UPDATE: Dan’s laid out a caravan schedule for next weekend’s Open House.

Subsitute caravan leader Dan “scramboleer” here. Just a reminder that the Willys America Open House and BBQ is just a few Saturdays away on July 8.

The 2017 Caravan basically takes the morning to drive from Millbrae (south of San Francisco), across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then out through western Wine Country to Cazadero where Willys America hosts an open house and BBQ.

Here are the details:

Begin route on Hwy 280 North.

Stop 1: 8:00 am – 8:15 am Trousdale Exit on northbound Highway 280. (This exit is in Millbrae, meet on the east side parking area after the off ramp). The exit is about 5 miles north of Hwy 92.

Follow 280 North. Take 19th Avenue north through San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge (Hwy 101).

Stop 2: 8:45 am – 9:15 am Golden Gate Bridge vista point. (Located on northeast side of bridge.) Great picture spot!

Continue Hwy 101 north to Petaluma. Exit west onto Lakeville Road., Stop at McDonald’s at the shopping center on Lakeville Rd.

Stop 3: 10:00 am-10:20 am McDonald’s parking lot in Petaluma. (Exit west on 116/Lakeville St. and look for McDonald’s)

Continue on North 101 and exit at Hwy 116 West (Gravenstein Hwy towards Guerneville). Follow Hwy 116 through Forestville, Monte Rio and turn North onto the Cazadero Hwy. Follow Cazadero Hwy until you see Willys America, 6152 Cazadero Highway Cazadero, CA 95421.

http://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/showthread.php?11425-Caravan-to-2017-Willys-America-Open-House-and-BBQ

The Great Willys Picnic and The Bantam Festival (both in Pennsylvania) are happening today. I hope everyone has fun!

Last weekend the Willys Overland Jeepster Club held their annual Spring meet for the 51st time. Sixty members and a dozen Jeepsters attended the event at Dundee, Michigan. A Fall Meet will occur later this year.

You can read much more in the Monroe News:

http://www.monroenews.com/news/20170603/its-jeepster-reunion

PHOTO CREDIT: Monroe News by Tom Hawley. Kevin Stepinski is waving out the door of his 1949 Jeepster.

Just a couple updates for Friday.

John forwarded this website and videos from the Convoy of Liberty, 2017, from Pilsen, Czech Republic. Many jeeps were involved in the parade, along with other military vehicles, some not quite of WWII vintage (like at least one M-38A1).

This link is to the event’s website: http://slavnostisvobody.cz/en/

This video looks like it was an ad(?) for the event:

And this was one of several videos showing the parade:

UPDATE: The original photos I posted were from the 2016 event. The new batch of photos are from the 2017 event.

I’m told last week’s Midwest Willys Reunion was a big hit, despite a couple rain storms and some hot weather. Here is a video from the event:

Scott shared this video on Alaska Or Rust’s Facebook page:

Bob Christy contributed these photos from last week’s event:

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If you are near Columbus, Indiana, this weekend, make sure to drop by the Midwest Willys Reunion. There’s a lot happening, including Alaska Or Rust tables with parts for sale, a raffle and at least one carb demonstration by Mr. Old Jeep Carbs himself, Richard Pacholski.

The annual “Delaware Goes to War- Victory In Europe” reenactment took place at Fort Miles in Delaware last weekend. Joe shared these photos taken by Bill Goodwin. Thanks! (I think this is a good start to “Front-end Friday”)

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This year’s Northwest FC Get-Together will be held Aug 4-6th in Olympia, Washington.

Every year the Italians celebrate the Colonna della Libertá (Column of Liberation). CeePee and his friends from Bavaria once again made their way down to join the event in their jeeps. It had snowed two days prior to their trip south, so it sounds like it was a chilly drive.

CeePee reports they had a good time, as always. One of the people he met for the first time was Italian Gregory Alegi (read more about his trip here), who in 2013 drove an MB with his friend to Toledo. Ann and I almost had a chance to meet up with Gregory, but we couldn’t make the timing work.

On their return trip to Germany, CeePee wrote that his group was nearly swept away with rain. Still, it didn’t dampen their spirits. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

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