The 5th Annual Stetler Off-Road Jeep Show benefited the Keystone Warriors non-profit organization.
It seems that every week there’s a story about Jeep vehicles being part of an event that benefits charity. Sunday’s 5th Annual Stetler Off-Road Jeep Show for the Keystone Warriors kept that streak going.
The Stetler Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram dealership in York, Pennsylvania hosted the event, which featured food, live music, raffle prizes, a bounce house and face painting for the little kids, and an off-road obstacle course and RTI ramp for the big kids. Jeep owners pitted their modified rigs against each other in a show to win trophies and bragging rights.
Eric Walther, the general manager of Stetler Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, said, “These are the people who get the benefit from helping out with an electric bill, helping out with a car payment. You know our veterans are so important to us and we just never want them to be forgotten.”
It’s not clear how much this year’s Stetler Off-Road Jeep Show generated to help Keystone Warriors, but according to FOX 43, “in past years the event has brought in more than $6,000.” Last year’s show attracted 150+ Jeeps and 700+ spectators.
The Jeep action didn’t stop there. The 5th Annual Stetler Off-Road Jeep Show took place during the Rutter’s Summer of Freedom Sweepstakes. The grand prize is the choice of one of a variety of FCA vehicles, including a Wrangler Unlimited Sport.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
