Welcome to Green County Wisconsin and the granddaddy of all food fests in the Midwest – Green County Cheese Days in Monroe.
September 19 to 21 marks the 100th anniversary of Green County Cheese Days, and the cheesemaking, dairy farming, and Swiss traditions that continue to this day.
Right away you’ll sense the cheesy vibe: old time copper kettle cheesemaking demonstrations, cheese carving, cheese pairings, and cheese sampling .
On the menu: gourmet grilled cheese, the best deep-fried cheese curds in the nation, cheesecake on a stick. New in 2014: “Procession of Cheesemakers” with a cheesemaker from each of the dozen factories donning the traditional white uniform and bearing their signature cheese as part of the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony.
The best and brightest of the area’s bovines (Brown Swiss, Jersey, Guernsey, Holstein, Red & White Holstein, Ayrshire, and Milking Shorthorn) are selected to make the trip to the “big city” to play starring roles in the wildly popular Cow Milking Contest. For many, the highlight of the weekend is The Swiss Colony Cheese Days Parade, led by a herd of Brown Swiss cows sporting clanging bells and floral wreaths.
To mark this special anniversary, 100 accordion players will play the official Cheese Days song (of course there is a song), and visitors can tour two century farms where multiple generations have tilled the land and milked the cows for more than 100 years.
Cheese Days offers up more fun things to do than there are holes in a giant wheel of Swiss cheese. Like the song says “Come to Cheese Days in Monroe!”
Visit www.cheesedays or www.facebook.com/cheesedays for more details of the Green County Cheese Days in Monroe, Wisconsin.
For more information about top events in Wisconsin take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Wisconsin.