By Kathleen Leese

For Miami Valley Today

TIPP CITY — When last year’s Tipp City Jeep Cruise-In was held, it was such a hit that it was decided that this year’s event on Friday, June 7, would be even bigger and better with room for a real Jeep invasion.

Tasha Weaver, executive director of Downtown Tipp City Partnership, said last year’s inaugural Jeep Cruise-In had 550 Jeeps participating.

“At 6 o’clock we had to start turning Jeeps away,” she said, noting this year’s cruise-in will stage at Hyatt Street for Jeep owners wanting to show off their vehicles. “Anybody with a Jeep can come. This year, we can easily park 1,000 Jeeps.”

There is no pre-registration or fee to enter the event, which will be held on Friday, June 7, from 5 to 9 p.m. in downtown Tipp City. Weaver emphasized that it is important that the public not arrive prior to 5 p.m. to allow Jeep participants to get downtown and park. Jeep participants can begin arriving at the staging area on Hyatt Street at 4 p.m.

Jeeps will be parked in downtown Tipp City and Weaver said, they will only be closing Main Street and a one block perimeter around that area. Parking will be free and Weaver noted among other places, the public can find parking on Broadway Street, which she said offers a lot of parking space.

Weaver said Linda Kreider, owner of Fox and Feather Trading Co., 125 E. Main St., Tipp City, will be the “official” merchandiser of T-shirts and other items for the event and she added, other merchants in the downtown area are also going to offer a variety of Jeep gear for the public and participants in the cruise-in.

Kreider’s sister-in-law, Shelly Tebbe, is a moderator of a Duck, Duck Jeep Facebook page and Weaver said, “Last year, she did such an amazing job (advertising on her Facebook page), we knew we were going to keep partnering with them.”

While there is no fee to participate, Weaver said, there will be a raffle. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Lunch on Us program, a Tipp-Monroe Community Services program that helps provide lunch to children in the summertime and offers a backpack program during the school year to make sure children do not go hungry. Raffle tickets will only be sold on the day of the cruise-in by the stage at the corner of Main and Front Streets. During the evening, raffle baskets will be given away.

Reflektion, a duo made up of Piqua twins Jared and Justin Younce, will provide entertainment during the event. The twins have been performing for nine years and perform over 200 shows per year including having performed at Country Concert in Fort Loramie.

Food trucks will be available on Third Street and will include carnival food such as elephant ears. Mama’s Boys, which has different food each month, will also be there along with Tipp City Pizza, that will have pizza by the slice. There will also be BBQ and a variety of other food available in addition to Rad Candy Company and Bodega Market, which Weaver said, offers ice cream in addition to other options. Other downtown restaurants will also be open during the cruise-in.

Eight different vendors will provide Jeep gear such as duck key chains and other items during the cruise-in. All stores in downtown Tipp City will be open and will also have Jeep related items for those interested.

Awards will be given in a variety of categories for Jeep owners such as the People’s Choice Award voted on by those attending the cruise-in.

Weaver said those looking to purchase a Jeep will even be able to talk with a salesman at the cruise-in since a representative of Erwin Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Troy, will be there and are headlining sponsors for the event including the entertainment and stage.

Other sponsors include Mauk Cabinets by Design and Monroe Federal Savings and Loan, both Tipp City businesses. Weaver said both are “huge supporters of downtown events.” She expressed her appreciation to all of the sponsors making the event possible.

“Everybody is invited to come and check out the Jeep community,” Weaver said. “Come and discover our historic downtown.”

The writer is a regular contributor to Miami Valley Today.