The Festival’s goals are to raise funds to put Butler on the worldwide map as the “birthplace of the jeep,” attract overnight visitors to ButlerCounty and preserve the history that remains of the American Bantam Car Company.
Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau President Jack Cohen announced that Festival proceeds of $20,000 have been deposited into a special fund to preserve Bantam heritage.
Cohen believes that saving the BantamBuilding and doing more to celebrate ButlerCounty’s Jeep heritage is key to the County’s heritage tourism efforts. “The enthusiastic response we received from Jeep owners who traveled from 25 states and four countries to Butler this past summer is evidence of the passion people have for Jeeps,” he said. “I believe that Butler has the ability to become a destination for Jeep enthusiasts year-round if we are committed to preserving our Jeep heritage and offer reasons to keep them coming back.”
