Planning for next summer’s Toledo Jeep Fest is beginning to pick up speed with organizers opening up online registration this week and announcing a number of key sponsors, including Dana Inc. and ProMedica. 

The event, which is returning to downtown Toledo after a one-year hiatus, will run Aug. 10-12, 2018, and will be centered around the newly renovated Promenade Park. 

Organizers said Tuesday they have raised about half of their $300,000 goal and have commitments from more than 30 organizations and businesses to donate time, materials, or money. By getting the registration rolling as early as possible, they hope to lure in far more vendors — and Jeep owners — than in 2016, when an upstart group of volunteers managed to put together a major event in just four months.

“We’re anticipating between 60, maybe to 100 vendors to come and participate in the event. A lot of these will be Jeep aftermarket and suppliers that are interested in the customer base we’re going to be able to accumulate,” said Jerry Huber, chairman of the Toledo Jeep Fest Steering Committee and a former manager of the city’s Jeep plant. 

VIDEO: Tyrel Linkhorn discusses the return of Toledo Jeep Fest

Held last year to coincide with the Jeep brand’s 75th anniversary, the inaugural Toledo Jeep Fest was a roaring success. The one-day event drew more than 1,100 vehicles and brought an estimated 40,000 people into downtown Toledo. 

Destination Toledo, the area’s hotel and convention bureau, said the one-day event generated about $3 million in economic activity. 

Organizers believe the 2018 Toledo Jeep Fest should easily top those numbers. Mr. Huber said they believe they can draw 2,000 vehicles and perhaps as many as 60,000 visitors across the three-day event.

“Those retirees, those enthusiasts, those workers that have fueled our economy still live here, still want to be a part of this,” said Pete Gerken, a Lucas County Commissioner and Jeep retiree. “They want to show their pride.” 

Though Toledo is hardly the only place that hosts a Jeep-themed bash, organizers say they believe it is the only such event in a major urban center with easy access to restaurants, nightlife, and hotels.

“By doing the event in downtown Toledo, I think we set ourselves completely at a different level for a Jeep enthusiast event,” Mr. Huber said.

Although specific details are still being finalized, officials say they will be keeping the basics of the first Toledo Jeep Fest — an all-Jeep parade, historic and important Jeeps on display in the SeaGate Convention Centre, and family-friendly entertainment — while adding a number of new features and expanding the event from a one-day gathering to a weekend-long festival.

The city and ProMedica plan to host a concert Friday at Promenade Park as a way to kick off the weekend. Organizers also announced they are partnering with Dave’s Running Shop and RunToledo for a four-mile run and one-mile riverwalk on Sunday.

“This is not only an event about Jeep, it’s an event about downtown Toledo,” Mr. Huber said. 

Many of the key partners from the 2016 event are returning in 2018. Omix-ADA/Rugged Ridge plans to bring a number of historic Jeeps from its collection, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has promised its support, and Dana Inc., a title sponsor in 2016, will return as a major financial booster and vendor at the event. 

“Not only does it coincide with the launch of the next generation Jeep Wrangler, but it’s just going to be one of the highlights of the summer,” said Jeff Cole, the senior director of corporate communications at Dana. “We travel to Jeep events around the country as a part of our business plan for the aftermarket, and the Toledo Jeep Fest is definitely creating a buzz around the country.”

Whereas the 2016 event was largely focused on Jeep’s origins and history, the 2018 event will look toward the future. 

In addition to launching a new Toledo-built Wrangler in next year’s first quarter, Jeep also is preparing to build a Wrangler-based truck in its plant here. The company is expected to begin retooling part of the Toledo Assembly Complex for that vehicle sometime in the first half of next year.

To register as a participant or vendor, visit www.toledojeepfest.com.

Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at tlinkhorn@theblade.com, 419-724-6134, or on Twitter @TyrelLinkhorn.

First Published December 19, 2017, 5:49 p.m.