Tom Perry of Mayard, Mass., and passenger Rick Titus finish the rock crawl section of the Jeep Playground at the first Bantam Jeep festival held last year. The second annual event will go on this weekend.

Last year more than 1,300 Jeeps rolled into Butler, the birthplace of the Jeep, for a homecoming celebration at the first Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival.

Now, Jeep owners and lovers are returning for the events surrounding the second annual festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday's events occur in downtown Butler while activities on Saturday and Sunday are at the Big Butler Fairgrounds, Route 422.

Admission at the fairgrounds is $7 for adults and $3 for children 3 to 12 years old.

Here's a look at what's new for this year's festival.

Jeep invasionBy the time online registration ended July 24, more than 1,000 Jeep owners had reserved a spot for the chance to invade Butler's streets.Jeeps of all decades will park downtown beginning at 3 p.m. Friday for visitors to admire.Starting at 6 p.m. Friday, bands and DJs will fill the streets with music, and a variety of festival food will supplement the offerings provided by downtown restaurants.Jeeps will enter town via access points at North and South Main Streets, and the party will continue until 10 p.m. The event is sponsored by Butler Health System.

Jeep Team ChallengeListening to a backseat driver can be a challenge, but in the case of the Jeep Team Challenge, the 50 drivers have no other choice.Visitors can come to the fairgrounds from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday to watch Jeepers test their skills while driving blindfolded, playing “broomball” and popping water balloons, among other activities.The event will be at the grandstand.The Jeep Team Challenge is sponsored by 4WD Hardware and the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Mystery Road Rally What could make a scavenger hunt more fun? Completing one in a Jeep.Up to 200 Jeeps will compete in this hunt. Jeepers and navigators will enjoy the scenic sights of Butler County as they follow one of eight routes during the rally.They will be given directions and asked to complete questions about places of interest along the way. The Jeep finishing closest to the predetermined mileage, time and the highest score on each route will be awarded a trophy.One grand prize will be offered to the Jeep with the overall best score.The Mystery Road Rally will take place Saturday evening and is sponsored by Peoples TWP & Peoples Natural Gas and Sheetz.

Ruff 'n TuffRuff 'n Tuff, sponsored by Quadratec, is for all Jeep enthusiasts.Judges will vote for their favorite Jeep in each wacky category: most mud, most rust, most extreme, most tattoos (stickers), highest off the ground, best chick Jeep (female owned), best beater Jeep, best paint and best trail ready.These categories may be nontraditional, but festival attendees are sure to see some interesting Jeeps in this Sunday-only event. The winners parade will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Celebrating Butler's role as the birthplace of the Jeep is one of the festival's goals.New this year is a display of more than 15 Jeeps that showcase some of the major models and body styles of Jeeps during the past 71 years.The display enhances the Bantam Jeep history exhibit that was unveiled at the festival last year. It is sponsored by 84 Lumber.<B>Items for sale </B>Those looking to find a part for their Jeep or for some unique military item may find just what they want at the festival.Numerous Jeep owners and collectibles dealers are setting up shop to offer their merchandise to attendees.<B>Great Pig Out</B>The Great Pig Out, sponsored by Rugged Ridge, is a reservation-only event that will take place Saturday night.About 800 festival-goers can enjoy tasty foods like roasted pig, chicken, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw and barbecue sauce. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 8 p.m.Other food vendors will be open for those who missed out on buying tickets in advance.<B>Saturday night fun</B>Butler's own band, Mass Transit, will take the stage at 6 p.m Saturday to play a variety of music from the 1950s to today.Other activities will include volleyball, testing sports skills, talking to Jeep friends, or just relaxing.“Nearly all of the new activities we are offering this year are from the direct feedback of many of our 2011 participants and volunteers,” said Patti Jo Lambert, festival director.“We utilized social media and surveys to gather input, and we're taking those suggestions and bringing many of them to life this year.”

Jeff Heil charged through the mud pit with wife Michelle and children Emma, Kaitlin and Olivia at last year's Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival activities at the Big Butler Fairgrounds. On-site registration, as space allows, will be available at this year's festival events.