The 22nd Annual Iola Vintage Military and Gun Show will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 10-11, at the Iola Car Show Grounds.
The event features military exhibits, battle re-enactments, a military history presentation, an indoor gun show, military encampments, swap meet, tractor corral, and displays and demonstrations of tractors and equipment.
A blood drive will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
There will also be a Vietnam battle re-enactment at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by a World War II battle re-enactment at 2:30 p.m. The WWII re-enactment will be repeated at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Weapons demonstrations will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
A vehicle parade will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Guest speaker at the event is historian Don Smith, Jr., who specializes in military history. The avid collector of German and Japanese artifacts will speak at 11 a.m. Saturday in the meeting room on the west end of the Iola Old Car Show Activity Center.
Smith specializes in World War II allied airborne and special operations units and has interviewed hundreds of veterans in order to preserve their stories for future generations.
He became interested in military through his father, who served in the U.S. Air Force as part of the German Occupation Forces following World War II.
Through collecting and educating, Smith and his family strive to “honor those who died and those who, daring to die, survived.”
The show opens each morning at 7 a.m., with an S.O.S. breakfast available. Posting of the colors is at 8 a.m.
Gate admission is $6 daily for adults and $4 for children ages 6-12; children 5 and under are admitted free.
For more information, call 715-445-4005 or visit www.iolavms.com.