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154 1301 09 Heritage Festival Willys Panel Wagon - Photo 42194671

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There were also many Jeeps and Jeep trailers for sale not only inside the show, but on the side of the road to the show and in the town of Butler itself. We saw a lot of desirable flatfenders as well as some decent later-model Jeeps. But if we could have somehow gotten this early 2WD Willys panel wagon into our checked luggage, we’d have a new project right about now.

154 1301 01 heritage festival classic bantam

Despite the threatening weather there were also many very rare pre-production prototype Jeeps on display. It is amazing to us that the flatfender we are so familiar with has its roots in this Bantam BRC-40. From the squared-off corners of the tub to the rounded front fenders with sunk-in headlights to the Continental-sourced engine, there are a lot of little differences. But you can still easily see the shared DNA, too.

Under threatening skies the show opened at 9 a.m., and as you might expect of a festival based where the first military jeep was dreamed up, lots of military Jeeps showed up for the show. Everything from the usual MBs and GPWs through CJV35U, M-715, and M-725s were on display. Many of them were restored to like- or better-than-new condition.

The 2011 event started off with a parade that made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, but the 2012 event started off by shutting down the main streets in Butler so that participants could bring their Jeeps and participate in a huge block party. There were street vendors with all kinds of food, drink, and souvenirs, and of course many of the town’s businesses participated too. The Mopar Underground crew showed up with some of their awesome rigs, including the Mighty FC, J-12, and more.

All around town and at the show itself you could see these miniature plywood Jeeps. They just go to show how much the town is behind the Festival. The mini Jeep silhouettes were distributed unpainted, and then the companies or individuals who received them painted and decorated them in their own ways. This resulted in some very cool and unique little Jeeps and it was neat to see what people came up with.

If you aren’t into military Jeeps, there were plenty of non-military Jeeps around as well. We were dying to see this Funny Jeep get some use. With a built tall-deck big-block Chevy under the hood, a full square-tube chassis, side-dump headers, and custom-cut old-school Goodyear Wranglers this thing was a trip in the way-back machine. The show-and-shine has categories for every kind of Jeep and trophies for the winner of each.

On the other side of the show was period-correct WWII military encampment. Everything from tents to guns (yeah, guns!) were there. There was even a Dodge command car and M-37 to complement the finely restored WWII vintage jeeps. If you ever had a question about accessories for your Jeep restoration, there were tons to be learned in this encampment.

The combination of historic, new, and used parts is cool and makes for a bit of something for everyone. But if you like using your Jeep rather than just parking it in a field, that’s where this show beats most other Jeep shows we’ve been to east of the Mississippi. This is the on-site trail which meanders through a tight tree-lined course and anyone can sign up to take their Jeep through it.

There were also many Jeeps and Jeep trailers for sale not only inside the show, but on the side of the road to the show and in the town of Butler itself. We saw a lot of desirable flatfenders as well as some decent later-model Jeeps. But if we could have somehow gotten this early 2WD Willys panel wagon into our checked luggage, we’d have a new project right about now.

In addition to the vendor’s tents with all their new products, there was a swap meet as well where we were able to get greasy and dirty with used take-off Jeep parts. There was everything from ’40’s-era parts all the way through XJ, FSJ, and some JK stuff. Axles, doors, wheels, transmissions, you name it. If you are looking for that elusive piece, it might have been here, just laying out.

As the rain started falling, we made it over to the RTI ramp and teeter totter. Both were brought by local Jeep clubs, and here Danzo Horvath with Big Rubbers Jeep club shows us some action on the teeter totter with his ’90 XJ. Another reason we like this show is because there isn’t anything that is off-limits. You want to play see-saw with your Jeep? Just make sure you sign yourself up for it, and go teeter.

On the other side of the world from the on-site course is the gathering area for the off-site trail run. While the on-site course will take about 30 minutes, the off-site run includes driving to the trail, wheeling, and driving back and can take two to three hours. There was also a Jeep-based scavenger hunt with clues that would take you all around town that left from the same place later in the day.

Other things to do with your Jeep include the obstacle course. In fact the show is so big and there is so much to do that two days might not seem like enough for you. If you aren’t a keen rock hound, but want to get it into 4-Lo and check out how your stuff is working anyway there is the “small-guys” rock course. Even if you do something really stupid, there should be no chance of body damage and it beats just sitting a field all day long.

The National Guard also showed up and while they were recruiting, we got some time to check out a current-issue M998A3. With the more-powerful diesel engine, up-armor package, auxiliary rear A/C for desert combat, and more the latest HMMWV is easily spotted by the bumped-out nose for more underhood space. We haven’t seen many two-door pickup based versions running around the states, so this was really cool to see.

The rain stopped just long enough for more fun and games out on the track while the pig roast was going on. There were several silly Jeep-owner tricks here including driving blindfolded, Jeep broom polo, Jeep basketball, and fine motor control. The fine motor control is a test of both the Jeep’s engine and of your skill. It sounds simple, but getting all four tires up on individual one-foot-tall stands at the same time is harder than it sounds.

On the other side of the course is the mud pit. It gets filled with water in the morning, so early in the day it is basically impassible. If you’ve got a big mud Jeep, get there early because by the end of the day we were seeing stock flatfenders with NDT tires and flathead four-cylinders make it through. Also later in the day some of the mud from the pit makes its way over to the rock crawl sections, making them more difficult as well.

The guys from Rausch Creek set up and run the course, and they suggest a minimum of 35-inch-tires with lockers for the big rock course. There is the possibility of body damage here, and even with dual lockers you can get hung up. Still, it’s a fun run that arcs around the back side of the non-rock-based obstacles.

Speaking of non-rock-based obstacles, there is an articulation track too. Yeah, there are rocks under this CJ-7, but he’s coming down off of about 100 feet of “trail” that will make your leaf springs scream for mercy. While we saw lots of Jeeps lifting tires on it, this section was laid out well and we didn’t see anyone flop making it a good test of lockers and driver’s nerve.

If your Jeep is more on the stock side, there are several dirt hills setup on the infield of the other obstacles as well. After the off-camber hill and the steep ascending/descending hill is the log bridge. Not very technical, but it’s always fun to play in the dirt and cross downed-telephone poles or logs. Even as un-technical as it was, we did see someone get crossed up on the poles from afar.