In the fall of 2022, we approached Village of Iola Board President Jennifer Schustek with an idea we were really passionate about. We, the staff at the Iola Car Show, are always talking about the recognition our community garners as a result of the national notoriety generated from the annual Iola Car Show event. We want to encourage those within the village to embrace that attention and find ways to bring more people and business to town with similar theming, showing cohesiveness as a community, and capitalizing on what we have here that is unique from other small towns. We wanted to lead by example, and pitched the concept to renovate the “Welcome to Iola” sign near the car show grounds on the west end of town – it’s one of the first things people see when they drive into town!
Jennifer was supportive of the plan and the car show agreed to take on the project including the costs and labor to see it through. We got to work right away creating a vision we hope will make a strong and positive impression in the community and beyond.
In September of 2022, the first phase began. Matt Marquardt, the new Director of Swap for the Iola Car Show, started to decorate a space for the photo shoot. The goal was to capture an image that put our automotive theme in the forefront, but also included many other important elements of the community. Built into the photo are a number of hidden and subtle nods to the culture of the Iola-Scandinavia area.
We knew in order to be impactful, this sign needed a vehicle that would garner a lot of attention. We wanted it to be a local car and wanted it to be owned by someone who was an outstanding member of the community. We didn’t have to look far at all to find the perfect fit.
Ron Hardel has been a staple in the community for generations. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t know him and doesn’t have great things to say about him. In addition, Ron is the owner of an amazing 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 which we knew would be the perfect statement car. We wanted the finished product to be a surprise for both Ron and the community, and we worked with Ron’s grandson Josh to coordinate the car for the photo shoot.
We reached out to Eric Danielson, a close friend of the show who does photography as a hobby. He helped us to position the car and camera for the shoot and with edits. During the the shoot, something unplanned and very cool happened. Eric’s son, Emmett, was assisting him throughout the day of the shoot. Without Eric knowing, Emmett had collected a few images of his own on one of Eric’s back-up cameras. Eric found them later on when he was going through images and one photo in particular was so obviously outstanding, he knew something special had to be done with it.
With permission from the village and a great photo, all that was left to be done was to squeeze in a complicated and significant construction in the short spring before the show without a lot of help from mother nature. There is no better or more capable team for this than the Pit Crew from the Iola Car Show. The entire group, including volunteers, contributed to the finished product, led by Earl Lederhaus with a lot of assistance from seasonal worker Hayden Nelson.
As you look at the photo, take notice of all the little treasures so thoughtfully included. We won’t ruin the eye-spy for you, but here are just a few to get you started.
- Vintage I-S Letterman’s jacket to symbolize the strong schools and athletic programs
- Iola Lions Club vest to symbolize all of our community’s service minded organizations
- Wooden Ski’s placed to symbolize our winter sports heritage
The rest? Well, you’ll just have to look for those…
This really was a team effort including many members of the Iola Car Show staff and volunteers, and it wouldn’t have happened without the support of Jennifer Schustek and Village of Iola. There are a couple key people and businesses we want to call out by name for their contributions. Earl and Hayden were the construction leads from the pit crew. Dennis Dickhut and Jim Payton were important role players resolving various design challenges. Ali Johnson was instrumental in forming and bringing the vision to life, and we received support from local businesses Torborgs Lumber and RH Fischer Overhead Door.
From all of us at the show, we are so excited to ignite a vision within the town and hope the community, near and far, can appreciate the effort of so many. A small garage on the edge of town serves as a welcome to travelers and is just the start of what our small town has to offer. We hope this is a catalyst for inspiration to locals and a demonstration of what we can do together.
The sign was unveiled on June 19th, 2023. Ron’s appreciation was evident as a few tears streamed down his face, and it was hard for the rest of the group to keep emotions in check seeing the surprise and happiness on his face. At the unveiling he talked about his late wife Carol of 66 years and what the car meant to them and how it was at her urging to finally get the car restored.
Present for the unveiling were:
Ron Hardel
Dale Hardel
Cathy Hardel
Rick Bonikowske
Lana Bonikowske
Eric Danielson
Emmett Danielson
Jennifer Schustek
Joe Opperman
Ali Johnson
Earl Lederhaus
Jim Payton
Bailey Walejko
Matt Marquart
Grant Fredy
RJ Opperman
Hayden Nelson
Dennis Dickhut
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