Watch Norwegian pastry making, lefse making, and Lost Arts artisans ply their crafts at the Annual Taste Of Norway & Lost Arts Fair to be held Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Iola Historical Society at 210 Depot Street just west of downtown Iola.
The Annual Fall Craft & Gift Show will be hosted on the grounds as well. The event is free, with the Taste of Norway demonstrations and sales from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the Fall Craft Show vendors will open at 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., at the society’s Historic Iola Village complex.
Proceeds from the event are being used to pay for the restoration of the historic Iola & Northern Railroad depot, built in 1894, along with other Iola Historical Society needs.
Taste of Norway provides visitors with tastes of Norwegian pastries as well as demonstrations on how they are made. Historical society members and local residents experienced in preparing Norwegian goodies, ranging from lefse, smultrenger (fry cakes), krumkaka, sandbakkels, rosettes, and fattigman, will explain and demonstrate how to make them. The demonstrations run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The pastries and other homemade baked goods — will be available to purchase, while supplies last, in dozen and half-dozen increments. Taste Of Norway samples with coffee will also be available for purchase too.
Iola’s famous Crystal Café will also be selling pies by the slice as well as whole pies, pulled pork sandwiches, and homemade chips and dip. Scandinavia’s Trout Bum Bakery will have baked goods for sale – scones, cookies, pastries, breads.
The Iola Lions will be holding a brat fry, along with grilled hot dogs, with an option to have the hot dog placed in lefse, rather than in a bun. Troop 631 (Iola) of the Boy Scouts of America will be selling soda and water. The Taste of Norway food court will be located inside the Machine Shed. A local Girl Scout troop will assist with carrying food and cleaning off tables.
Taste Of Norway raffle tickets are being sold locally by Iola Historical Society members and will also be available on site the day of the event. The price per raffle ticket is $3, or two tickets for $5. Prizes include $500 cash, from Bank First, as first prize, a George Foreman Electric Grill, donated by Sarah Abramson and Eric Doughty, as second prize, $100 cash, from the Iola Historical Society, as third prize and many other prizes donated by area businesses and organizations. The drawing will take place at 1:45 p.m. Winners need not be present to win.
Lost Arts Fair
The popular Lost Arts Fair aspect of the event brings artisans to the Village showing how things used to be done. Lost arts ranging from jewelry making, rosemaling, rug weaving, soap making and woodcarving, among others, will be demonstrated. Some of the artisans have items for sale.
Children’s activities & Waupaca County Humane Society
“One-Room Schoolhouse Kid’s Activities” will take place in the replica vintage schoolhouse, sponsored by the Sons Of Norway’s Norskeland Lodge 5-580 of Iola. Beginning at 10 a.m., craft projects and snacks will be part of the activities. Kids and adults can try out the vintage corn sheller that will be in place in front of the schoolhouse.
Annual Fall Gift & Craft Show
The Annual Fall Gift & Craft Show, which runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., includes vendors selling wool mittens, scarves, runners, mats, handmade soaps, Norwegian wear, jewelry, embroidery, decorations for Halloween plus Thanksgiving and Christmas, soy candles, quilted items, handmade caramels, doll cloths, metal garden-art sculptures, framed pictures and prints from local photographers, and many other items.
Tours of on-site historic buildings
Iola Historical Society docents will provide information on the historic buildings on the grounds, which include the Helvetia Town Hall; a replica of Iola’s first fire station; replica of a one-room schoolhouse; a circa-1920s log cabin, originally used locally by hunters; the original Iola & Northern Railway depot and a vintage caboose. All buildings will be open for tours.
The society’s museum will also be open during the event. The displays include the Wayne Towne Native American artifacts exhibit; vintage Norwegian immigrant items; the Stromberg violin collection, and many other items of local history.
Also featured is a display dedicated to Lee Nelson, Iola’s “Humble Hero.” Nelson was a B-17 bomber pilot who flew several dozen missions over France and Germany in World War II. His autobiography, published by the Iola Historical Society, is available for sale at the event, along with other local history books.
There is also a developing exhibit for Chester L. Krause, world-renowned publisher and philanthropist, who passed away in 2016.
The Machine Shed contains vintage farming and manufacturing equipment used locally, including the machines from Iola’s R.I. Anderson Machine Shop. Also featured is the Bestul Sports Car that was custom crafted in the 1950s by Iola native Lee Bestul.
Fire extinguisher check and vintage tractors
The Iola & Rural Fire Department will be holding its annual fire extinguisher check at the 1901 vintage Iola fire station at the Iola Historic Village. The department has arranged with licensed fire systems supplier Fire Pro to provide, at a nominal charge of $5 per unit, on-site fire extinguisher checks from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Department personnel will check and service personal handheld fire extinguishers to be sure they are current for use and insurance purposes. The replica station contains Iola’s first three pieces of mechanized firefighting apparatus, dating from 1913, 1926, and 1942.
Members of the Central Wisconsin Tractor Club will have classic tractors on display.
Visitors can also take a nice Fall walk along the nearby Iola Lions River Walk that follows the South Branch of the Little Wolf River from North Main Street to Townline Road. The Walk is accessible at its mid-point behind the Machine Shed. The historic Iola Mills, built in 1860, is located at the east end of the trail.
For more information, go to www.iolahistoricalsociety or see our page on Facebook.