MONROE — The countdown to Green County’s favorite festival officially began on July 25, 2025, when Cheese Days hosted a Kick Off event during intermission at Main Street Monroe’s Concert on the Square. The festivities included a parade of dairy goats, along with past and present Cheese Days royalty, and unveiling of the 2026 Cheese Days button logo.
Longtime festival volunteers, Mike and Deb Hutchinson, were introduced as 2026 King and Queen by emcee Mike Jerge, who also chairs the festival’s beer stand.
The Hutchinsons’ connection to the festival dates back many years. Their son, Adam, was Cheese Days Prince in 1996. Deb, a retired Monroe School District teacher, currently co-chairs the Retail Committee and has also assisted with the Craft Show. Mike, a retired agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services, has helped with signage and Commercial Vendors.
Also announced were the 2026 Cheese Days Ambassadors, Emily Gerrits and Jaclyn Wuthrich, who will play a vital role in promoting the upcoming festival.
Gerrits grew up on a small farmette just outside Monroe. Her Green County story began in 1892, when her great-great-grandfather Konrad Blanc immigrated from Switzerland. Emily’s Swiss roots led to a lifelong interest in Cheese Days, from competing in the Prince and Princess Contest, to singing and dancing at the festival, and marching in the parades. She has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering, and currently works as Operations Director — Systems & Processes at Kellymoss in Madison. She is also a consultant for Schulz Automotive Machine in Monroe.
Wuthrich grew up on a farm in Turtle Lake. She and her husband, Eric, operate a fifth-generation family farm in Monroe. Both Jaclyn and Eric are involved with Green County Farm Bureau, and have volunteered in the Family Farm Adventure Tent at the Cheese Days Festival. Jaclyn has a degree in Business Administration from UW-River Falls, and currently works as Curricular Enrollment Coordinator for the university’s Registrar’s Office.
The Kick Off program began with a parade of dairy goats, including a Saanen goat named Ivory, who served as inspiration for the official 2026 Cheese Days collector button logo. Ivory and other members of the herd made a short trip from the Mike and Briana Froseth family’s small dairy goat hobby farm just outside of Monroe. The Froseth family and friends led the goats, followed by the 2026 royalty along with the 2024 royalty team — Tony and Esther Zgraggen, Breanna Brooks, Reid Krueger, and Stella Doyle.
Cheese Days volunteer Terry Goetz, who suggested the concept for the button logo, unveiled the design for the crowd. The button logo will appear on official festival merchandise, like shirts and collector buttons, and on promotional materials. Cheese Days collector buttons are a cherished tradition, dating back to the second festival in 1915.
New merchandise featuring the 2026 logo is now available and can be purchased online at cheese-days-festival.myshopify.com.
The next Cheese Days Festival will take place Sept. 18-20, 2026, in downtown Monroe, right where it began in 1914. Stay connected with all things Cheese Days by visiting www.cheesedays.com or following @cheesedaysfestival on social media.
Goat named Ivory inspires Cheese Days button
Every Cheese Days collector button since 1915 tells a bit of a story — and the festival’s official logo for 2026 might be one of the most charming yet.
The creative spark behind this year’s design came from Terry Goetz, a Cheese Days volunteer. Growing up in Monroe, her last name was always pronounced like “Getz.” But when she lived elsewhere, people often would say “Goats” — a mix-up she came to embrace.
A fondness for goats, paired with the rich tradition of Swiss heritage, helped shape the 2026 design. Inspired by the custom of “goats on parade” — where farmers lead their herds to alpine pastures each summer — the design incorporates whimsical elements and colors inspired by the Appenzell region of Switzerland. But the most important part is a likeness of an authentic hometown goat named Ivory, a one-year-old Saanen doe.
Ivory is part of the herd at Mike and Briana Froseth’s small dairy goat hobby farm just outside Monroe. She’s no stranger to the spotlight, having been part of Heidi Fest in New Glarus in 2024 and 2025. She has also been shown by Violet Pulver at the Winnebago County Fair, and was recently awarded the honor of Grand Champion Dairy Goat at Green County Fair. Ivory’s self-assured attitude and ability to play to the camera made her the perfect model for the 2026 logo.
Cheese Days has long celebrated dairy goats in the parade lineup — sometimes as pairs pulling Swiss garden carts, and other times as small herds marching along the route. A photo from the 1928 festival archives shows a lineup of herders posing with their goats.
Cheese Days buttons have been a prized tradition of the festival since 1915. Older buttons are now highly sought after as collector items — with some years fetching steep prices on eBay or at local auctions.
The 2026 Cheese Days button logo design is available on official festival merchandise. Fans can shop the new collection — and get their own piece of this goat-inspired tradition — online at: cheese-days-festival.myshopify.com.