Jeep aficionados to bring their vehicles -- and their personalities -- out for Toledo Jeep Fest
Aug. 5—Everyone knows that Toledo loves its hometown Jeep.
Some Toledoans' love for the Wrangler and its cousins transcends affection. For these "Jeeple," their rides reflect their personality, and their personalities are embedded in their Jeeps.
Take Jeff Harig, 50, of Tecumseh, Mich. He calls his black and orange Wrangler "Lt. Dan," after the disabled Vietnam veteran from 1994's Forrest Gump. The trailer behind it is "Jenny."
What does his Jeep say about him?
"It screams about what it says about me," said Harig, who is a double amputee and has often been derogatively called Lt. Dan. "I owned a name that people used to call me. I've been disabled since '84. ... I've had some people get offended, saying that I shouldn't own my disability. How can you tell me what I'm supposed to do with what some people consider the end of the world?"
IF YOU GO:
What: Toledo Jeep Fest
When: Friday, Saturday ,and Sunday
Where: Most events take place in downtown Toledo
Admission: Free
Information: go to toledojeepfest.com or @ToledoJeepFest on Twitter
Wranglers like "Lt. Dan" will come out droves this weekend for Toledo Jeep Fest, returning to the Glass City after last year's pandemic cancellation on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Jeep Fest kicks off on Friday with the Jeep Off-Road Course Welcome Party at Monroe Superstore, 15160 S. Dixie Hwy., Monroe, Mich., between noon and 6 p.m., followed by a concert featuring Josh Turner and Lauren Alaina in Toledo's Promenade Park, 400 Water St., at 6:15 p.m. The concert continues the ProMedica Summer Concert Series; tickets, $15, are available at promenadeconcerts.com.
Saturday brings the All-Jeep Parade down Monroe and Huron streets beginning at 11 a.m. A downtown "park-n-shine" shows off vehicles between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., as does a free indoor exhibit at the SeaGate Convention Centre, 401 Jefferson Ave. There will also be a vendor midway, beer garden, food trucks, a kid's zone, and live entertainment downtown, plus a speaker series inside the convention center, capped by a free dueling pianos concert at 8 p.m. at Hensville Park, at the corner of Monroe and North St. Clair streets.
On Sunday, attendees can begin the day with a one-mile walk or or four-mile race organized by Run Toledo at 9:15 or 9:30 a.m.; register at runsignup.com/Race/OH/Toledo/Jeep4Miler. Then Saturday's programming largely continues on Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., minus the "park-n-shine" and speaker series.
For a full schedule of events, go to toledojeepfest.com.
The Glass City Crawlers, an organization for Jeep aficionados to socialize and share their love for their cars, came together to build up hype for Jeep Fest at the Toledo Speedway on July 23. Over the course of the evening, Jeeps poured onto the track and parked in a semicircle, so that attendees could promenade and partake in the unjudged pageantry.
Each vehicle reflected the personality of its drivers, who divvy themselves loosely into two groups: the "mall crawlers," who are preoccupied with aesthetics, and the "off-roaders," who equip their rides to navigate challenging terrain.
"You know the saying, the dog looks like the owner. Everybody's Jeeps reflect [their] personality," said Paul Porter, president of the Glass City Crawlers. A self-described off-roader, he and his wife, Keri — affectionately dubbed the Crawlers' "First Lady" — run Discover 4x4 Adventures to teach beginners how to use their Jeeps properly.
"Everyone has their own touch," he continued. "Even though all Wranglers are the same when they begin, they are all different when they express themselves. There are two different things we're going for: showing off and functionality."
Mall crawlers will often still lift the vehicle and put on specialized tires and rims, Keri Porter added, building on her husband's point. Off-roaders go further technically in rigging their Jeeps for ground clearance to expand the variety of terrain it can handle.
Tim Pasch, 60, of Toledo, said that he knew he was going to be an off-roader immediately when he bought his Jeep, and he's proud of it. He said that he decided to lift the Jeep, add bigger tires, redo the suspension and bumper — he banged on it for dramatic effect at last month's event.
He flicked the ash off of his cigarette and pointed to the red Wrangler behind him: "That's my retirement."
Pasch said that off-roading with his Jeep, "Red Wolf," is something he can do with his wife. They particularly like to run in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
His Jeep says he's "just adventurous," Pasch explained. "I challenge the Jeep, and it keeps challenging me. I'm trying to put together a trip with my wife to Colorado next year. The only way to see the Grand Canyon is on the back of a donkey, and the only way to see the Rockies is in a Jeep."
A few Jeeps down the speedway from Pasch were glossy twin Jeep CJ7s sparkling with panache.
Mike and Carol Bross have been married for 46 years and only started thinking Jeep when they bought one for their son during his first year at the University of Toledo. The Brosses, like most hype fest attendees, were posted in front of their respective Jeeps — Mike's is red and Carol's is blue — in lawn chairs eager to show off their rides.
They bantered over what their Jeeps said about each other.
"It says I'm cool," Carol Bross boasted. As for her husband, "it says he's a show boy [more so than] a mall crawler."
Some "Jeeple" came to the hype fest mostly to relax with their friends. Randy Hughes, 53, of Belleville, Mich. is an off-roader with a cantilever attachment to the rear bumper that suspends twin lounge chairs.
What does his Jeep say about him?
"It says I'm lazy!" Hughes declared. "I show up to these things, sit down, and relax [whether it's] car shows or the middle of the woods. [I've got] a cell phone holder and a strap to help me get out."
First Published August 5, 2021, 8:00am
