lambert said she even helped plan an itinerary for a family who came from Iceland for the event.

“We can’t believe where we have heard from people and who is here,” she said.

The initial T-shirt order of 1,000 Bantam Festival shirts flew off the shelves. The shirts were sold out Friday evening and the remaining few children’s shirts were gone by early Saturday afternoon.

The DeWald family came from Birdsboro, PA, with their 1998 Jeep Wrangler. Nicole DeWald, 7, particularly liked the parade.

“It was awesome, especially to be in a world-breaking parade,” she said.

Her parents, Pete and Kathy DeWald, made sure they registered early for the event, a smart move considering the parade sold out in June. 

“I figured this was going to be a lot of fun,” Pete DeWald said.

A reenactment camp was set up at one end of the fairgrounds. Amateur historians who had World War II vintage Jeeps on display also answered questions about the era.

McMurray residents Matt Powlaszewki, 18, and his dad, Kenneth, brought a 1942 Jeep, which they have owned for three years. Both were dressed in military attire.

“My dad has always enjoyed history and got me involved,” Matt Powlaszewski said. “We stared collecting smaller items, rifles and guns, and I guess you can say the toys just got bigger.”

In addition to the display area and riding courses, there were concerts, “how-to” demonstrations, historical presentations, and a children’s play area complete with a little Jeep they could drive.

As the inaugural weekend came to a close on Sunday, the next Bantam Heritage Jeep Festival is already set for August 10 –12, 2012.

Jeep enthusiasts already have the date marked on their calendars.