It’s almost the time when Jeeps and Jeepers take over downtown Toledo to celebrate the city’s iconic product.
The four-day Toledo Jeep Fest kicks off at 3 p.m. Thursday with a Jeep off-road course welcome party and concludes on Sunday afternoon. Between the start and finish, the major events at the festival include an indoor exhibit at Glass City Center with 100 vehicles on display, a parade of Jeeps, a rock-crawling course, a Jeep-themed four-mile run and one-mile walk, a block party thrown by the Glass City Crawlers, and a concert by Mark Farner’s American Band.
And since Jeeps are built by union workers, it’s fitting that one of the participants in the event’s parade will be United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain.
“We started Toledo Jeep Fest right here in my office,” said UAW Local 12 President Bruce Baumhower. “It was such a great idea for Toledo that years ago we raised $30,000 in five minutes. And look how it’s grown since then.”
Local 12 is supplying 120 of the more than 300 volunteers who make the festival happen.
Those who want to get a look at as many Jeep vehicles as possible will want to be downtown on Saturday morning for the park-n-shine and the all-Jeep parade.
The grand marshal of Saturday’s parade will be Dan Tomanski, a 1995 graduate of Clay High School’s automotive program who works as a master technician at Yark Jeep.
The festival is one of the best attended Jeep-related events in the country. It was named this year by Ohio Magazine as one of the four best reasons to visit Toledo. It’s expected to attract 72,000 people or more to downtown Toledo, including visitors from at least 30 states and four countries, and to generate at least $5.2 million in economic activity for the city.
“We’re hearing from our friends in the hotel industry that they’ve seen a major surge in bookings,” said Whitney Rofkar of Thread Connected Marketing, the Toledo firm that handles planning and publicity for the event.
On Saturday, young children are invited to the kids’ zone at Imagination Station, where they can drive a Jeep power wheels course, conduct science experiments, and participate in hands-on activities. A family zone will be set up at Hensville Park replete with inflatables and games for kids of all ages.
Food trucks and beer gardens will be on hand to keep the public fed and hydrated, and more than 110 vendors will be selling everything from T-shirts to hard-to-find Jeep parts and accessories.
The festival is free to everyone, and no tickets are required. A full schedule of events is available at the Toledo Jeep Fest website.
People interested in hearing Jeep’s origin story may want to attend a talk to be given Saturday by Toledo historian Tedd Long. Mr. Long will discuss the life and legacy of Delmar “Barney” Roos, the engineer behind the Willys MB — the original Jeep that helped shape modern warfare and automotive design.
Other lecturers include Grant Robinson, the Stellantis engineer responsible for the development of Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators.
Podcaster Dean Shirley and author and photographer Walt Middleton will share their off-roading and overland experiences and conduct workshops at the off-road and overland skills area.
The event’s chief sponsor, Dana Inc., will present awards for Best of Show and Best Engineered to two lucky Jeep owners.
But if an award were given to the person who has journeyed the greatest distance and spent the most money to attend Jeep Fest, it would probably go to Mickael von Allmen, who hails from the Swiss town of Neuchatel, which is about 33 miles west of Bern and 5,000 miles east of Toledo.
In his native Switzerland, Mr. von Allmen finds that most Jeep purists are devoted to the Wrangler model, which is not nearly as common in Switzerland as it is in the United States. This may be due in part to the cost of Jeeps in Switzerland, which can exceed $90,000.
“The Jeep has always been an expensive product in Switzerland and Europe,” Mr. von Allmen said, “but since COVID, prices have exploded.”
Mr. von Allmen was hooked on Jeeps at an early age.
“I was born in 1988,” he said. “In 1995 my father wanted to change vehicles, so he bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 Limited. I remember very well the days when he arrived at the farm with his Jeep and the sound of the V8. What could be cooler than coming to where Jeeps are made?”
He eventually turned his childhood interest into a career by setting up shop as Mick’s Off Road. The company sells used Jeeps and also does routine maintenance and full restorations.
“I’m currently restoring a 1964 Willys Wagon,” he said. “I managed to make my passion my job. I'm very lucky.”
Mr. von Allmen and his family will be hosted in the Toledo area by Jeff Robinson, a Sylvania Township Jeeper with deep connections to the brand. His grandfather, John P. Courvoisier, was a project engineer for Jeep from 1942 until his retirement in 1970.
Mr. Robinson maintains a small archive of historical Jeep memorabilia, including signage, flags, books, and detailed technical drawings of Jeep vehicles. He also has five Jeep and AMC models in his 1,400-square-foot garage.
One of Toledo’s most exuberant Jeepers is eagerly anticipating this year’s festival. Jillion Merricle, an elementary school paraprofessional and recess monitor, bought her first Jeep last year and is filled with all the fervor of a recent convert to the brand.
“My boyfriend is a Jeep lover,” she explained. “At first, I was the one who thought they were overrated. In fact, I was very anti-Jeep. But then he taught me about the different models and versions, and I started to fall in love with them.”
Today she owns two Jeeps, a 2001 Wrangler Sahara TJ she calls Gemini that she keeps as close to stock as possible and a heavily customized bubblegum-pink 2004 Wrangler X Sport Utility named Bazooka.
“There’s nothing like riding in a stripped down Wrangler with no top and no doors on a sunny day,” she enthused.
Ms. Merricle is particularly looking forward to walking around the festival and seeing all the different ways that people have personalized their vehicles.
“I want to experience what it is to be in the Jeep culture,” she said. “The vehicles are so diverse, from the old classic style to the newer, trendier, luxury versions. I feel like I’m driving a piece of history.”
First Published July 28, 2024, 11:30 a.m.
