Jeep owners cruise quarry at Kildoo for annual Toys for Tots drive
MUDDY CREEK TWP — Think of it as a roller coaster.
Channa Robinson spoke those words before plunging her Jeep down a muddy slope, the last major feature of the blue south trail at the Bantam Quarry at Kildoo, where Jeep owners gathered for the Friends of Bantam Jeep Association’s Toys for Tots drive.
The drive was literal, because people who registered to take a ride on one of the trails at the quarry had to bring a donation for Butler County Toys for Tots, a project that has been recurring since around 2023.
For Brian Goss, a board member for the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association, the event represented the best parts about owning a Jeep.
“We get to come out and do things where we’re able to give back at the same time,” Goss said. “We enjoy being out on the trails, hanging out with other people that are like us, whether it’s a big fest, trail fest or this, it gives us an opportunity to give back. That’s what it’s all about.”
Robinson, of Ellwood City, agreed that the organization’s final event of the year was special, and as she led a caravan of Jeeps through the winding path of one of the trails labeled as a medium-difficulty, she recalled how her role in it has changed since 2021.
“I remember when I was scared,” she said. “It’s amazing the difference a few years makes.”
The Holiday Toy Drive and Trail Ride allowed for 100 Jeeps to register to take on the courses, which were muddy and covered in leaves for the event Saturday. Mary Danielson, a coordinator of the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, said the event has been successful in the past with every attendee bringing a toy or gift card to donate to the Toys for Tots in Butler County.
The success of the toy drive is in part thanks to the fun of the Jeep drives, which would be taking place throughout the day Saturday. Jeeps lined up at 10 a.m. at trails marked for different levels of skill and vehicle ability, before taking off onto the backwoods trails.
Bob Renk, president of the Heritage Region Jeep Alliance, said there are five main trails at Bantam Quarry at Kildoo, allowing for new Jeep owners to improve their off-roading ability one level of difficulty at a time. But the 235 acres of land can each be divided into sections, making for many possible routes.
Robinson said the green trails — ranked the easiest at the quarry — are mostly to test driver’s ability to maneuver around trees and through the woods. The middling blue trails involve more hills and switchbacks, where drivers have to keep a steady hand to avoid spinning into bushes or trees. The black trail is the most difficult, and requires Jeeps to have certain specs to be able to traverse them.
The rain made the trails a little harder than usual Saturday, but for some drivers, it was an appreciated element.
“Any time the weather is different, it makes a world of difference how you drive,” Robinson said. “I like sliding around the curves, it’s fun.”
Even when her Jeep slid, scraped against the ground during a tilt or stamped into ditches covered in rain, Robinson smiled. She even had to throw her Jeep in reverse so she could then build enough forward momentum to get her vehicle over a hill.
Robinson said it’s important for the leader and the shotgun — the final car — of each group to be experienced because they would have to help other drivers if there were any spills or wrecks.
Frank Kendralla has taken on the course with a black rank before, and said it’s a fun challenge because of the close scrapes the Jeeps get into.
“I’ve got videos of us this far from the ground, tipped over almost all the way,” Kendralla said. “So you’re questioning your life choices at certain points.”
