Fun, feathered feature added to Jeep festival
The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival's organizers say a new interactive feature at the 2021 event will quack everybody up.
Patti Jo Lambert, festival organizer, said anyone can now buy a number to be placed on a military-themed rubber ducky for the new Duck Dash to be held June 12.
The festival takes place from June 11 to June 13 at Cooper's Lake Campground in Worth Township.
She said the numbered ducks will be collected into a squeaky flock and dumped down a hill, and the owners of the first three rubbery racers to cross the finish line will win $300, $200 and $100 respectively.
Each number costs $5 and can be purchased online at bantamjeepfestival.com/bantam-store.
After the Duck Dash, those who purchased numbers can retrieve their duck to keep.
Lambert said she got the idea from a recent game among Jeep owners and enthusiasts called “Ducking.”
In the game, Jeep owners who see a Jeep they like place a rubber duck somewhere on the Jeep, along with a short note complimenting the Jeep or wishing its owner a nice day.
Once the Jeep owner returns to his or her vehicle and retrieves the duck, they normally post a photo of it on a Jeep-related social media page stating, “I got ducked!”
“I decided we needed to do something with this ducking trend and bring it to the festival this year,” Lambert said.
She hopes those who retrieve their ducks after the Duck Dash will use them for ducking.
“Hopefully there will be ducks all over the country this summer, spreading the love of Jeeps,” Lambert said.
She also hopes everyone planning to attend the festival buys a number for the Duck Dash, as the proceeds will benefit five charity organizations affiliated with the festival.
Those organizations are American Legion Riders, Butler Outdoor Club, Civil Air Patrol, Leadership Butler County and Slippery Rock Township Volunteer Fire Department.
All five charitable organizations will also sell numbers for the Duck Dash.
Lambert said she thinks her idea for a Duck Dash will fly.
“Even if you're not a Jeeper, it's a fun thing,” she said.
Duck numbers will also be for sale at the festival in June, she said.
