Iola Car Show
IOLA, WI – The Iola Car Show is hosting its 52nd annual event from July 11 through 13, 2024. The largest car show and swap meet in the country, over 2,500 show cars are on display along with over 4,000 swap meet spaces. Celebrating the theme of “The Meeting of the Muscle”, special guests include Henry Winkler, Donny Most and Anson Williams of “Happy Days”, Stan Livingston of “My Three Sons”, Jon Provost of TV’s “Lassie”, Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage, Emily Reeves of Flying Sparks Garage, and more.
“We are so excited to return to the Iola Car Show in celebration of 50 years of Happy Days,” said Henry Winkler, “It’s an amazing event and we are thrilled to be a part of it once again.”
The Iola Car Show is a whole community, volunteer-driven event. With a population of 1,236, residents of the Village of Iola and beyond come together each year to host over 120,000 attendees. Proceeds provide direct benefit to over 130 local community organizations whose members volunteer their time to make the event possible.
The environment is a great reprieve from daily life featuring thousands of historic vehicles, themed buildings and displays live entertainment, campgrounds, and one of America’s busiest swap meets. Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage will be performing live work all three days while interacting with spectators, and the GearKids program is providing awesome programs geared for children of all ages.
Additional industry icons in attendance include Don Garlits, Jo Coddington, Von Hot Rod, Greg and Leah Stelse of Greg’s Speed Shop, Bill “Elvis” Stull, and Ali from Iola.
Veterans honored with revamped “Cruise of Honor”
In renewed efforts to continue to honor our nations veterans, Justin Moen has taken on leadership of Iola Car Show’s Cruise of Honor. The Cruise is a joint program with the King Veterans Home that provides a special tour of the show to King’s Veterans on Thursday and Friday. Along with Goodie Bags and collectibles, the Veterans are given a VIP tour of the show with celebrity host Jo Coddington, including special features along the way.
Engaging youth remains critical as the classic car community continues to age. GearKids programming returns for the second year after its successful launch in 2023.It was initiated and is being led by Hayden Nelson, a student at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. The schedule includes a scavenger hunt and wayfinding exercise, “Foundry in a Box”, interactive building project and an appearance by “Rusty” of the popular Battlebots TV series.
About the Iola Car Show
In 1972, author and publisher Chet Krause invited several local collector car 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. The Iola Car Show is now the largest classic car show and swap meet in the country. The Show leverages the power of vehicles to create memories and transform lives. Proceeds each year provide direct benefit to over 130 local community organizations whose members volunteer their time to make the event possible. For more information, follow them on social media @IolaCarShow or visit www.iolaoldcarshow.com.
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