s historic village on Depot Street, with the dinner being held at the
society’s Machine Shed at 222 Depot Street.The pork roast starts a t noon and runs until 3:00 p.m. All veterans are offered a free dinner in h onor of their service. Local Legion members will be noting the branch and y ears of service for each veteran attending. The donation for dinner for spo uses and the general public is just $10, $5 for children 12 and under. The dinner includes all the trimmings. Sodas and bottled water will also be ava ilable for purchase from Iola’s Boy Scout Troop 631.The Machine She d is one of seven buildings at the Iola Historical Society’s histor ic village that will be open for touring during the event. The others are t he original Iola & Northern Railway depot; the original Helvetia Town Hall;
a replica one-room schoolhouse; a vintage 1930s-era log hunting cabin; a r eplica fire station containing some of Iola’s early original firefi ghting vehicles; and the main museum/office. A vintage caboose is also on t he grounds, but that is currently being restored and is not available for t ours. The museum includes a display featuring Iola World War II veteran Le e Nelson, who flew 31 bombing missions in a B-17 “Flying Fortress
” over Germany and German-occupied France. Attendees will also have
the opportunity to view the Towne Native American Artifacts Collection, fe aturing an array of authentic historic artifacts that is second to none in Wisconsin, which will be formally dedicated at a June 9 event. A vintage No rwegian flag dating from the 1920s, property of Iola’s original Son s of Norway Fram Lodge 357 established in 1928, but was disbanded in 1932, is also displayed as well, along with the lodge’s original charter Docents will be on hand to answer any questions. The historical society is open throughout the summer on Saturday afternoons from noon until 3:00 p.m.
starting June 2 through August 25, 2018. Besides the summer Saturday openi ngs, three other Iola Historical Society events are slated for 2018: the Ra y Towne Native American Artifacts exhibit grand opening and Native American
Heritage Day on June 9; 34th Annual Strawberry Fest on June 24; and the 9t h Annual Taste of Norway & Lost Arts Fair on Oct. 6. Iola Historical Societ y local Businesses Partners lending sponsorship support to our public event s include Bank First National, Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative, Comm unity Insurance, Homestead Realty, Iola Dental Clinic, Iola Sentry Foods, R BC Wealth Management, Sweet Medicine/Prescriptions Plus, and others. For mo re information on the Iola Historical Society, go to www.iolahistoricalsoci ety.org or www.ischamber.com.###
