Jeep fest sign-ups set record
Monday was the first day of registration for the 2022 Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, and the numbers climbed like a CJ-5 up a muddy hill.
Patti Jo Lambert, festival director, said 514 Jeeps were registered from 9 a.m. Monday to midnight for the 11th annual festival to be held June 10 to 12 at Cooper's Lake Campground.
That's a 51% increase over first-day registration in 2020, Lambert said.
Because that festival was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, registrations and other data were rolled over into the 2021 festival last year.
Lambert is ecstatic with the number of people who registered their Jeeps for the festival this summer.
“We had a great festival last year, but we really attributed that to being our 10th anniversary and also because we didn't have it in 2020,” Lambert said. “This is really exciting and hopefully an indication that we are going to have another amazing year.”
She said many people register as soon as possible, so they can sign up for their favorite festival activities before they become full.
Of those 514 registrants on Monday, 14% are first-time festival attendees and 19 states are represented, Lambert said.
“The furthest state away, if you can believe it, is Washington,” an elated Lambert said.
She attributes the increased first-day numbers to a variety of factors, including the camaraderie of the Jeep community nationwide.
“They just love to be together,” Lambert said. “They're a family.”
She also pointed to the hard work of the festival's volunteers as the main reason the festival is so much fun, and that word has spread in the Jeep community that the Butler event is the festival to beat in the United States.
Lambert said those who register their Jeeps for the festival are asked to take a survey when the festival is over, so any necessary changes can be made by Lambert and her staff.
Based on that survey, a will call area was offered last year where those who registered online after the deadline could pick up their information packet without having to wait in line to register by hand in a tent.“That made the registration process really easy and the long lines on-site were eliminated,” Lambert said.Festival organizers also added the Light Bars and Brews event last year based on the previous survey results.In that activity, local breweries sold their beer while a competition involving the light displays on Jeeps was underway.“We do everything we can to engage local businesses and that was a way for us to do that,” Lambert said.Those interested in the festival can register online until May 6 at bantamjeepfestival.com.There is an additional fee for those who register after May 6 or who register at the festival.She said those who register by May 6 will receive their information and documents in the mail by Memorial Day.“That way, when you get to the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, you can go straight in and start having fun,” Lambert said.She said residents who would like to volunteer or check out the duties of a volunteer can do so on the same website.
