T-R PHOTOS BY JAKE RYDER - Karl Auto Group in Marshalltown hosted the Jeeps, Cars, and Coffee event on Saturday at its dealership location, a kickoff event in anticipation of the Iowa All Breeds Jeep Show on Sept. 28-29 in Garwin.

Karl Auto Group of Marshalltown hosted a kickoff event on Saturday morning in preparation for the Iowa All Breeds Jeep Show in two weeks’ time.

“Jeeps, Cars and Coffee” invited owners of vehicles of all kinds to bring their ride while also encouraging spectators to take a look at what was on display.

The Iowa Jeep Club is hosting the 15th annual Iowa All Breeds Jeep Show at the Oak Ridge Motocross Track in Garwin on Sept. 28-29, and Karl Auto Group (KAG) will serve as premiere sponsor for the event.

“I’ve known Carl [Moyer, KAG owner] for 20 years, built a couple race trucks for him, and he’s always had an interest in the Jeep Show, but we’ve just been outside of his market territory,” said Larry Reinsch of the Iowa Jeep Club. “With the move to Oak Ridge, it just put us in Carl’s territory and they’ve jumped on board with both feet. It’s been a really great working relationship.”

Most Wanted Coffee of Marshalltown provided mini pancakes, coffee and energy drinks to visitors at Saturday’s event.

Most Wanted Coffee of Marshalltown provided breakfast with mini pancakes, coffee and energy drinks at Saturday’s event.

This also provided an opportunity to get people registered for the All Breeds Jeep Show, which is making its Garwin debut after previous shows in Cambridge and at the Story County Fairgrounds.

The show, which is open to all brands of off-road 4x4s including Ford Broncos, Toyotas, military vehicles and more, runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29, with camping options available on Friday and Saturday night.

It goes beyond your typical car show, offering a driving skills course to put your vehicle to the test – as well as a women’s “Dirt Diva” division – a teeter-totter trailer, off-road invention contest, custom trailer contest, as well as a remote-control cars course and demonstration as well as inventory for Jeep accessories, a swap meet and a base camp for overlander vehicles.

Beyond all things four wheels, there will also be a myriad of activities for all ages including retail vendors, drawings and door prizes, kids activities, a drive-in movie, military reenactments, and much more.

“We try to have something for everybody, because this show can be a real testosterone fest,” Reinsch said with a laugh.

Reinsch said he typically sees around 400 vehicles in attendance for fair-weather shows in years’ past, but also encourages those that just want to spectate to come out as well. He noted there was one year where a spectator went immediately from the show to a dealership to get a Jeep of their own.

“The thing that does it for me is taking one of these things and getting into the wilderness,” Reinsch said. “My wife and I will be out in Colorado, up on a mountain 13,000 feet high with a 2,000 foot drop right off the side. There ain’t much you can’t do with a Jeep. And the best part is you can have fun with it all weekend long and then go back and forth from work on Monday.”

Registration for the Iowa All Breeds Jeep Show and 4×4 Event is available at iowajeepshow.com.

The Iowa Jeep Club meets once a month in Ames and participates in various other events throughout the year. To learn more about becoming a member, visit iowajeepclub.com.

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Contact Jake Ryder at 641-753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.