MONROE — The table is nearly set for the return of Green County Cheese Days to Monroe, the major Wisconsin event that brings thousands to Monroe’s downtown square and beyond for fun, food, entertainment and shopping every other year.

Green County is buzzing with excitement as the long-awaited festival — postponed by COVID-19 in 2020 — returns as a very public display of the city’s beating heart, one that includes plenty of beer, cheese and old Swiss culture. 

The event runs through a jam-packed schedule, from Friday through Sunday night.

“It’s going to be a great time to be in Monroe,” said Monroe Mayor Donna Douglas, who also serves as Grand Marshal for the Cheese Days Parade, a 108-year-old tradition. “We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

Indeed, preparations for the event have been going on, quite literally, for years, but the actual set-up process for 2022 began in earnest Monday as the Times went to press. Hundreds of volunteers give countless hours to make the event happen before, during and after the long lines for coveted Monroe Optimists fried cheese curds disappear.

Crews were slated on Monday to start bringing in the infrastructure, such as barricades and tents, into the downtown area. Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley also provided a list of Cheese Days related information, included on page A4, covering everything from security to road closures and parking downtown.

Police have said that in light of events, such as shootings at public events, they also have taken measures to bolster security and keep everyone safe. 

This years’ Cheese Days Royalty also are ready to welcome guests to Monroe. Tess Zettle is the 2022 Ambassador. Ruth and Gordy Bergemann are serving as King and Queen. This year’s prince will be Braun King, and the princess, Addison Wolff.

This year’s Cheese Days main stage will be dedicated and renamed for Martha Bernet in a ceremony set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13. In addition to volunteering and performing in Cheese Days over the decades, Bernet is the original vocalist for the 1967 recording of the Cheese Days song, with Rudy Burkhalter. 

Bernet, who died last February at the age of 94, also performed with Marian Kundert as “The Swiss Chicks.”

For kids, the TDS Kids’ Street tent includes entertainment and activities, including a dunk tank, bubble creation station and comedy shows.

The biggest Cheese Days sponsor is Colony Brands, which has its own hospitality tent and special events at the festival.  The parade was renamed The Swiss Colony Cheese Days Parade in 2004.