Iola Strawberry Fest June 27
The Iola Historical Society's 26th annual Strawberry Festival fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at its Historical Village Complex located at 210 Depot St., two blocks west of Main Street in downtown. There is no admission fee to see the historic buildings, but donations are appreciated.
This year's event includes a Whatzit Day, an opportunity to have all types of antiques and collectibles identified and appraised by experts. Participants are asked for a donation of $2 per item, or $5 for three items.
This year's appraisers include Joel Edler, Fred Borgman, T.S. O'Connell, Maggie Thompson, Brent Frankenhoff, Tom Michael, Colin Bruce, Jim Lenske and Ted Willems, all current or former hobby experts at Krause Publications/F+W Publications in Iola. Areas of expertise include general antiques and collectibles, coins, books, firearms, sports memorabilia, comic books, movie memorabilia, collectible autos and automobile memorabilia.
"Lost arts" skills will be demonstrated, with some of the crafts available for purchase. The traditional skills include post-and-beam construction, basket weaving, rug weaving and rosemaling.
New for 2010 is a children's and family area that will include several miniature ponies, a corn sheller that children can use to shell corncobs and old-fashioned gunnysack races.
The society is raffling off a quilt made by local quilter and Iola native Caroline Adams. Titled "A Look to the Past," the 60-inch-wide, 71-inch-long quilt features panels of historic Iola pictures from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The quilt has been appraised at $1,200.
In addition to the historic quilt, raffle prizes also include a night's stay for four people at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, valued at $250; a foursome of golf with cart at the Glacier Wood Golf Club of Iola, valued at $200; an Iola and area history book collection and one-year Iola Historical Society membership; Iola Old Car Show passes and collectible car show banks; Iola-Scandinavia Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Bucks; plus many other prizes donated by local businesses and civic organizations, ranging from gift baskets, gift cards, food prizes, a 30-minute massage, I-S Community Fitness & Aquatic Center memberships, and a one-year subscription to the County Post West.
The entire Iola Historical Village will be open for viewing during Strawberry Fest, with member docents present in each building to share its history and that of the artifacts on display. The village consists of Iola's 1894 Iola & Northern Railroad depot, a replica of a one-room country schoolhouse (1897), the Helvetia Town Hall that dates from 1919, and a log cabin, all of which are original to the area. The complex also includes a historically accurate replication of the community's 1901 firehouse, with a display of three original pieces of antique firefighting apparatus once used in the village.
The society's museum complex has added three new displays with vintage pictures for 2010. These special exhibits are "100 Years of the Iola Winter Sports Club," "100 Years of Boy Scouting" and "150 Years of the Iola Gristmill."
Strawberry shortcake with ice cream is available for $3, barbecues $3 and hot dogs $2. Lemonade, coffee, soda or bottled water are $1 each. For those not interested in strawberry shortcake, ice-cream servings will be available for $1.
The Iola Historical Village Complex is also open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of September. Admission is not charged, but donations are appreciated. Group tours and admission to interested individuals may also be arranged at other times by calling the Iola Historical Society at 715-445-4652.
More information about the Iola Historical Society and other Iola-area events and businesses is available at the I-S Chamber's website at www.ischamber.org.
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