Home » Uncategorized » Taste of Norway, Lost Arts Fest in Iola

Taste of Norway, Lost Arts Fest in Iola

Taste of Norway, Lost Arts Fest and Craft & Gift Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Iola Historical Society Complex, 210 Depot St. The free events are hosted by the Iola Historical Society, Iola-Scandinavia Area Chamber Of Commerce and Northland Lutheran Church.

The Lost Arts Fest features local artisans demonstrating skills such as blacksmithing, rosemaling, rug weaving, hand quilting, post-and-beam construction, and basket weaving, among other ‘lost’ arts. Some items from the artisans will be available for purchase.

Taste of Norway will feature locally made Norwegian treats, such as rosettes, krumkake, lefse and more, with free samples and items for sale individually or by the dozen.

Following up on the Taste of Norway theme, the Northland Lutheran Church Ladies will host cooking demonstrations of traditional Norwegian pastries and lefse.

A caboose and all of the buildings in the Historical Society’s village will be available for touring, except the original Iola & Northern Railroad Depot, which is being restored. The buildings include a country school, the original Helvetia Town Hall building, a replica of the 1900 Iola firehouse (featuring Iola’s first three mechanized fire engines, all original), and a vintage log cabin.

The Iola Historical Society’s main building includes displays of Norwegian artifacts from early settlers and other Iola area historical artifacts, including Native American artifacts collected in Waupaca and violins made in the 1930s through the 1950s by former Iola resident Bert Stromberg. Both collections were recently donated to the museum. In the Helvetia Town Hall, there are displays on “100 Years of Ski Jumping in Iola.”

The I-S Chamber’s annual Craft and Gift Show includes indoor and outdoor vendors selling a wide range of homemade food and craft/gift items. Vendors interested in setting up should contact Traci at 715-445-5505. Fee for a 10×10-foot booth is $30.

In addition to these events, for the children there will be pumpkin painting, face painting and a kid’s fun run.

The Iola Lions will host a Health Fair, which includes the Iola Ambulance Service doing blood pressure test, Waupaca County doing flu shots (at a nominal fee), and Riverside Medical Center drawing blood for tests of glucose ($7), PSA ($35), total cholesterol ($7), and lipid panel (cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL, $20).

Scroll to Top