2020 looking like a lost year for our community activities
By Cliff Mishler, IHS President
Given the ongoing coronavirus/Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing uncertainties, we continue to face the reality of meeting and event cancellations as of today, May 15, with the realities not having changed since the last advisory was sent out nearly four weeks ago.
Here’s our latest thinking:
May 25: Our scheduled 7th annual Memorial Day Port Roast Salute to Military Veterans has been cancelled.
May 26: Our scheduled monthly meeting for May, set for Tuesday, May 26, has been cancelled as well.
June 28: Our scheduled 36th annual Iola Strawberry Fest fundraiser community event has likewise been cancelled.
June 29: Our monthly board and membership meetings will resume on Monday evening, June 29, pending permissibility by the Covid-19 restrictions in force at that time.
July 1 : The Summer 2020 issue of the Iola Historical Society’s “Window” newsletter will appear in the mail on or shortly after this date on an on-time basis.
Aug. 19: The twinned Historical Markers memorializing the Iola Hospital and the Iola Cancer and Tumor Sanitarium are projected for unveiling.
Oct. 3: Our scheduled 11th annual Taste of Norway, Lost Arts Fair, and Fall Arts and Crafts event.
At the present time, the opening of our annual summer visitor season for 2020 remains uncertain. It certainly will not get underway until Saturday, July 11, at the earliest, if at all.
As always, however, we do welcome interested individuals or small groups to call ahead and arrange for personally conducted tours of our Iola Historical Village and Museums facilities at other times: 715-445-IOLA (4652) or 715-445-5050 (alternate number).
Once the restrictions on movements and proximities of volunteers settle in, we will be looking for some volunteers to subject our buildings and grounds to a very belated “Spring Cleaning” some early Summer Wednesday morning.