2014 Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival - June 13-15
Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau
First e-blast of the year... hope you're as excited as we are! Judging by our Facebook page, you are! Each month we'll be featuring new aspects of the Festival for 2014, so stay tuned and keep on Jeepin' on!
Registration Open
Participants, volunteers and vendors can all preregister for the Festival via our website. Did you get stuck in long lines on-site last year? Preregister! Did your favorite activity sell out? Preregister! Want to save 30%? Preregister!
Preregistered Jeepers will receive a packet in the mail in late May-early June, so they can waltz right into the Festival without waiting in line. The Festival package is only available until May 18th. Purchasing this bundle saves you 30% (20% if purchased after March 31st) versus a la carte pricing. Plus, you never know if or when activities will reach their maximum capacity. Better safe than sorry!
As part of the registration process, you can also purchase the Festival or Invasion t-shirts. Our committee loves the designs and hopes you will, too! Post a pic of you in your shirt to our Facebook page and we'll share it with the Jeep world!
Love the Festival? Help it Succeed!
It takes hundreds of volunteers to pull off the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. We need your support to continue to make it work! As a thank you, Jeeper volunteers get $110 worth of free activities! All volunteers also get a t-shirt, an invitation to a special volunteer mixer, two free raffle tickets and new this year - a special hour to enjoy the Jeep playground and trails. Volunteers without a Jeep will get a wristband for a friend and a chance to tag along with a Jeeper during the special volunteer hour. You could have this much fun...!
Campground Filling Quickly!
If you want to camp at Cooper's Lake, be sure to register soon, as space is limited! Reservations can only be made at www.cooperslake.com.
Showcase your Club for Free!
Want to recruit new members for your Jeep or off-road club? The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival is offering free booth space for all clubs who wish to promote their organization. A 10×20' booth space will be provided for each requesting club. Power, tables, chairs and tents are not provided. Spectator admission must be purchased by all members staffing the booth.
All Jeep Clubs utilizing booth space must commit to providing a minimum of two qualified volunteers on two of the Festival days. Each volunteer needs to help for two shifts (shifts are approx 4 hours). Your volunteers will need to register through the online volunteer registration process and indicate that they are with your club.
New in 2014: More Time!
You asked for it, so we're doing it! The Festival is now going to be open an hour later on Saturday, giving participants more time driving on the trails and playground, visiting industry vendors, walking through the WWII Encampment, learning about Jeep history and admiring the Jeeps competing in the Show 'n Shine competition. Hours are as follows:
- Friday, June 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, June 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The last trail rides will go out 30 minutes before the Festival closes each day.
Thank You Sponsors!
We wouldn't be able to hold such an eventful festival without our sponsors. This year we even have some new activities for you to enjoy with your Jeep. Make sure you tell them how much you appreciate their support! Here's what some of our 2014 sponsors are helping us with:
Join hundreds of Jeeps Friday night of the festival in downtown Butler for the Jeep Invasion sponsored by Rugged Ridge. We close down Main Street and turn the music up for a Jeep take-over! Jeep enthusiasts will gather to show off more than 1,000 Jeeps lining the street. There will be Jeeps everywhere so bring yours and enjoy an evening meeting thousands of other Jeepers.
Bring your Jeep out to do what they do best: get muddy! Visit the Jeep Playground sponsored by 4WD Hardware to climb dirt piles, crawl over rocks, and maneuver other obstacles. In 2014, we now have two mud pits, one for modified Jeeps and one for stock Jeeps so everyone can get their tires dirty!
Make sure your Jeep is running its best throughout the weekend and visit the Bantam Garage sponsored by Diehl. The Garage is new in 2014 and features certified technicians from Diehl to help Jeepers get back on the road and trails. The Garage will be open during Festival hours.
For those attending the festival that want a new Jeep or to sell their old Jeep, this year we'll have just the place! The Jeep Corral sponsored by Simpson Family Jeeps will showcase your Jeep to thousands of Jeep enthusiasts. There's no better place to find the right buyer for your Jeep!
Vendors Make Plans to Attend
We are excited to announce the first group of vendors who will be joining us this year.
- JcrOffroad
- Advantage Chiropractic Centers
- Hi-Lift Jack Company
- Jeep Tweaks
- Method Race Wheels
- Poison Spyder
- Red Beard Tools
- The Soldier And War Shop
We are looking for a variety of vendors to come and show off what they have to offer for the thousands of Jeepers who attend. Vendor registration is now available here.
Highlights video from the 2013 Festival: http://www.bantamjeepfestival.com/about/2013-festival/
About the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival
The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival is organized by the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau with support from the Butler County Historical Society, Butler Downtown, other local organizations and a group of committed volunteers and Jeep enthusiasts. Together, they are creating a signature annual event celebrating Butler, Pa.'s role as the birthplace of the jeep. The Festival takes place in Downtown Butler and at Coopers Lake Campground, near Slippery Rock, Pa.
The inaugural event in 2011 attracted more than 1,300 Jeep participants from 25 states. Festival activities were attended by more than 30,000 spectators. The Festival was awarded a Guinness World Record for the Longest Parade of Jeeps. In 2012, nearly 1,500 Jeeps from 25 states participated in the event, a 14% increase from the previous year. In 2013, the Festival grew to three full days and was held on a new date at a new location, offering more trails and room for expansion. More than 1,500 Jeeps from 29 states came to Butler to celebrate the father of all Jeeps over Father's Day weekend.