Jeep Association prepares for 5th annual Trailfest
While the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival has come and gone this year, there still is an opportunity for hardcore Jeep fanatics to have some fun in the fifth annual Bantam Trailfest, a companion event also put on by the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association.
The Trailfest is Oct. 11 to 13. Unlike the larger Jeep Fest, the Trailfest is limited to an entry list of only 500 Jeeps, and is focused mainly on trail-riding events.
“I would say it's a much more relaxed environment, because it's about five times smaller than what Jeep Fest is in June, as far as the number of people participating,” said event organizer Patti Jo Lambert. “It's just a much more relaxed, fun event that's mostly focused on trail riding.”
While the majority — but not all — of the summer Jeep Fest is held at Cooper’s Lake Campground in Slippery Rock, the fall Trailfest is held at the Kildoo quarry property in Portersville. The organizers held a “Bantam Boot Camp” at the quarry in June before the main events of the Jeep Fest.
Trailfest was created in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, the Jeep Fest had to be canceled, as the host site, Cooper’s Lake Campground, closed its doors in May due to the effects of the pandemic.
However, in the cancellation announcement, organizers urged people to “keep the weekend of Oct. 2 to 4 penciled in on their calendars.” That turned out to be the date of the first Bantam Trailfest, which was created as a replacement event.
“We were in the process of purchasing this property in Portersville, and that was all happening around the same time that COVID happened,” Lambert said. “We decided, ‘Well, why don't we take the opportunity to create a new event at our property and have it in October?’”
New for this year’s Trailfest is the “Punk’n Race,” which will kick off the festivities on Friday night. Cash prizes will be awarded for the owners of the top three pumpkins to make it down an incline.
Also on Friday is the Jeepers Creepers Night Crawl, a chance for riders to drive the trails of the Kildoo property after dark while dodging people in costume.
“We have a Halloween theme every year, and we have people in costume hidden along the trail,” Lambert said. “Every year, the theme that we create is different, and that's something that people really enjoy.”
The cost to enter a Jeep into the Trailfest is $120, which includes entry into all four trail-riding sessions.
On Oct. 12, Trailfest will hold a Bantam Bash Raffle at the Steamfitters Event Center in Harmony, 15 minutes south of the quarry. Tickets are $35 each, including a catered dinner and beverages. Prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 are up for grabs.
Organizers are seeking volunteers, particularly to dress up for the Jeepers Creepers Night Crawl on Friday.
“It’s just a really fun thing for people to get out and do,” Lambert said.
