More accordions
• Turner Hall of Monroe hosts a "squeezebox night" on the third Tuesday of every month - ideal if you would like to practice ahead of time and meet others who will be part of the 100.
• The Monroe City Band will perform five concerts during the summer, starting June 9, at the Swiss-style bandshell in Twining Park. For a complete list of times and dates, visit cityofmonroe.org and search for Special Events under Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
• To play an accordion in the historic 100 Accordions event, contact Green County Cheese Days with your name, phone and email address. Call 608-325-7771 or 800-307-7208; email to cheesedays@tds.net; or visit online at www.cheesedays. com/100-accordions.
MONROE - Set your trombones aside: Green County Cheese Days wants 100 accordions playing at its 100th year celebration in September.
"If it goes over 100, we're not going to turn people away," said Randy Schneeberger, director of Monroe City Band.
Schneeberger has organized the musical arrangement for the Cheese Days song. It is posted on the Cheese Days website for participating accordionists to download and practice.
He's also in charge of organizing the throng of squeezebox players who will descend upon downtown Monroe at about noon Saturday, Sept. 20 to join the city band in playing the song for its finale of an hour-long performance on the main stage.
Players will assemble with their instruments in five locations around the city, led to the stage by "five people who know what's going on," Schneeberger said.
It'll be up to the Monroe City Band to keep the accordionists in tempo, and they will not have any practice time together.
"As a platform, I though the city band would be ideal," Schneeberger said.
"We're just goin' to go for it," he added.
Schneeberger believes the idea for the 100-accordion ensemble at Cheese Days was brewed up during a trip to Switzerland, taken by 45 Green County residents in September.
"All I heard was, "They oughta, they oughta,'" Schneeberger said.
He thought all they needed was someone to get the bellows moving and contacted Cheese Days Director Noreen Rueckert at the Green County Tourism office. If he would handle the music and performance, she volunteered to handle the sign-up, he said.
As of last week, 65 accordionists have volunteered to join the band's performance, according to Rueckert. Their ages range from 14 into the 80s, she added.
Interest in participating has come from as far away as Milwaukee, Schneeberger said, and he wouldn't doubt accordionists from beyond Wisconsin will show up. He also intends to invite some famous accordionists.
"If it goes over 100, we're not going to turn people away," said Randy Schneeberger, director of Monroe City Band.
Schneeberger has organized the musical arrangement for the Cheese Days song. It is posted on the Cheese Days website for participating accordionists to download and practice.
He's also in charge of organizing the throng of squeezebox players who will descend upon downtown Monroe at about noon Saturday, Sept. 20 to join the city band in playing the song for its finale of an hour-long performance on the main stage.
Players will assemble with their instruments in five locations around the city, led to the stage by "five people who know what's going on," Schneeberger said.
It'll be up to the Monroe City Band to keep the accordionists in tempo, and they will not have any practice time together.
"As a platform, I though the city band would be ideal," Schneeberger said.
"We're just goin' to go for it," he added.
Schneeberger believes the idea for the 100-accordion ensemble at Cheese Days was brewed up during a trip to Switzerland, taken by 45 Green County residents in September.
"All I heard was, "They oughta, they oughta,'" Schneeberger said.
He thought all they needed was someone to get the bellows moving and contacted Cheese Days Director Noreen Rueckert at the Green County Tourism office. If he would handle the music and performance, she volunteered to handle the sign-up, he said.
As of last week, 65 accordionists have volunteered to join the band's performance, according to Rueckert. Their ages range from 14 into the 80s, she added.
Interest in participating has come from as far away as Milwaukee, Schneeberger said, and he wouldn't doubt accordionists from beyond Wisconsin will show up. He also intends to invite some famous accordionists.