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Iola Car Show planning next event

Sept. 18 rally includes cruise, car show

The Iola Car Show continues to support the automotive hobby by offering a fall car show, cruise and flea market.

After COVID-19 caused last year’s show to be canceled, the staff held a car cruise – Rally for Iola – last summer to celebrate all things cars. The event brought in more than 1,000 vehicles that traveled through surrounding communities.

This year’s rally, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18, will be even bigger with a new route, flea market and food truck rally.

Gates at the Iola Car Show grounds will open at 7 a.m. for show cars and spectators. The cruise will begin at 10 a.m. and a food truck rally and music is scheduled to start at noon.

The new route will take rally drivers through Portage and Waupaca counties, said Joe Opperman, the show’s executive director.

“We want to continue to change the route, including different communities that are affected by the show,” he said. “This year, we are reaching into Portage County, one that not only supplies many volunteers, but also where our attendees fill hotels to the brim.”

The route will take participants south to Scandinavia; west through Amherst & Arnott; north to Ellis; east through Polonia, Rosholt, Big Falls and Little Falls; and south to Helvetia before returning to Iola for food and music.

There is no cutoff year for cars to be displayed on the car show grounds. Preregistered cars will be let in through gates 4 and 5 and have first dibs at prime shaded parking. Registration the day of the rally will cost $10 and vehicles will enter through gates 3 and be parked in the post-war area.

The flea market, to be held at the show grounds, will include swap and non-auto-related items and registration remains open until Wednesday, Sept. 1. Car show staff will assign spaces on a first-come, first-served basis according to the time of completed registration.

Flea market spaces can be reserved online at www.scan2scan.com/#!/show/rally-for-iola-2021.

“Iola is known for its incredible swap meet,” Opperman said. “As that evolves over time, it remains one of the highest-quality auto/memorabilia swap meets anywhere in the world, thanks to the incredible vendors.

“This event will welcome back those swap vendors, but also open the doors to other flea market vendors,” he said. “It’s a chance for buyers and sellers to take advantage of our grounds for commerce.”

Spectator admission costs $5 and ages 12 and under can attend for free.

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