An off-road weekend of fun: Third annual Killbuck Jeep Jamboree starts Friday

KNOX TOWNSHIP — The third annual Killbuck Jeep Jamboree, an off-road weekend of adventure that brings the outdoors, down-to-earth people, and their Jeep 4x4s together, is set for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8-9, at the trails on the Hawkins family property on County Road 27, near Brinkhaven.

Jason Hawkins is an off-road enthusiast who has opened up nearly 70 miles of trails on the family property for Jeep Jamboree USA to host this popular event that brings in nearly 200 Jeep enthusiasts from more than 20 states across the country.

The Hawkins family enjoys giving back to the community, and they do so by hosting events such as the Jeep Jamboree and ATV benefits. They have been doing so for more than 20 years.

Share-a-Christmas a beneficiary of the jamboree

Hawkins said the Stillwell Stompers Club has been holding a fundraising toy drive for Share-a-Christmas every year for a long time. Last year, the Killbuck Jeep Jamboree contributed greatly to Share-a-Christmas.

"We've got things going on down here all the time," Hawkins said. "It's a way for the family to give back to the community."

Josh Cohen is a friend of the Hawkins family and coordinator of the local Jeep Jamboree. He said last year's event included a raffle that brought in two Jeep-loads of toys for the Share-a-Christmas campaign.

"Registration takes place on Thursday, and we wheel on Friday and Saturday," Cohen said. "This event has become extremely popular. We sold out within minutes of posting the date on the Jeep Jamboree website."

Cohen says the crowds at a typical Jeep Jamboree are made up of 15 to 20 percent repeat visitors, but the Holmes County event had close to 40 percent repeat visitors last year.

"I don't know if that trend will continue," he said. "We get a decent amount of returns, plus we get a lot of people who want to come explore for the first time."

Schedule of events

From 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, Village Motors, one of the local event sponsors, will host a gathering to enable people to check out their collection of Jeeps.

After a day of driving, there will be live musical entertainment and a bonfire for the guests from 5 to 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights at the Roundtop.

The Glenmont Fire Department will host a pancake breakfast from 7 to 8:15 a.m. on Saturday morning for the participants at the Roundtop, 1375 County Road 27, in Brinkhaven, where the Jeep Jamboree takes place.

History of Jeep Jamboree

The majority of participants drive the Jeep Wrangler, most of which are modified with bigger tires, aftermarket bumpers, winches and other specialty parts.

Jeep Jamboree USA off-road treks have a long-standing tradition dating back to 1953 when 4×4 pioneer Mark A. Smith organized the first-ever Jeep Jamboree and voyaged across the Sierra Nevada Mountains by way of the old Rubicon Trail.

In 1954, Willys Motors (original manufacturer of Jeep vehicles) created Jeep Jamborees and paved the way for the off-road tradition ever since.

The jamborees begin in March and run through November, and take place throughout the country from California to Maine. Cohen points out they are very fortunate to have the Jeep Jamboree event here in Holmes County.

"The Killbuck Valley area is steeped in history and we are lucky to have found private property here on which to play," he said. "With big boulders, rock ledges, hill climbs, scenic views and more, this property has it all."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: An off-road weekend of fun: Killbuck Jeep Jamboree is Sept. 8-9