By Clifford Mishler, President

Just as it was necessary to cancel our monthly meetings for March, in deference to the coronavirus/Covid-19 restrictions, the April meetings are being cancelled as well.

We are hoping that the social distancing restrictions will be relaxed sufficiently to convene our scheduled monthly meeting for May on Tuesday, May 26.

We have determined that our annually scheduled Memorial Day Pork Roast Salute to Military Veterans, which would have been the 7th annual renewal, is being cancelled as well.

At this juncture, unfortunately, it appears likely that we will likewise find it necessary to cancel our 36th annual Iola Strawberry Fest Fundraiser community event scheduled for June 28.

While our annual summer visitor season for 2020, schedule to get underway on Saturday, June 6, from noon to 3 p.m. weekly through Aug. 29, will likely not be opening as scheduled, we are hopeful that an abbreviated season will get underway at a later date to be determined.

As always, however, we do welcome interested individuals or small groups to call ahead and arranged 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).

We had the placement of twinned Historic Iola markers #15 and #16 on South Chet Krause Drive, tributes to the Iola Hospital and the Iola Cancer and Tumor Sanitarium, planned for Tuesday, May 19. Those plans had to be cancelled when Sewah Studios in Marietta, Ohio, the manufacturer was required to suspend operations by a state-wide “shelter in home” order in late March. That unveiling will be rescheduled to sometime during the summer.

Otherwise, things seem to be on schedule … our Spring newsletter went out on time!