For Jeep enthusiasts, this annual Ohio festival is all about community
By: Viviana Frazini
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) — For Greg Moore, Ohio Jeep Fest feels less like an event and more like a family reunion.
As he walked through the festival grounds Saturday in Chillicothe, it quickly became clear why. Everywhere he went, people waved, stopped to talk, or called out his name.
The connections Moore has built through the Jeep community span decades.
Moore said he has been involved in the Jeep lifestyle since he was 2 years old. Growing up, his father owned Jeeps and spent countless hours working on them. Some of Moore’s earliest memories are tied to the vehicles and the community that surrounded them.
Today, Moore continues the tradition: working on Jeeps himself and passing that passion on to his own children.
That sense of family extends beyond relatives. Moore said he has known Ohio Jeep Fest founder Keith Diehl for more than 20 years. Over time, their friendship has grown into something much deeper.
Moore said Diehl often refers to him as his son because of how close they have become through years of friendship and shared experiences within the Jeep community.
Those kinds of relationships are common throughout the festival, Moore said. What begins as a shared interest in Jeeps often turns into lifelong friendships.
At Ohio Jeep Fest, those friendships were visible everywhere. Families gathered around obstacle courses and mud pits, and longtime friends reunited.
While the festival features trails, obstacle courses, mud pits, a Show and Shine display, and the popular Barbie Downhill Jeep Race, many attendees said the people are what make the event special.
“This is very family-friendly,” said Jonah Brown, who attended the festival with his brother, Ethan. “Everyone’s here with their kids, their families, everyone is nice.”
The Browns said one of the first things they noticed about the event was how welcoming people were.
Moore said one of the things he values most about the Jeep community is that willingness of people to help one another.
Whether someone is searching for a hard-to-find part, looking for advice on a customization project, or dealing with a mechanical issue, he said there is always someone willing to step in and help.
Longtime attendee and vendor Dave Canterbury has witnessed that sense of community for years. Canterbury, owner of Self Reliance Outfitters, returns to Ohio Jeep Fest annually and said the connection between Jeep owners is unlike anything else.
“If you don’t have a Jeep, you just wouldn’t understand,” Canterbury said. “It’s one of those things where Jeeps are like something special because they’ve been around for so long and there’s so much history.”
Canterbury said that passion is what keeps many people returning to events like Ohio Jeep Fest year after year.