Iola Car Show marks 53 years

IOLA – The Iola Car Show and Swap Meet is hosting its 53rd annual event that will take place from July 10 to 12. The 325-acre venue is set to host 4,000 swap spaces, 2,500 show cars and hundreds of vehicles that will be for sale.
This year’s theme is “4x4 Fun,” meaning the grounds will be full of classic and historic trucks, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) and custom creations.
More than 120,000 participants are expected to make their way into Iola and surrounding communities for the event.
This year’s car show has extra significance, as Iola Old Car Show, Inc, the 501(c)(3) that operates the event, prepares to surpass the $10 million in charitable donations.
The Iola Car Show is a community and volunteer-driven event and proceeds from the show benefit about 120 different charitable groups and organizations.

Recent years have seen payments to those groups range from $250,000 to $285,000 annually, and the proceeds from this year are expected to put the organization over $10 million.
“The $10 million milestone is really a remarkable testament to the hard work of thousands and thousands of dedicated volunteer workers and leaders,” said Joe Opperman, executive director of the Iola Car Show. “Not only is the event responsible for tens of millions of dollars in annual economic impact for the area, but the direct funding issued to these volunteer groups is felt strongly through our surrounding communities. Events like this help to sustain their communities and bring people together.”

This year’s show
Special guests this year include a variety of iconic car television personalities and industry leading influencers. Stacey David was the star of the “Trucks,” which launched back in 1998 on the forefront of how-to oriented auto television and continued with the show “Gearz.”
Heather Storm is a network TV personality, producer and influencer best known as host of televisions “Garage Squad.”

A slew of returning guests include the cast of “Vice Grip Garage” and “Flying Sparks Garage” to name a couple.
Dennis Anderson, the creator of the original Gravedigger Monster Truck, will be onsite all three days and has a special unveiling planned of an all new mega truck creation.
POWERtube TV will be onsite with their video production team, collecting all sorts of content for a made-for-television special to air after the event.
Musical concerts are scheduled all three days of the event starting at noon on the main stage.
Event sponsors include Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company, Toys for Trucks, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Greg’s Speed Shop, Wisconsin Chevy Super Dealers, Coker Tire, Kwik Trip, Ho-Chunk Gaming, BankFirst, Garage Experts of Fox Valley and Community Insurance.
The Iola Car Show’s Cruise of Honor is a joint program with the King Veterans Home that provides a special tour of the show to the veterans at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King on Thursday and Friday. Along with goodie bags and collectibles, the veterans will be given a VIP tour of the show with celebrity host Jo Coddington that is set to include special features along the way.
In its third year at the show, GearKids is continuing to be popular amongst the youthful car show goers, helping provide a memorable and educational experience for hundreds of kids and families during the event.
Wisconsin Automotive & Truck Education Association (WATEA) will be bringing their interactive Pit Crew Challenge, allowing kids to safely simulate pit crew-style tire rotations.
Also new this year is the addition of kid’s theme pin trading, along with returning favorites like Waupaca Foundry’s “Foundry in a Box” program.
The car show began in 1972 when author and publisher Chet Krause invited several local car collector enthusiasts to attend the Iola Lions Club Chicken Roast fundraiser as his guests.
Twenty arrived with their classic cars, which quickly became a yearly tradition.