MONROE — Even as the sun beat down on the Square, masses of people swarmed downtown to see traditional Swiss performances, grab a container filled with warm, battered cheese curds and listen to multiple live performances throughout the weekend.

Green County Cheese Days arrived earlier than usual in its two-year rotation with a concert Thursday night. People could be seen walking from blocks away on sidewalks and in alley ways, carrying camp chairs and other items as they made their way to the live music that evening.

The revelry continued as Friday morning drew a crowd of a few hundred to the south side of the Square to hear Alpine yodeling on the main stage around noon. Nearby in the hospitality tent, diners looking to escape the heat of the sun gathered at tables to hear the Green County Harmony Chorus sing after 2 p.m. before the alphorns arrived to regale the crowd with music of their own. 

Polka could be heard throughout the space. Children eagerly jumped into carnival rides or competed at booths to win prizes. Other attendees meandered through the former parking ramp lot admiring arts and crafts. Food vendors lined the Square, promising fare like jumbo pickles, steak sandwiches and cheese in a variety of dishes to be the best yet.

Green County Tourism Director Noreen Rueckert said though the number of attendees has not yet been totaled, the crowds each day and the festival were an impressive event. 

“It was a very successful weekend,” Ruckert said, adding that the event “wouldn’t happen without the volunteers.”

Weather proved to be a bit of a burden for some people. Green County EMS workers were kept busy throughout the three days of merriment as multiple incidents of festival-goers falling down in the heat were reported. Ruckert said there was “a lot of water being consumed,” but that overall, the event was positive.

Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley agreed, crediting both Green County EMS for their work over the weekend to ensure people were tended to if the heat became overwhelming. 

“They were the heroes of the weekend,” Kelley said, adding that firefighters were also busy and helpful in dealing with overheated residents and visitors.

According to the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan, the temperatures in Monroe reached mid-80s by noon Friday. 

The air was still and the sun shone down as attendees started to file into the downtown area. Humidity spiked as the day continued, reaching over 70 percent before 8 p.m. Saturday was similar, with a whisper of a breeze and the temperatures reaching mid-80s by 1 p.m. 

On Sunday, the parade began around 12:30 p.m., when the sun was high and the heat index was 88. As spectators took in the elaborate costumes and loud brass of local marching bands for nearly two hours under the sun, sitting in bleachers or along the road way in their own chairs, it climbed to 91. 

Rueckert said there were a number of people who left the festival earlier than usual on the final day, which she attributed to the heat. However, she knew they were impressed by the parade.

“I thought the parade was amazing,” Rueckert said. “There were some truly fantastic community floats.”

Awards celebrating certain floats have not yet been assigned, she added.

Kelley said the new ordinance, which requires the reservation of spots on terraces and around the Square only after midnight on the day of a parade, worked well. 

“We feel it was a success,” Kelley said. “People were still able to get their stuff out there.”

There were two complaints he said, but they were settled without incident. He noted that by 8 a.m., there were “wall-to-wall” chairs and items along the route.

Kelley also said “parking is always an issue” and that the department will “always” encounter disgruntled people regarding parking, but it was a positive year. During the last festival, the department issued roughly 60 tickets, Kelley said. He added that it seems as though there were not as many this year, but did not know what the 2018 total was as of Monday afternoon. 

Now begins the task of planning the next festival, which will take place in September 2020. Rueckert said tired but excited volunteers had already been filtering in Monday to provide feedback to improve the event. Rueckert said “people are excited,” which is “cool to see” as volunteers explain the different types of changes, big and small, that can be made to improve from this year’s festival.