Butler’s history shines at Jeep Fest
WORTH TWP — By noon, thousands of visitors from around Western Pennsylvania and beyond received glimpses of Butler history at the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival Friday, June 13.
The annual festival, held Friday through Sunday at the Cooper’s Lake Campground just off Route 422 and Interstate 79, featured Jeeps and Jeep parts ranging from the 1940s to the present day.
Beyond the dozens of businesses and vendors selling Jeep car parts, food and other goods, as well as events like the Babes of Bantam trail ride and the Bantam Quarry at Kildoo Trail session Friday morning, the history exhibit and “military encampment” area were big draws.
Information displayed in the history exhibit showed visitors how the first two cars built in Butler were made in 1905. Later, the Jeeps were utilized in the early 1940s, with figures like General George Marshall acknowledging the Jeep’s contributions to helping American soldiers move around.
Specific Jeeps, like the 1941 BRC-40 Service Truck, and a yellow 1950 Jeepster, drew large crowds of observers. Other vehicles displayed were from the ’70s and ’80s.
“A lot goes into this. They put a lot of months, a lot of time and effort, into getting everything set up and organized, just to show everything off,” Dianne Wisener said.
Wisener and her husband have volunteered at the Jeep festival the past two years. They drive up from their home in Winchester, Va., to attend the festival.
The Wiseners own a green 1954 Jeep that was displayed in the exhibit. They bought it around 1996, and spent years restoring it.
“I like it all, but I really enjoy this, the history,” Wisener said.
The military encampment area included vehicles that were used during World War II and have been preserved, along with other war-era artifacts like Japanese weapons and American military cooking equipment.
But just yards away, there were new vehicles, with features, such as neon lights on the bottom.
“It’s outside for one, all the Jeep enthusiasts come out. There’s tons of vendors here, so the Jeep enthusiasts can get stuff for their own Jeeps. People who don’t have jeeps, it’s still something to do, something cool to see,” Bob Maytan said.
Jerry and Dawn Rothenhoefer, who traveled from Maryland and are chapter leaders of the Christian Jeep Association, said they’ve been to many events over the years. However, Butler is probably the largest one they attend.
“The draw here is that it’s a good location for folks who have come from all over, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Indiana, all these different places, so you get a lot of different people here, and folks are eager to interact,” Jerry Rothenhoefer said. “Everyone’s friendly; everyone’s into the Jeeps.”
Butler’s history tied to the Jeep makes this is one of their favorite shows to attend.
There are other reasons people will go to similar events all over the country, they said — the weather is typically good at the Butler County one, not as hot and humid as ones later in July and August. Plus “the community and the camaraderie,” according to Dawn Rothenhoefer.
“The Jeep community in and of itself is one that is pretty caring about one another,” Dawn Rothenhoefer said.
But the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, has a great feel, with its roots in the car’s history.
“For whatever reason, everybody likes the Jeeps I think,” Wisener said. “And because it started here in Butler, it’s really something that’s special here.”
