Most who become involved with Jeep Fest, either as a volunteer or a participant, own a Jeep or buy one shortly after.

But Cathy Gililand purchased hers only two weeks ago, opening her mind not only to new possibilities but also a new culture.

Gilliland of Vandergrift, formerly of Butler, has volunteered for the Jeep Fest for the past five years, working her way up from cashier to merchandise manager. She recently bought her first Jeep.

“I thought, 'Why not?'” she said. “There's a whole Jeep culture that I'm figuring out.”

One of these cultural quirks is the Jeep wave, similar to bikers who wave to one another, but it also works between Jeep owners.

“I've got all these people waving to me now,” Gililand said.

Having been a Butler resident until only a few months ago, Gililand had always heard about and watched the Jeep parades, but then a friend told her that she needed to socialize more and volunteering for Jeep Fest might be a good idea.

“I didn't know much about it other than what was advertised,” she said.

Gililand took her friends' advice, and after joining, her role continued to grow as she gained more experience. She said she feels steady in her role now.

“(When I first started,) they were still figuring themselves out too,” she said. “Now, we've pretty much got it down to a science.”

As a merchandise manager, Gililand is responsible for recruiting and organizing the merchants that sell their Jeep customizations, accessories and other wares.

“We try to keep it as local as possible; we try to use Butler County and Butler area people,” she said. “That way we're giving back to these guys.”

Because of the nature of her role, Gililand doesn't have much experience with the games and trail riding events, something she hopes she will be able to get into now that she's an owner.

Instead, she deals with the Jeep people, and she said they come in from different walks of life.

“You get a lot of different ideas and different perspectives,” she said.

Gililand said owning a Jeep may help her connect further with the participants and vendors.

“I think it might make a difference,” she said.

Plus, she could also avoid the lighthearted jokes that her fellow volunteers teased her with.

“It was all in good fun,” she said. “They never let me forget that I was not driving a Jeep.”

Gililand used to own a Nissan Juke, a small SUV, and she would intentionally park in ways that might be less obvious. She said that was pretty hard.

“It stuck out like a sore thumb,” Gililand said.

Now, Gililand drives a brand new black four-door Jeep Wrangler.

“It had 87 miles when I pulled out on Route 8 as the owner,” she said. “I've got over 1,000 on it now over two weeks.”

Gililand said she didn't realize how small her former car was, until her first drive in her new ride.

“I didn't realize how small my car was until I got into this,” she said. “Everyone keeps on telling me, 'Well yeah, your car was small.'”

Gililand's colleague and friend, Patti Jo Lambert, festival director, said Gililand wasn't the only volunteer who doesn't own a Jeep, including herself.

“Cathy has been such an important part of our festival planning committee,” she said. “(She has) a big job, a year-round job.”

Lambert said she and Gililand had always intended to buy Jeeps, but were waiting for the right opportunity. She said it would be too hard to justify owning a Jeep while still needing to drive her three kids around.

“It's definitely in my future,” she said. “A Jeep without three rows is not practical in my life right now.”

Lambert said jokingly that she was hoping to be first to buy a Jeep, but she was still excited that her friend now has one.

“We have to celebrate,” she said. “I told her I was jealous that she got hers before me.”

For now, Lambert said she will continue to be the minority, until her kids get older and can drive themselves places. She said she's not trying to rush into the purchase, and she's not alone.

“There's still several of us who don't own Jeeps,” she said. “We're becoming fewer because people keep catching the bug.”

Lambert said Gililand's purchase marks a new part of her journey with Jeep Fest, but the first part is also significant in identifying what makes the group special. She said the fact that someone who had no Jeep or little experience with the vehicle can be involved with the event.

Gililand said she felt the same way. She said even with the jokes about not owning a Jeep, she always felt accepted and never pressured. She said buying a Jeep just made sense, and now she continues to discover new things she enjoys about the vehicle.

“It's exciting,” she said. “I like it more and more every time I drive it.”

Gililand said she hopes that she can also attend the Babes of Bantam event at this year's festival, so she can learn new things and further understand the community she has joined.

But most of all, she said she's excited to see the reactions of her friends and fellow volunteers, when they discover her new Jeep.

“I think they'll be surprised this year,” she said.