Thrill Ride
WORTH TWP — Thousands of excited revelers turned out to Cooper's Lake Campground on Friday to celebrate Butler County's history with the Jeep.
The day kicked off the third annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, designed to commemorate the vehicle that was first built in Butler in the 1940s.
Friday also marked a new chapter for the festival for three reasons. This is the first year it's at Cooper's Lake, and this is the first year the festival starts on Friday instead of Saturday. It's also the first year the festival is in June instead of August.
Based on the swarms of people walking around the spacious campground and the bevy of Jeeps driving about, the idea to expand the festival was a good one.
License plates from all over the country and even Canada dotted the lots as people came from all over to see what the festival was all about. Jeeps of all shapes, sizes and colors rolled past as strangers waved to each other, bound together only by the love of their vehicles.
As has been in past years, the festival didn't just attract local spectators.
Derek Smith came with his wife and two children all the way from Louisville, Ky., to see the Jeeps. While his children are more concerned about the swimming pool at the hotel, Smith said he can't wait to take his Jeep out on the trail ride at Moraine State Park.
Mentioning that he was still a little weary from the long ride in, Smith didn't show it. Rather, his face was painted with a wide smile as he looked about the scenery.
“The trip is definitely worth it,” he said.
That sentiment seemed to be held by many people Friday as the sun finally started to peek from behind a thick cloud cover.
Wendy Callahan of Sharpsville walked alongside her daughter, Kayla Parcetich, as the two perused vendors on display.
Callahan remarked that this was the first year the family could come to the Jeep fest because it always used to conflict with family vacations.
Both seemed ecstatic to be there Friday. After all, both are Jeep owners.“She's got hers, and I've got mine,” Callahan said. “We're always competing to see whose is nicer. She's always got to one up me and her uncle.”Parcetich smiled and nodded in agreement, adding that she was shopping around the vendors for a new bumper or new rims for her tires.Roy Rowland of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, stood nearby at the World War II encampment set up.He stood next to several authentic Bantam Jeeps made for troops during World War II. His own Jeep, made in 1952 for the Korean War, sat nearby in another lot.He chose to help with the World War II encampment because it will help some of today's young people get a better idea of the history of the Jeep.“It's not something that's taught in schools,” he said. “So the kids can come out here, and it's something they can touch and feel and see. And that's what it's all about.”But the exhibition wasn't just for children, Rowland cautioned.“A lot of people think that a Jeep is a Jeep is a Jeep,” he said. “It's not. There are a myriad of differences.”The spectators weren't the only ones to come from far away.Phil Stebbins came with his wife from Joliet, Ill., to see the festivities. He also came to show off a rare collection of memorabilia from both World War I and World War II.“This is all original stuff right here,” he said, pointing to helmets and knifes spread out on a table. “I figure all this stuff will get some good exposure this weekend.”Zach Reed of the Chop Shop in Butler set up a mobile food truck for the event and stood waiting for customers just before lunch on Friday.He said he had talked to many spectators already, and more than half seem to be from outside the area.That's a good thing, he said, because it helps bring exposure to an area that doesn't always see a lot of it.“This is Butler right here in a nutshell,” he said smiling, looking out at the scenery.Patti Jo Lambert, the organizer of the gigantic festival, said Friday that she's pleased with the new location.“Things have been going absolutely well,” she said. “People have been giving us feedback all day about the new location, about how they love the layout. Obviously, we expected a few little hiccups, but we were able to fix them and adjust as we needed to.”Lambert also said the idea to start the festival on Friday was a good one, given the fact that it gives her and other organizers a chance to prepare for Saturday, which is expected to be the busiest day of the festival.
