TARTA will expand its Jeep Fest Express bus services to Starr Elementary School in Oregon during the Toledo Jeep Fest weekend to provide easier access for residents to get downtown, the organization announced Friday.
Toledo Jeep Fest kicks off Aug. 4 with an off-road obstacle course at the Monroe Superstore and hosts various activities throughout the weekend, wrapping up on Aug. 6.
This is the third year the Toledo Area Transit Authority is offering its Jeep Fest Express, which provides a direct route from the bus stop to the downtown festivities, but this is the first year the service is being offered in Oregon. TARTA has only provided this service for the past two years from the Franklin Park Mall bus stop.
“The Franklin Park TARTA Jeep Fest Express bus did so well the past few years that we decided to expand it to a new location,” said Laura Koprowski, CEO of TARTA.
Ms. Koprowski said Oregon seemed like the perfect place to expand to because of the city’s many Jeep fans and its proximity to downtown.
Also new this year, the Franklin Park Mall bus stop will be transformed into its own mini-party, complete with music, games, and other activities.
“To kickstart the festivities and the festive environment of Jeep Fest, riders will enjoy a tailgate-like atmosphere here at the park-and-ride location at Franklin Park Mall,” said Julie Sanderson, the mall’s marketing and business development director.
Ms. Sanderson said she was excited to welcome the partnership between the mall and TARTA again because of its past success. She said this year will be especially convenient for shoppers because the Toledo Jeep Fest falls on Ohio’s tax-free weekend.
Bus fares are $3 round trip, but youngsters ages 6 to 19 who register with TARTA’s Youth Summer Blast Pass ride for free from June 1 to Aug. 31. Although normally the pass costs $25, a grant from the Greater Toledo Community Foundation is covering the price for families this summer.
To build excitement for the annual festival, shoppers and Toledo Jeep Fest fans can view three Jeeps on display in the mall’s center court this weekend.
This is the sixth year of the Toledo Jeep Fest, which started in 2016. It was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Last year, the event reported attendance of 70,000, and more than 1,400 Jeeps were a part of the All-Jeep Parade through downtown Toledo.
This year, Bruce Baumhower, a Toledo Jeep Fest board member and United Auto Workers Local 12 president, expects that number to be the same.
“We didn’t do [Jeep Fest] during the COVID year, and we had an increase in [people] the next two years,” Mr. Baumhower said. “But it seems like we’re sitting at about 70,000 visitors per year.”
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said the event draws more tourists to the city than any other event hosted throughout the year. While he acknowledged the economic benefit it brings, he said it’s important to remember the intention behind the weekend as well.
“While we celebrate partnerships like we are today with the mall and TARTA and such, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that it’s also a heck of a lot of fun,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said during the news conference.
For a full list of Toledo Jeep Fest activities and ticket information, visit https://toledojeepfest.com/.
First Published June 16, 2023, 6:50 p.m.
