Jeeps roll into downtown Butler by the thousands
Downtown Butler was taken over by Jeeps Friday evening for the 11th annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival.
The Jeeps rolled into downtown Butler from all directions for the Jeep Invasion, as organizers chose to forego the Jeep parade in favor of a standstill event that allowed people to view the Jeeps and meet with their owners — at their own pace.
Jeanne Whitling of Oil City, who brings her two decorated Jeeps to events around the region in hopes of just making people smile, was among those showing their vehicles Friday.
“I just love Jeeps,” Whitling said. “I will come to this every year.”
After years of attending the festival, Whitling said she finally scored two prime parking spots on Main Street Friday evening, where her Cookie Monster Jeep and her Minions Jeep could spread many smiles.
A mail carrier, Whitling said she has tricked out her Jeeps in a few ways, including moving the steering wheel to the right side of her vehicles, but the vehicles’ appearance were most important to her.
“It brings so many smiles to people,” Whitling said. “I watched ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ and that’s how I fell in love with Jeeps.”
Patty Jo Lambert, event organizer for the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, said about 2,300 Jeeps had registered prior to the event and a few hundred more were expected to register on Friday.
She said the event would be a success because of the time put into planning and organizing from many people.
“It takes hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of volunteers, lots of cooperation between the city and the county, mayor, police, PennDOT,” Lambert said. “It's wonderful to have support from them all.”
That support also was appreciated by the Jeepers, many of whom drive for several hours to Butler to attend the festival each year.
JR Rivera traveled from Niagara Falls with his blue 1976 CJ-7 to attend the festival, as he has every year since the event began. But it’s not just his appreciation for the Jeep that keeps him coming back each year.
“What makes it special to me is how friendly the town is,” Rivera said. “This is an event I will never miss because the people are so kind, and they appreciate the Jeep.”
Throughout the evening, Rivera spoke to passersby as they stopped to take a closer look at his ride. Main Street and a number of other downtown streets were filled with people — both local and out-of-town — crowding the thousands of Jeeps parked and on display.
Local businesses stayed open to serve visitors, and food trucks and stands were parked all around, giving people a taste of Butler.
Jeeps continued pulling into spots throughout the scheduled 6 to 10 p.m. invasion, directed by volunteers and officials. Many Jeeps caught immediate attention as they parked.
Rivera, who owned his Jeep for around 20 years, had painted the Puerto Rican flag on the inside hood of his Jeep, which featured the faces of musicians he said were there for him through their music in difficult parts of his life.
“When I was looking for a theme, I was trying to pay tribute to people who got me through hard times,” Rivera said. “Music can be therapy, and it is so important to me.”
Other Jeep enthusiasts have a love for the vehicle built in through family history.
Travis McKinney, of Winchester, Va., said his grandfather had a Jeep that he used to do farm work.
McKinney brought his 1959 CJ-5 Jeep to the festival. He said it is used for leisure.
“Every year I try to bring something new,” he said. “I only take this out, like, once a week to make sure it’s running OK.”
The festival is set to continue through the weekend at Cooper’s Lake Campground, where there will be vendors and activities set up for Jeepers and other visitors.
