The more than 5,100 workers at Fiat Chrysler's Toledo Assembly Complex will mark the city's 75-year history with Jeep with a private, company-sponsored picnic and family day activities on Saturday, July 16.
On Aug. 13, the public will be let in on the fun with a plan to transform the city's downtown into Toledo, OHIIIIIO.
The inaugural free event, called Toledo Jeep Fest, will start with a parade of 75 years' worth of Jeeps that will turn into a Jeep-only car show throughout the downtown area.
Daylong live music and a pair of outdoor beer gardens will be on tap for adults, while special Jeep-themed children's activities will be available at the riverfront Imagination Station.
The city's convention center will host a collection of over 50 historic Jeep concept vehicles on loan from FCA and others, including several one-of-a-kind custom Jeeps built for the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.
The event sponsors include UAW Local 12, which represents workers at the Toledo Assembly Complex, and Dana Holding Corp., which has supplied axles and other components to Jeep vehicles for 75 years.
While Jeeps have been assembled elsewhere, including Detroit and Brampton, Ontario, and in Italy, Brazil and China, Toledo is the only city where they have been continuously built during Jeep's history.
FCA directly employs more than 6,900 people in metro Toledo, including the more than 5,100 at Toledo Assembly, another 1,000 or so at Toledo Machining, and about 700 at the nearby Dundee (Mich.) Engine Plant. Toledo is also the largest city in America where FCA has the top market share of any automaker.
The cost to drive a Jeep in the parade or show it as part of the Jeep-only car show is a single $15 donation, and the events are open to anyone. Attendance is free. Registration is available online, either under the Toledo Jeep Fest page on Facebook or directly at cvent.com/d/lfqf6m.
