By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
From the rumble of engines roaring through downtown Bowling Green in the morning to the magical, ethereal drone show in the sky at night, the third annual BG 4×4 Fest delivered its promise of fun for all ages.
Nearly 6,000 people attended this year’s event on Oct. 3, according to event organizer Rachael Thayer-London of Thayer Family Dealers.
“We’ve continued to grow a little bit each year,” she said. “Since we don’t charge an entrance fee, we use estimates.”
The festival kicked off with 75 4×4 vehicles parading through downtown like a loud breeze as part of the impressive convoy, made effortless thanks to the help of the Bowling Green Police Division.
This year’s event included the always popular mud pit, the competition of power during the sled pulls on the track used for the National Tractor Pulling Championships, Park and Shine car show, Kiddie Zone with games and a kiddie pedal pull, vendors row and a variety of food trucks.
Thayer-London said three new activities were added to the schedule this year.
The Bowling Green Gas and Express Mart at 525 N. Main St. hosted “Fuel Up” for a pre-festival event on Thursday (Oct. 1). “Turnout was great,” she reported. For two hours, cars and trucks lined up to take advantage of $ 2.98-a-gallon gas to fuel up before the festival.
“A concert and drone show extended our evening this year,” she said. “It was great music by 56Daze, and the drone show was amazing to see.”
The drone show, sponsored by the Bowling Green Dairy Queen, painted the sky’s canvas with a beautifully choreographed aerial performance of brightly colored LED lights on drones.
Starting with the sponsors’ logo in lights, the drones’ animations morphed into a truck with spinning wheels followed by the festival and Local Drive Scholarship Foundation logos.
The show continued with dancing lights, a rocket ship taking off, a world globe, a man landing on the moon, the flag and outline of Ohio, logos for Visit BG and coming soon Bubbakoo’s Burritos, finishing with a magnificent flying eagle.
“We were thrilled to sponsor the drone show for the 4x4Fest and bring something special to the community,” said Bowling Green Dairy Queen owner Manny Patel.
Mud pit passion
The draw of the mud pit is such a phenomenon. When asked why he likes powering his “built-from-scratch” Chevy Colorado 4×4 truck through mud pits, Scott Crasson said, “It’s just fun.”
He spends several weekends throughout the summer months traveling to events that have mud pits. At the BG 4×4 Fest, he and Chasity Burras had already been through the bumps and thrill of the mud pit twice before charging up the battery for at least one or two more heart-pounding mud pit drives.
Dave Beasley, Toledo, said he is always looking for events like the 4×4 fest. At 80 years old, he still finds thrills in watching and occasionally participating in events that involve cars, speed and competitions. He grew up and never stopped looking for the excitement in drag racing, and racing motorcycles and sand rails.
As he watched the lines of vehicles power through the mud pit, he talked about the excitement, but also the importance of vehicle maintenance after participating in events like mud pits.
When he was actively involved, he would take the vehicle home, put it up on blocks, take the tires off, and make sure every inch of mud and dirt was washed off. “I called it preventive maintenance,” he said with a smile.
Now he owns a Miata sports car and enjoys meandering on 100- to 200-mile trips for a meal or to visit some kind of car-related museum or event.
BG 4×4 Fest: Investing in the future
“Thanks to everyone who was able to come out and support our event,” Thayer-London said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without the wonderful sponsors and attendees.”
The participation helps fund scholarships for Wood County youths pursuing careers in agriculture or the trades. That is one of the main reasons the fest was started.
“We wanted to give back to our community in Wood County and support the up-and-coming talents in Agriculture and the Trades. That’s why a significant portion of BG 4×4 Fest is dedicated to raising scholarships for those passionate about these fields. We’re all about investing in the future,” she said.
This year, Local Drive, the foundation that was started to fund the scholarships, awarded four scholarships. This year’s recipients and their plans are:
- Gavin Roessner, attending Wilmington College for agricultural business and equine science.
- Janelle Brooks, attending University of Findlay to pursue an undergraduate degree in pre-vet and animal science and build a future where she can be a large animal veterinarian
- Emma Reid, attending Ohio State University ATI, where she is gaining hands-on experience and building a strong foundation in agriculture to prepare for her future.
- Gordon Ayers, studying business at BGSU with goals to continue to raise his own cattle herd and stay involved in agriculture and the youth programs that helped shape him.
- Casey Naus, attending Northwest State Community College and dual majoring in agribusiness and agronomy with a goal to obtain his AG technician certification.
“If you’re a Wood County student pursuing a career in agriculture or the trades, look for the scholarship application at the beginning of the year,” Thayer-London said.
