2024 Iola Car Show Is A Fun Time For All & ‘Happy Days’ Stars Delight the Fans (Photos)
Every year during the 2nd weekend of July, while summer is at its hottest peak, classic car enthusiasts from all over the world congregate in central WI in a small 1,200-resident town called Iola. First starting out in 1972 as a small car show of about 20 cars on the grass near Lake Iola, the Iola Car Show quickly outgrew its original location and by 1976 moved to its current location and became the premier Midwest swap meet.
Karen Ruud
Each year over 130,000 gearheads come to show off their cars, shop for parts or even just enjoy the camaraderie with other car fans. Everyone has a home here, from classic muscle cars to early model vintage or even fixer-uppers. There are not only cars but plenty of vendors (even for non-car fans), live bands, pin-up fashion shows and some actors from your favorite classic TV shows. This year the 2024 lineup included Happy Days greats Don Most, Anson Williams and who else but the Fonz, Henry Winkler. Also on tap was Jon Provost from Lassie and Stan Livingston from My Three Sons. We set out to this hot, sunny and vast land of cars as far as eyes can see to try and catch a glimpse of the Fonz, take in some cool car culture and honestly, just enjoy a nice, sweltering, summer day in the beautiful state of Wisconsin.
Let’s just all the stories I heard of it being hot and huge were no lie! Being a first timer I had no idea what to expect except for it being very big. Once near the grounds, you don’t realize how big it is until you find yourself parked at the gate farthest from where you wanted to start out and have to find your way through a mass of vendors and people, all while not trying to pass out from heat stroke. Once we found our way to where the Happy Days gang was it was a great relief that most of the line to greet them was in the shade. After waiting what appeared to be around 45 minutes to an hour, we were finally greeted by a very friendly Winkler. We chatted very briefly as he was very kind and courteous to make it through the line of his adoring fans who brought all sorts of fun items from lunch boxes to posters to records for him to sign.
Courtesy Lisa Nieskes
We then had fun conversations with Anson Williams about his now discontinued Alert Drops product, which oddly enough I happened to have on me so he grabbed it out of my hand and used it himself. Now that was some great product representation. Wrapping up our time with the TV stars we chatted with Jon Provost and his lovely Wife Laurie Jacobson about summertime memories growing up (like catching lightning bugs). It was very lovely.
After finally getting some cool downtime in the shade we ventured our way through where some of the showcase cars following this year’s theme “The Meeting of the Muscle” were (most in the shade thankfully) and wound our way towards the exit soaking up as much as we could and talking with some cool vendors and car owners – one who even insisted I get in and start up his 1941 Mercury – before the heat took over again.
Sights and scenes of the Iola Car Show
Fans in line to meet the Happy Days Gang along with others
Of course we had to get this issue signed!
Cobras in a Cobra
Official merch
Shopping for car parts
Stars & Cars
April 2018
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