Driving for charity

Ricky Schulte said he was having fun as he topped one of the tall hill-climbs with his 1983 Jeep modified rig at the 27th annual Jeeptoberfest on Dec. 7 and 8 at the Florida Horse Park. The event will benefit four local nonprofits. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]

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Posted December 10, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

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The Ocala Jeep Club’s hurricane-delayed 27th annual Jeeptoberfest, which featured a vendor event and obstacle trails to test the skills of Jeepers from novice to expert, was held Dec. 7 and 8 at the Florida Horse Park in southeast Marion County.

“The event is about fun, camaraderie and giving back to charity,” said the club’s Charity Director Trish Dennis, who added that the event is a celebration of all things Jeep.

Jeep drivers often share a wave when passing each other during travels. They also might gift each other with a rubber duck toy. The weekend’s events included “Operation Duck Drop,” with the release of 800 toy ducks from a military style helicopter. Incoming club president Kelly Hammond said the toy ducks have become a fun symbol for many Jeep club members.

An article at parade.com/living/duck-duck-jeep explains that the trend spans a number of countries around the globe. It’s called Jeep ducking and drivers leave ducks on each other’s vehicles with notes of encouragement. The recipient posts a photo on social media and then the duck is passed on to another Jeep or you can buy a new one to give to someone else. No doubt there was plenty of Jeep ducking going on during the weekend event.

This year’s vendor event was held in one of the park’s covered arenas while the signature obstacle trails, measuring up to two miles, were in a wooded area a short distance away. The obstacle trails, the centerpieces of the event for many Jeepers and spectators, attract drivers from other states, according to an Ocala Jeep Club handout.

Registration fees paid to drive over the different trails are part of the to be funds annually donated by the club to support local outreaches. This year’s beneficiaries are Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, Wanda Cares Dog Rescue, Marion County Veterans Helping Veterans and Bryan’s All-Stars Challenge Sports.

Hammond said that last year the club issued checks for $15,000 to each of the four chosen nonprofits as part of their charitable support.

Bryan Lemily of Bryan’s All-Stars Challenge Sports, which serves mentally challenged adults, called the Ocala Jeep Club “a great group of people” who donate to and volunteer for his outreach.

“Ocala Jeep Club is our main support and allows us to operate. We appreciate it,” he said.

Lemily said the funds from the club permit banquets, awards and more, and that the outreach has been a target charity for four years.

The recipient nonprofits had booths at the vendor event.

Todd Belknap with Marion County Veterans Helping Veterans, at the event with his organization’s van, praised the Ocala Jeep Club as a “great group” whose support will allow MCVHV to maintain a food pantry and help a number of veterans in need with assistance like mortgage payments. He said this is the first year for the donation to MCVHV and that he looks forward to a close relationship with the club, which he said has many veteran members.

The club also hosted a booth from All About You Angels, a local organization that supports women “through the journey of breast cancer.”

Jeeptoberfest 2024 offered two trails designed for “slightly modified” Jeeps, a modified trail for “more built Jeeps” and an extreme course “to challenge the most capable rigs around,” the handout indicated.

Shannon Joesph, president of the 240-member Ocala Jeep Club, provided an up close look at the courses that were laid out on the Florida Horse Park grounds last year and used again this year. Scores of Jeeps crawled around the course like ants on Saturday afternoon.

The courses involve steep hill-climbs made from giant concrete pipes, a deep pit and balance beams that act like a giant teeter-totter with each Jeep riding across and ending up on solid ground.

Ricky Schulte smiled and said he was having “fun” as he topped one of the tall hill-climbs with his 1983 Jeep modified rig with roll bars. Trish and Alan McAllister were working the course in their modified Jeep dubbed “The Green Reaper” while George Esparza thought the courses were “cool and lots of fun.”

A real crowd-pleaser was the mud pit, with a lot of dirt flying and spectators cheering drivers on from a nearby fence line. Joesph said that in past years, some drivers’ Jeeps got so clogged with mud and dirt they overheated. Warren’s Power Wash was offering wash-offs this year just outside the course, with proceeds benefitting Michelle-O-Gram, an outreach that assists uninsured patients and those in need to obtain mammograms.

James and Dawn Degraaf and their sons, Phoenix, 10; Levi, 9; and James Jr., 5; were enjoying browsing Jeep accessories and educational and information booths like ones from the Ocala National Forest Alliance and H3 Adventures, a nonprofit aimed at providing outdoor outings for first responders to help “heal hometown heroes.”

Amanda Verner and her son, Mason 13, manned a booth for Heavy Metals, a vendor selling hats and jewelry, some which included the Ocala Jeep Club logo. She said she planned to donate a percentage of sales from those items to Jeeptoberfest.

The Wimmer family, with two teenage boys, enjoyed a walk around the expo. One of the boys described the event as, “Cool.”

To learn more, go to ocalajeepclub.com and fb.com/jeeptoberfest