GREENVILLE – Two local brothers and their significant others are making the upcoming Jeep Rally a reality. It will be held in downtown Greenville from 2 to 7 pm. July 19, thanks to Jim and Dawn Arnett and Mary and Joe Arnett.
Sponsors will be Main Street Greenville and Western Ohio Wranglers.
“We bought our jeep in 2023,” said Dawn. “We both have loved wranglers forever, and were super excited to get one. That same year, we made it down to Tipp City for their first-ever Jeep Rally put on by Duck Duck Jeep Ohio. They had hundreds of jeeps show up…themed out and so many different models.”
Her husband, Jim, she said, had the idea right there of how cool it would be to have a jeep rally on Broadway. Mary fell in love with the Jeep world and purchased hers in 2024 and instantly started buying upgrades.”
It was then that Jim started a group called Western Ohio Wranglers, making Mary, Joe and me administrators also, in hopes of finding others in the jeep community that wanted to go on trips and hang out.
“He also still had the dream of a rally on Broadway in his head,” Dawn said, “He never let that dream go. One day, I decided to contact Main Street Greenville, hoping they could help. Brandon Erwin, who runs the events downtown, was excited and had many stores downtown suggesting a Jeep Rally. The dream was born that day. We scheduled a meeting with Brandon the following week. We have also presented to the city council and the mayor. We have many people who supported us from the start and talked to anyone they could to try and make this dream come true. Brandon messaged me when I thought all hope was lost and told me it was a go.”
Since that day, the Arnetts have contacted many food trucks, small vendors, music entertainment, and the general jeep community.
“Our numbers grew in the group from less than a hundred to over two hundred,” she said. “We have reached out to businesses, passing out flyers and asking for donations for raffles. We have passed out countless business cards, hoping to bring some new life to downtown.”
The coordinators, Brandon and the Arnetts, have only been planning for an estimated four months.
According to Dawn, the Jeeps will be parked throughout the event.
“As we all grew up we would see jeeps driving around and it just looked like fun to have the top and the doors off. The freedom of having the wind hit you,” she said.
According to her, there will be judging with trophies to be presented
“Helping out will be the community in general,”. said Dawn. “Businesses downtown have been awesome. The support from friends, family, and strangers all together making this a success and supporting this dream. The community has been awesome.”
Dawn works at Members Choice Credit Union; Mary at her own consignment shop in Greenville; Jim at Dickman’s and Joe at Dick Lavy Trucking, all the while preparing for this first-time event in Greenville.
In Erwin’s comments on the Main Street Greenville site on Facebook, he remarked, “We are getting closer to the first-ever Jeep Rally in Greenville! Downtown Greenville is about to rumble with excitement! Mark your calendars: Join us for Jeep Legends Let Loose in Darke, an epic day full of horsepower, adventure, and family fun.”
He said to expect the following: Show and Shine Jeep Display; food trucks and vendors; raffles, giveaways and family-friendly fun.
“Admission is free,” Erwin remarked. ” All Jeep models are welcome. Bring your Jeep. Bring your crew. Let’s rally! Let’s make this the biggest Jeep gathering Darke County has ever seen!”
