Non-Profit Iola Old Car Show, Inc. to surpass $10 Million in Charitable Giving at 53rd Annual Event

America's Greatest Car Show and Swap Meet to include historic vehicles, industry icons, 120,000 participants.

IOLA, WI, UNITED STATES, July 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Iola Car Show and Swap Meet is hosting it’s 53rd annual event July 10-12, 2025. Billed as America’s Greatest Car Show and Swap Meet, the event is one of the largest and most historic of its kind anywhere. The 325 acre venue is set to host 4,000 swap spaces, 2,500 show cars, and hundreds of for sale vehicles. This year’s theme is “4x4Fun,” meaning the grounds will be full of classic and historic trucks, SUV’s and custom creations. More than 120,000 participants are expected to flood Iola and surrounding communities for the event.

Iola ’25 has extra significance, as Iola Old Car Show, Inc, the 501(c)(3) that operates the event, prepares to surpass the $10 Million in charitable giving milestone. The Iola Car Show is a community and volunteer driven event and proceeds from the show benefit about 120 different charitable groups and organizations. Recent years have seen payments to those groups range from $250,000-$285,000 annually, and the proceeds from this year are expected to put the organization over the incredible milestone.

“The $10 Million milestone is really a remarkable testament to the hard work of thousands and thousands of dedicated volunteer workers and leaders,” said Joe Opperman, Executive Director of the Iola Car Show. “Not only is the event responsible for tens of millions of dollars in annual economic impact for the area, but the direct funding issued to these volunteer groups is felt strongly through our surrounding communities. Events like this help to sustain their communities and bring people together.”

Special guests this year include a variety of iconic car TV personalities and leading influencers. Stacey David was the star of the TRUCKS, which launched back in 1998 on the forefront of HOW-TO oriented auto TV and continued with the show GEARZ. He has an incredible 26-year run and counting. Heather Storm is a network TV personality, producer and influencer best known as host of TV’s Garage Squad. A slew of returning guests include the cast of “Vice Grip Garage”, “Flying Sparks Garage”, and more.

Dennis Anderson, the creator of the original Gravedigger Monster Truck, will be onsite all three days and has a special unveiling planned of an all new Mega Truck creation. POWERtube TV will onsite with their video production team, collecting all sorts of content for a made-for-TV special to air after the event with host Ali from Iola. Musical concerts are scheduled all three days of the event, beginning each afternoon.

Event sponsors include Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company, Toys for Trucks, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Greg’s Speed Shop, Wisconsin Chevy Super Dealers, Coker Tire, Kwik Trip, Ho-Chunk Gaming, BankFirst, Garage Experts of Fox Valley, Community Insurance, and more.

Volunteerism across the country continues to decline. According to a 2023 report by the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, less than 25% of Americans aged 16 and above volunteered for an organization or association from September 2020 to 2021. That is down from 30% in 2019 and from 27.6% 20 years earlier when the survey began.

A model to revive small towns for big impact: The Iola Car Show aims to bridge the gap toward stronger civic engagement with volunteer and sponsorship opportunities that connect communities through a shared love of cars. Since incorporating as a nonprofit in the 1980s, nearly $10 million has been raised to date to support local organizations, and $30 million is generated annually in direct economic impact for the Central Wisconsin region.

About the Iola Car Show: In 1972, author and publisher Chet Krause invited several local collector car enthusiasts to attend the Iola Lions Club Chicken Roast fundraiser as his guests. Twenty arrived with their classic cars, which quickly became a yearly tradition. The Iola Car Show is now the largest classic car show and swap meet in the country. The Show leverages the power of vehicles to create memories and transform lives. Proceeds each year provide direct benefit to over 120 local community organizations whose members volunteer their time to make the event possible. For more information, follow us on social media @IolaCarShow or visit www.iolaoldcarshow.com.

Ali Johnson
Iola Car Show
+1 7152520986
ali@iolaoldcarshow.com
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