The Iola Car Show has been growing and evolving for 46 years. The 300+ acre show grounds hosts 4,200 swap meet spots, a Car Corral of some 1,000 vehicles and 1,600 campsites. Upwards of 2,200 show cars are displayed each year, with 200 selected for the annual Special Exhibit. Some 120,000 enthusiasts descend on this village of 1,100 residents for three days, with the dedication of thousands of volunteers making one of the largest car shows in the Midwest a continuing success.
For 2018 the WSAH continued an annual tradition, dating from 1991, of staffing the Special Exhibit of the 2018 Iola Car Show, July 12th through July 14th. The Special Exhibit displays upwards of 200 vehicles selected to represent annually designated themes. In past years the Special Exhibit Tent has featured approximately 50 of those 200 vehicles which exemplify the themes of the year, as selected by the Iola Car Show staff and WSAH members. The other 150 vehicles in the Special Exhibit have been displayed just outside the Tent. This year the themes were Movie Cars and Service Vehicles. The vehicle selections were made during the months preceding the show by the Iola Car Show staff working with WSAH members Ken Nimocks, Jim Morris and Don Gullikson. This year most of the specially selected vehicles were displayed, for the first time, inside the Special Exhibit Building, just north of the Special Exhibit Tent. During the three day show, chapter members manage the parking and display of the vehicles for the Special Exhibit and staff the WSAH table in the Tent. Chapter members sell Iola Car Show memorabilia in support of the show, answer questions, and engage show attendees about the WSAH. The WSAH banner is on prominent display at the chapter table in the Tent. The Iola Car Show pays the chapter for providing these services, which is a primary fund raiser for the WSAH.
The annual WSAH Summer Meeting, held in conjunction with the Iola Car Show, took place on Friday, July 13th, at 2:00 in the Special Exhibit Building. Ten members were in attendance. Discussion included honorary member designations, newsletter expenses, and WSAH relations with the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS). George Tesar reported on his second visit to the WHS. George was appointed as the WSAH Liaison to the WHS, and plans to make a return visit to the Society, with David Tesch, to explore with the WHS staff specifically how the WSAH can be of assistance to the WHS.
