The Toledo City Paper depends on readers like you! Become a friend today. See membership options
August 6th- 9th
One weekend a year we celebrate an iconic vehicle in it’s birthplace. Those that bring life to the Jeep get to brag a little extra as they welcome thier comrads in all things 4 wheel drive. The stories will be as great as the men and women who build them, the parades, music, food and fun…All right here in Toledo.
- Letter from UAW Director Region 2B, David Green
- 2026 Jeep Fest Schedule Highlights
- Jeep Fest Expands to Four Days
- A Neon Jeep Lights Up Toledo’s Legacy
Letter from UAW Director Region 2B, David Green
Dear Toledo,
I want to start by thanking all the hard-working UAW members in Northwest Ohio. Our Jeep facility is celebrating 85 years in Toledo this year—a testament to generations of hard work, dedication, and commitment to building a quality product for consumers around the world. There are also many UAW members across Northwest Ohio who work hard every day in our county buildings, casinos, hospitals, libraries, universities, and a wide range of other facilities including manufacturing.
It’s important to know what UAW Region 2B does—and why it matters. Region 2B is one of nine UAW regions, serving local unions across Ohio and Indiana. We support our members through contract negotiations, education, grievances, arbitrations, organizing, and the day-to-day work of building strong local unions. We also proudly represent more than 100,000 retirees who helped build the labor movement we stand on today.
As Director of UAW Region 2B, I have made education and training a top priority. The UAW belongs to its members, and our members deserve the knowledge, confidence, and tools to use the power they already have. A stronger union starts with informed, active members who understand that solidarity is not just a word—it is how working people win.
Mobilizing members at current and future worksites is essential. While I respect the work of all labor organizations, I believe the UAW is unmatched in serving, protecting, and empowering its members. If you work in a facility without a union,
I urge you to take a serious look at the UAW and what collective action can do for you and your coworkers.
Over the last three years, the UAW has regained respect across this country by winning some of the strongest contracts in decades. Under directly elected leadership, we have taken on corporate greed and delivered real gains for working people. That progress did not happen by accident. It happened because members stood together, demanded better, and refused to settle for less than they deserved.
That is the message we should carry forward in Toledo and throughout Region 2B: “When workers are educated, organized, and united, they have the power to change their workplaces and their communities.”
In solidarity,
David Green,
UAW Director Region 2B
To learn more about organizing with the UAW, visit: region2b.uaw.org/organizing
2026 Jeep Fest Schedule Highlights
Thursday August 6
3-7pm Jeep Off-Road Course Welcome Party
15160 S. Dixie Highway, Monroe, MI
Friday August 7
5-9pm Indoor Exhibit at Glass City Center
Vendor Midway, Food Trucks, Beer Gardens,
Jeep Base Camp, Glass City Crawlers Block Party
6-9:30 pm Party In The Park: Garth Brooks Tribute Concert & Drone Show
Saturday August 8
10am All-Jeep Parade
10am-5pm Outdoor Park-N-Shine Show
Indoor Exhibits at Glass City Center, Vendor Midway,
Paws Playzone, Live Bands/Entertainment
Food Trucks, Beer Gardens, Jeep Base Camp
10am-4pm Kids Zone at Imagination Station
4pm Official Program & Commemoration at Glass City Center
9:30pm MudCrawlers Postgame Fireworks at Fifth Third Field
Sunday August 9
9:15-10am Nobis 1-Mile Walk
9:30am 4-Mile Run
9am-12pm Indoor Exhibit at Glass City Convention Center
Vendor Midway, Food Trucks, Beer Gardens, Paws Playzone
Link: toledojeepfest.com/schedule-and-maps/
Jeep Fest Expands to Four Days
By: Brian Trauning
Jeep Fest expands to celebrate America 250 and Jeep’s 85th anniversary with a four-day birthday party. The Toledo festival returns Thursday, August 6 through Sunday, August 9. Free activities include an all-Jeep parade, vendor midway, food trucks, children’s activities plus a concert and drone show. Jeep production began at Toledo’s assembly line in 1941 and helped The US win WWII. About 6,000 employees build vehicles at Jeep’s Toledo Assembly Plant today with thousands more working at supplier factories.“It couldn’t be a deeper or more significant bond,” said Jeep Fest CEO Whitney Rothkar. “For the last 85 years, Jeeps have been rolling off the line in Toledo. It’s meant a lot for people to be employed there, to put food on the table, to have multiple generations work there.”This year’s Jeep Fest features patriotic themes and special events. A warbird flyover and a drone show are part of a Friday night concert. “We are creating graphics in the sky that spell things like ‘Toledo loves Jeep’, ‘Love 4-1-9’, and the seven-slot grill.” An estimated 100,000 people from 40 states and several countries attended last year, pumping $8 million into the local economy. Jeepers are fiercely loyal. “Everyone in the community has a connection.If you didn’t work there, maybe you drive a Jeep, maybe you go off road on the week- end or just have a love for the brand because we make Jeeps in Toledo.”Sponsors and 300 volunteers drive the activities. “My team and I really pride ourselves on providing free and fun entertainment that’s educational about the history of the workforce,
Jeep and the heart of manufacturing in Northwest Ohio. There’s a lot of fun, cool things to do.”For the full schedule, maps and parking information: toledojeepfest.com.
A Neon Jeep Lights Up Toledo’s Legacy
By: Melissa Lee
In a city known as both the Glass City and the birthplace of the Jeep, one local artist has united those two identities into a one-of-a-kind artpiece.Inside Toledo ‘s Bent Custom Neon, owner and master neon bender Kory Sherer has created what he believes to be the world’s only full-scale neon glass Jeep. Built entirely by hand, the glowing sculpture is more than just an eye-catching display, it’s a tribute to Toledo’s history, craftsmanship and creativity.“I’ve always wanted to build something like this,” Sherer said. “My social media page went viral and I asked my wife, ‘Do you think I can attempt to make a neon Jeep?’ That’s how this all started.”
More than 400 hours of work
The project began in Feb., 2024, and was completed in July of that year. Sherer spent 135 hours bending glass and another 266 hours building the framework and assembling the sculpture. The finished piece contains 310 feet of hand-bent glass tubing powered by 14 transformers.
Hand-crafted
Nothing about the neon Jeep was computer-generated. “There were no computers. No AI,” Sherer said. “Everything was done out of my head with a projector and a little Jeep model.”Using a small model Jeep, Sherer projected enlarged outlines onto acrylic sheets and hand-drew each section before heating and bending the glass tubes into shape.
Every bend counts
Neon bending leaves little room for mistakes. “You get one shot,” Sherer explains, adding, “If you mess up, you start over.”Even after completing much of the Jeep’s body, Sherer realized the angle of the sides wasn’t quite right after studying a real Jeep in a parking lot. He scrapped and rebuilt the sides before continuing.The tires proved to be the most difficult part of the entire project. “The spare tire and the tires were probably the hardest,” he said. Each tire alone contains roughly 23 feet of glass tubing.
Choosing color along the way
Sherer’s favorite color on the Jeep is the bright red created with traditional neon gas because the glowing gas itself is visible inside the tube.The body features vibrant turquoise, with lavender accents highlighting the bumpers. The seats are made from UV-reactive glass that glows under black- light.“I picked the colors as I went,” Sherer said. “I wanted turquoise to be the main color and then everything else came together.”
Built in the Glass City
For Sherer, the Jeep represents much more than an artistic challenge. “We’re the Glass City and we’re the home of the Jeep,” he said. “I figured, what better way to tie those together than a glass Jeep built right here in Toledo?”Videos documenting the Jeep’s construction have drawn millions of viewers online. One video, showing the creation of the first tire, alone has surpassed 20 million views, while Sherer’s combined social media following now exceeds 400,000 across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.And the attention the neon work has garnered has extended far beyond Ohio. Visitors have traveled from Arizona, Florida, New York and even the United Kingdom just to see the neon vehicle in person.
A Jeep Fest favorite
The glowing neon Jeep is a big attraction at Toledo’ annual JeepFest.“This will be the third year we’ve brought it,” Sherer said. “The organizers usually put it right at the entrance. . . we’re one of the biggest talks of JeepFest.”
