{"id":9620,"date":"2018-06-13T13:11:29","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T13:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=9620"},"modified":"2018-07-01T17:52:12","modified_gmt":"2018-07-01T17:52:12","slug":"notes-from-the-road-7-10-june-2018","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=9620","title":{"rendered":"Notes From the Road — 7-10 June 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTES FROM THE ROAD<\/h2>\n
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< more recent<\/a> | 7-10 June 2018 | older ><\/a> <\/p>\n

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Around the Festival…<\/h5>\n


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Jeep Playground, WWII-era Jeep display and more…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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10 June 2018:<\/strong> The weekend was full of Jeep fun, from the “playground” obstacle course with an impassable mud-pit that succeeded in miring most Jeeps that attempted it to the historical “GI encampment” complete with reenactors and a wide assortment of historical Jeeps and equipment, the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival<\/a> had something for everyone. Vendors and sponsors supplemented the offering with a range of activities and plenty of great deals on Jeep-related items of all sorts. There was a great turn-out despite some spotty weather, and at the end of the weekend, everyone was already talking about next year…
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Jeepin The Dunes Trail…<\/h5>\n


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Off-site trails for the festival…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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9 June 2018:<\/strong> There were a number of fun off-site trails this year, including “Jeepin the Dunes,” which was a nice loop established just for the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival<\/a> on a property that is otherwise used for motocross. While there were not actually “dunes,” there was some sandy hills and lots of tight and winding fast moving tracks through the woodland area…
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The Annual Jeep Invasion…<\/h5>\n


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Jeeps descend on Butler, PA…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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8 June 2018:<\/strong> Took part in the annual “Jeep Invasion” of the small town of Butler, PA this evening as part of the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival<\/a>. The weather was perfect for it, and Jeeps of all ages, shapes and sizes were on display in a festive of summer street fair atmosphere…
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Bantam Jeep Fest “Night Ops”…<\/h5>\n


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Fun nighttime trail run…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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7 June 2018:<\/strong> The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival<\/a> got an early start tonight with the “Night Ops” run sponsored by Rigid Industries<\/a>. There was a huge turnout of Jeeps of all kinds taking part in this pre-Festival evening, which also included a bonfire with s’mores and free ice cream! The guided run included part of the “onsite” woodland trails as well as a chance to do the “playground” in the dark. Great fun was had by all …
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PREVIOUS NOTES FROM THE ROAD<\/a> ><\/a> <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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THIS MONTH:<\/strong>
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\nParticipating in the Jeep Invasion and the 8th annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival<\/a>, June 8-10, in Butler, PA. The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival is a tribute event to the original jeep, the history behind it, the people who created it, and its birthplace, Butler Pennsylvania. The event provides Jeep enthusiasts with on and off-road experiences that embrace the vehicle’s past and the lifestyle it now fosters. The family-friendly event is held at Coopers Lake Campground, about an hour north of Pittsburgh, PA every year with on-site off-road trails, a Jeep “playground” obstacle course, Jeep History exhibit, huge vendor area with 150+ companies and more…
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COMING UP SOON:<\/strong>
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\nHeaded back to Paris to connect with friends and favorite places and lay some groundwork for upcoming projects…

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\nHeading to DC Dirt Camp<\/a> for a chance to learn how to ride the trails on two-wheels in July. DC Dirt Camp is a Dirt Bike School sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation<\/a> offering training at two locations outside Washington, DC, to prepare riders to hit the trails on small displacement, off-road bikes, as well as larger street-legal, dual sport and adventure bikes…

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\nParticipating in the Ladies Offroad Convention<\/a> in Salt Lake City, Utah, 2-5 August 2018. The Ladies Offroad Convention is an action-packed, interactive 4-day weekend educating, motivating, and guiding for ladies involved in all aspects of the offroad world. Presented by Charlene Bower and the Ladies Offroad Network<\/a>, the event creates a space to learn more about offroad activities and share experiences with like-minded women from around the country…
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HISTORY OF THE BANTAM JEEP<\/strong><\/p>\n



\nButler PA was home to the American Bantam Car Company, a central character in the invention, development and production of the very first Jeeps. The Bantam jeep was the prototype for what would eventually evolve into the World War II US Army Jeeps, the Willys MB and the Ford GPW. The Bantam prototype was called the Bantam Reconnaissance Car, or BRC, and the first one was driven from Butler PA to Camp Holabird, MD, where the Army tested it for 30 days. The Army liked what it saw, and wanted production of 75 vehicles per day. Unfortunately, Bantam could not meet that production schedule, and the Army gave Ford and Willys the Bantam\u2019s blueprints to produce enough vehicles. Ford and Willys fulfilled the Army\u2019s contracts for 600,000 Jeeps for World War II. While Bantam produced a total of 2,675 jeeps, it never produced another vehicle after that. Instead, Bantam produced \u2018jeep\u2019 cargo trailers, torpedo motors and other military use items until they closed in 1956.
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