Show comes to me

Tables are turned for me today. Usually I have to leave Iola, Wis., to attend a coin show. This time, the show is coming to me.

Numismatists of Wisconsin gather just a few yards from the Krause building here for their annual convention.

There are 55 dealer tables, so it is a fairly cozy show, which gives me the opportunity to have some nice conversations with show attendees.

I will not be rushing off to cover a board meeting or perform some other must-do task. I simply can be a part of the show and watch the public come in at 1 o’clock this afternoon.

In addition to not traveling, show hours at 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow recognize the habits of the area. We will not see an empty bourse floor Sunday morning while many people are in church. There simply will be no Sunday hours.

This pattern is not something that I am making up, either, nor is it something unique to coin shows. We have an annual Old Car Show in Iola that attracts 140,000 people over the course of four days. This year the dates are July 10-13.

I have been a volunteer worker at the car shows for the Lions Club and before that the Jaycees since 1978.

In recent years, the migration away from Sunday hours is very clear. It is so clear that no admission fee is charged on Sunday to encourage a few extra people to visit and to prevent any sense that those who do visit are not getting their money’s worth.

The heart of the car show is now Thursday through Saturday, which is very much like a coin show.

If you can make it, come to Iola for the coin show and the car show. Admission to the coin show is free.