The 10th anniversary celebration of the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival will need to wait until next year. Despite the Festival’s plan to postpone the event until October if the Coronavirus did not permit the Festival to be held in June, the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association (FBJA) must put the brakes on the 10th anniversary event. Unfortunately, Cooper’s Lake Campground, where the event is held, must close for the remainder of the year due to the repercussions of COVID-19.
“We have been optimistic all along that we would be able to celebrate our 10th anniversary either in June or October,” said Todd Wagner, FBJA president. “We know that thousands of Jeep enthusiasts were looking forward to being at Bantam, and we and the owners of Cooper’s Lake Campground are truly disappointed that the present circumstances will not allow us to hold the Festival as we had hoped.”
Festival registration for those already registered will be automatically credited and rolled over for the 2021 Festival. Those who would like a refund may request one by May 31st by clicking here. Cooper’s Lake Campground will follow the same procedure, crediting existing reservations and rolling over assigned campsites for 2021. Both the Festival and Cooper’s Lake will reach out to registered customers with further details and instructions to request refunds via email this week.
The Festival plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2021. However, the Festival urges Jeep enthusiasts to keep the weekend of October 2-4 penciled in on their calendars. “We are working on some plans that we hope will turn this frustrating news into a bit of excitement for our Bantam fans,” said Wagner. “We need some time to get things finalized, and we will announce details in the coming weeks.”
The 1981 Jeep Scrambler raffle drawing will be held in early October. About 500 tickets are still remaining and can be purchased in the Festival’s online store for $25 each. Click here to purchase tickets.