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The parade is a contest with four main categories, one of which North Americans would probably call the "Beverly Hillbillies" category: Jeeps are loaded with household and farm items, and even family members, as if they were moving to a new house.
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Many of the same traditional items are usually there, such as the TV, clock, phonograph, and portrait of Jesus. But this entry has an unusual touch; please tell me the head on the front isn't real.
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Bicycles and guitars are a couple of fun things that add interest without a great deal of weight in the house moving category, but this entry is also carrying quite a few people and items of furniture.
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Talk about moving house -- this entry is doing it literally. There is a freestyle category which allows the Jeep to be carrying just about anything, demonstrated in this 2005 photo from Calarca.net.
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Perhaps the most popular category is the one in which the vehicles are loaded with the produce of the region: coffee, bananas, citrus fruits, and more. This one is carrying so much it requires some navigators to help the driver.
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This photo shows the kind of crowds attracted by Yipao, and also reveals that some Willys station wagons and other classic vehicles besides flatfenders get in on the act.
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Not sure what this entry represents exactly, but since everybody's dressed up it kind of looks like a dance.
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On the other hand, these guys look like they've come straight in from the field, and even brought quite a bit of the field with them.
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Looks like a reader of The CJ3B Page cleaning out his garage. This 2005 photo would be another freestyle entry.
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Count the oranges. Here's a classic example of the agricultural produce category. Almost hard to believe these Jeeps can keep their front wheels on the ground.
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Oh yeah. The pique contest is about piling the Willys with an 1800 kilogram (2 ton) payload carefully positioned to make the vehicle lean backwards and advance in a straight line on two wheels for the longest possible distance.
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Do not try this at home. Or anywhere else. This is not approved by The CJ3B Page.
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Here are a couple more 2005 photos from Calarca.net that I had to include. This one looks like a good solution to the balance problem -- as long as there are no corners to turn.
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This shot puts you right into the action, and shows the relationship of man and machine which has made the Willys Jeep so beloved in the coffee country of Colombia.
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