Thousands take part
WORTH TWP — Despite bouts of rain, thousands flocked to Cooper's Lake Campground over the weekend to attend the biggest Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival yet.
Festival director Patti Jo Lambert said Saturday there were more than 2,500 Jeeps at the campground, more than double the number the event attracted in 2011, its first year.
“We have a great crowd out here right now. Cooper's Lake is very full of Jeep enthusiasts,” Lambert said Saturday.
Friday night's Jeep parade was a record breaker. Festival organizers had estimated that 2,100 Jeeps participated in the parade, but the official count by the three traffic counters loaned by Cranberry Township showed that 2,420 Jeeps traversed the five-hour parade.
Though the count and record are still unofficial, it would be enough to set a new Guinness World Record. Lambert said it will take about two months to hear from Guinness regarding the record.
Campground owner James Brezel said Saturday that the camping area was just under capacity, and he estimated that there were about 2,000 people camping there.
Though heavy rain and winds that occurred sporadically from Thursday through Sunday disrupted some campers' equipment, everything was going smoothly, Brezel said Saturday.
“Everyone is in a good mood so I'm happy,” he said.
Lambert said the weather could not thwart the festival, which she said attracted twice as many vendors this year.
“Overall, the event is becoming larger and more successful and more widely attended,” Lambert said, “and it's a great indication on how the festival continues to grow.
“We are definitely in the realm of the top Jeep events in the country.”
Lambert said that by the time the rain began on Friday evening, the Jeep parade was two-thirds over.Ryan Shefbuch of Dayton, Ohio, said he was staying with his family in a RV at Cooper's Lake.They arrived Tuesday and helped set up signs and fences before enjoying the festival on the weekend.Shefbuch said the rain wasn't a big deal for campers and some Jeepers were even happy to see rain.“We were prepared for it. It wasn't too bad,” he said.Lambert said the weather was unfortunate, but had little effect.“It was a very rainy weekend, but people still came out, and I think people still had a good time,” she said.One of the biggest attractions for many was riding their Jeeps on one of several off-road trails and through the Jeep Playground.Roger Bolles of Orlea, Va., said he has been a Jeep owner most of his life and was attending the festival for the second time.“It's kind of a challenge,” he said about driving off road. “It takes technique and skill to control the gas pedal and brake, to keep traction and to keep both wheels on the ground.”Festival goers who didn't bring their own Jeep also had an opportunity to drive through the mud pit and rocky obstacle course at the Jeep Playground.BF Goodrich had two Jeep Wrangler Rubicons outfitted with its new K02 All Terrain tires that anybody with a driver's license could drive through the course.No experience was necessary because the drivers were accompanied by a professional driver in the passenger seat, said Carrie Woodward, with BF Goodrich.“They give them tips and coach them through it,” she said.Larry Bresnahan of Butler said he took his wife and grandson for a spin through the course.“My grandson loved it. He's never been four-wheeling before,” he said.Though he doesn't own a Jeep, Bresnahan said he has been to the festival every year.“It's a great time,” he said.At the Show 'n Shine competition, people entered their Jeeps in 19 categories to win trophies.Stephen Lee Warner, of Titusville entered his 1946 Jeep Willys in the Show'n Shine.Warner said he loves the military history of Jeeps.“They're the American dream. This is Americana,” he said.Jeff and Diane Stahl of Altoona said they enjoyed being in the record breaking parade, competing in the Show'n Shine and getting out on the trails.They belong to a Jeep club that does off-roading.“We both like the outdoors and being in the woods. I work on cars for a living, so it kind of blends my two loves, the outdoors and cars,” Jeff said.Chris Thompson of Fryburg, Clarion County, was at the festival with his son, Riley, 11.“It's great,” Thompson said. “It's our first time here, and we're enjoying it.”Riley said his favorite vehicle is the Jeep. He particularly likes the older models.“And we drove here in a brand new one,” his dad said, laughing.Rick Kline of Pittsburgh was at the festival's military encampment with his 1942 “light” tank, nicknamed “The Stuart.”He and Pat Nicholson of Pittsburgh bought the tank a couple years ago and take it to such encampments.“We always said it would be neat to own a running tank,” Kline said.Kline had other military vehicles on display, including a 1942 Jeep.“The Jeep was more maneuverable than other vehicles in the war,” he said. “The Jeeps in the war were the predecessors to the Jeeps on the road today.”Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said the rain didn't affect the festival.On Saturday he expected tens of thousands of visitors.“What a cool brand to have,” he said. “It's always nice to have people talking about our hometown.”This morning, Lambert said crews were busy even though most of the participants were on their way home.“We are in cleanup mode at the time, and with all the rain, it is really making it miserable.”But she said the 2015 festival will go down in the record books as successful.“It was a great event,” she said. “It exceeded our expectations on how smoothly it went.”
