Jeep festival in full swing Friday morning at Cooper’s Lake
WORTH TWP — Jeep lovers were riding the trails, mingling and challenging themselves on the courses Friday, June 7, at Cooper’s Lake Campground before the evening Jeep Invasion on Main Street.
Nearly 2,000 Jeeps and 10,000 people are expected to grace the county during the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival this weekend.
The festivities are already in full swing, with volunteers like Christina Dietrick coaching people through the new Jeep playground, which includes a mud pit, rock gardens and twisty dirt roads.
“We’ve had everyone come through here, even the tiny little cars,” she said.
She said one of the novelty attractions on the course is the Jeep teeter-totter, where drivers pull forward and try to balance before getting off. As of that afternoon, they had no riders successfully balance.
Her favorite part of the course is seeing joy on the faces of those going through it. She said she enjoys the camaraderie of the festival as well.
“We’re a family,” she said of Jeep lovers. “Wherever you go, it don’t matter if you know that person or not.”
Parking on Main Street and several of its adjoining streets in Butler was unavailable for the Jeep Invasion from 3 to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 7.
Butler police said roads were set to close to regular traffic from 3:30 to around 10:45 p.m., or until all Jeeps are off the streets and the road is cleared.
Jeep organizers recommend that those attending Butler Senior High School’s graduation avoid Hansen Avenue and Whitestown Road on the way to the commencement.
