By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The spotlight will be on 4x4s of all makes and models when BG 4×4 Fest kicks off its inaugural event on Oct. 5 in Bowling Green.
The free, family-friendly event is a gift to the community from Thayer Dealerships, Visit BG, Northwestern Ohio Tractor Pullers Association and Wood County Fairgrounds.
“We got together and wanted to start an event to give back to the community,” said Thayer’s Rachel London, one of the event organizers.
They wanted to rev up the excitement of the National Tractor Pull, which brings tens of thousands of people to town every year, without duplicating the event. They wanted it to be free to attend, but with a fee for some of the activities so they could raise funds local agricultural and trades scholarships.
They settled on an experience similar to the Toledo Jeep Fest yet with a Bowling Green and Wood County feel.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the Wood County Fairgrounds, the festival theme gives a nod to the power and skills behind the wheels of 4x4s. Additionally, a whole host of activities will be on the grounds from a Kids’ Zone and food trucks to vendors with merchandise to sell and information to share.
The event starts with a convoy of 4x4s from the south of end of town at Walmart/Culver’s to the fairgrounds.
“It’s not a parade, because we are not stopping traffic,” London said, but she and her colleagues hope residents will be interested in watching the lineup of possibly a hundred 4x4s trek through town on the way to the festival. The convoy is expected to begin at about 9:30 a.m.
At the fairgrounds, there will be opportunities for 4×4 owners to test their vehicles in no-competition, all-for-fun activities. They can test their power and skills and learn what it feels like to pull on the same track that is used for the National Tractor Pulling Championships. “Being on that track and pulling your own vehicle is part of the draw,” she said.
They can get down and dirty in a 100-yard, one- to two-feet deep mud pit at the back of the tractor pull campgrounds. For a nominal fee, “they can try out the mud pit for an unlimited number of times all for the fun of it,” London said.
Vintage, jacked-up and prized 4x4s will be featured in the Park & Shine area in the southeast corner of the fairgrounds. A $5 fee will save a spot for 4×4 owners to display their vehicles for spectators to see.
The sled pull, convoy, park & shine, and mud pit all have a cost to participate. More information and registration for those can be found on the BG 4×4 Fest website and can een be done on the event day.
“Every day we are getting more registrations,” she said. They hope to have 100 4x4s pulling on the track during the day for spectators to watch.
The Kids Zone will include a bounce house, kiddy drag race and pedal pull.
Food trucks will offer everything from lemonades and slushies to BBQ, sausages, fries and funnel cakes.
The vendors will be set up inside the Pratt Pavilion on the fairgrounds. Car dealerships, oil and gear companies will have merchandise for sale. There will be an RC Crawler’s course that anyone can try for $5 and be entered in a drawing to win an remote control car.
Parking for the event is on the south side of Poe Road, across from the fairgrounds.
The fairgrounds is also offering camping as part of its Spooky Spectacular weekend. Registration for the family camping weekend is available here.
The top event sponsors are Thayer and VisitBG, but there are many additional sponsors and vendors whose support will help fund the scholarships planned for area high school students, London said. The organizers created Local Drive, a 501 (C)3 nonprofit to help administer the scholarships for students to study agriculture or the trades.
“We hope to make this an annual event with a goal to raise more money to give back to the community,” London said. Their goal in five to seven years is for the event to attract 70,000 people.
