TOLEDO, Ohio —
Toledo's celebration of all things Jeep is less than a day away.
Toledo Jeep Fest will be four days this year, with the event expected to bring in 72,000 people to northwest Ohio, according to Destination Toledo.
The first Toledo Jeep Fest started as a half-day event to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jeep. Since then, it has grown into a multi-day festival.
Last year, Toledo Jeep Fest brought in people from over 40 states and even other countries to Toledo.
This year, the festivities are expected to do the same, if not bring in more than last year.
"We've been so lucky," Whitney Rofkar, Toledo Jeep Fest event director, said. "So many people come year after year. We're going on year seven and over $5 million of economic impact year after year. Lots of people stay at the hotels, lots of people eat at the restaurants and our businesses really benefit from Toledo Jeep Fest."
This is the first year the event is four days and there are new events like a block party at the 400 block of Adams Street downtown. There will also be exciting vehicles on display at the Glass City Center.
"We're going have some vehicles that you've not seen before at our events," Toledo Jeep Fest organizer Jerry Huber said. "I've got to believe there's some Jeep vehicles that the vast majority of people didn't even know were Jeeps."
The weekend kicks off with an 18-obstacle course at the Monroe Superstore from 3-8 p.m. on Thursday. There will be vendors and a DJ at the store, too. Monroe Superstore General Manager Brian Young said they are expecting there to be more than 2,000 laps driven around the course.
"It's a celebration of freedom," Young said. "It's a celebration of Jeep, but Jeep represents freedom. It represents the American experience."
People don't have to be a Jeep owner or Jeep lover to partake in the fun.
"Come on down and fall in love with the Jeep," Rofkar said. "It's made right here in Toledo. Every Wrangler and every Gladiator around the world is made right here in the Toledo Assembly Complex. So that's really cool and something to be proud of."
A full guide to Toledo Jeep Fest can be found here.
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