The 2025 Willys Jeep Rally Show & Swap Meet took place May 30th and 31st at Heuston Woods State Park in College Corner, Ohio. The Rally is also home to the Farm Jeep Demonstration, held on the Ittel Family Farm adjacent to the park. This year’s event was one of weather contrasts.
Friday started with intermittent rain showers, which canceled the farm demonstration but didn’t dampen the exchanges between exhibitors and visitors. Some canopies and shelters provided dry spaces for conversations and information exchanges. The sky cleared in the afternoon, and the day ended with a Jeep drive and a picnic on the park grounds.
Since the CJ3a was set up as a static display, we joined the Jeep caravan in the Gladiator. All Jeeps are welcome.
Day 2
Saturday was an Ohio Chamber of Commerce weather day with mostly sunny skies and warm, not hot, temperatures. This year’s event included a good mix of vehicles, ranging from military, CJs of all descriptions, trucks, wagons, and FC’s
The mix of returning and first-time exhibitors produced interesting and informative conversations. This was especially true among the military vehicle owners and the CJ owners. We had an opportunity to compare the military and early CJs side-by-side and to see the transition that occurred in 1945.
Roger Martin had two rare FC Jeeps on display.
FC’s are a crowd (and Evan) favorite.
The Farm Demonstartion
The Ittel Family Farm, located just outside the park, is home to John Ittel’s Farm Jeep collection and the site of the demonstrations. Although Friday’s demonstration was cancelled due to rain, a scaled-down version occurred on Saturday. The large crowd saw plowing, trenching, sawing, and other demonstrations.
Here is a video of the demonstration and a follow-up visit to the lodge.
Here are more photos from the event.
More Jeeps of all types
Guest Speaker
Jonah Hogdkins was the banquet speaker. He is the Chief Marketing Officer at JeepsterMan, producing hundreds of videos, stories, and social campaigns, pushing JeepsterMan to the top of the Willys Parts scene. His creative drive doesn’t stop there—he also runs Jeep Hunters LLC, an off-site multimedia and marketing company that celebrates vintage Jeep life. Jonah also heads the Epic Willys Adventure event. You can learn more about this year’s race at https://www.ewillys.com/2025/06/05/epic-willys-adventure-ewa6-the-great-mitten-race/ A great way to end a great day of all things Jeep!
Why we attend shows.
This year’s Rally attracted people from all over the country. We are always learning from the people who attend these shows, and hopefully, they learn something from us. A gentleman from the northwest asked us if we had ever heard of Farm-Aid implements. The answer was yes! We told him we would show him John Ittel’s restored Farm-Aid lift at the demonstration site.
One attendee had driven from West Virginia, hoping to find a hydraulic lift for his Jeep. He had heard that this was the show where he had the best chance of finding one. And he was in luck. So were we. Before the Stratton Lift left the parking lot, Evan got a shot of the well-preserved arm decal.
We thank all the people who power the show and the Ittel Family for their continued support. What an event! We look forward to next year.
FJ