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Blossoms & Barbs: Sept. 25, 2010
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After the huge backlash received two years ago I would like to send a huge blossom to the MHS band and its directors for a job well done. A blossom also to the MMS band who played for the Childrens parade on Friday. I hope the parade watchers from our community appreciates your time and talents. I do. - Happy spectator

After the beating the Monroe High School music program took last Cheese Days, I'm surprised that no one has yet given the hardworking MHS Marching Band and its directors a slap on the back and a blossom for a job well done. To the students of all three bands at MHS, well done. Also, another blossom to the Monroe Middle School Band on Friday for your performance during the Children's Parade. Step close - John Phillip Sousa's ghost

Blossoms and blossoms to the fantastic staff at Monroe Public Library. You provided a wonderful Cheese Days Parade, storytime, Cheese Head has and great fun for everyone. We truly enjoyed the cheesy stories and jokes and visiting your wonderful library. - Claire, relative of Monrovian

A barb to the Green County Humane Society. I received my newsletter last week, and it said that GCHS would welcome comments or suggestions from members of the public, and yet when I did some further investigating, I could not find any current information to comment on. The latest minutes on their own website are from June. Where are the last 3 months? What have you been doing? How is the public supposed to know what has been discussed and voted on? I haven't seen a meeting agenda in years. They used to be posted at the pound, but aren't anymore. Why? It makes me wonder if someone is trying to hide something. What happened to the wonderful transparency that I have heard so much about? And all the positive changes? What are they? Please try to do a better job of communicating with your members and the taxpayers of Green County, as we are the ones that are responsible for your existence. - Signed, an uninformed member.

I give a "barb" to the Optimist Club's cheese curd stand at Cheese Days. Having more than one stand available would not only help to alleviate the issue, you would find you would sell more. People get "turned off" by lines over a block long. This festival is called "Green County Cheese Days", not Monroe Cheese Days. Green County includes many other towns that should be able to participate. It's very sad that you refuse to allow any one else to have a cheese curd stand. At the very least, invite them to volunteer in your stands and give their clubs something in return. There is enough business and money to go around for everyone. I also felt it wasn't very efficient to be right next to the stage. The congestion was virtually impossible to walk through. - Former Green County resident.

The best of the area's hand milkers were shown off in Monroe for the 2010 Cheese Days Milking Contest. We extend blossoms and Swiss cow bells to Gerald Karlen of Fuzzy's Audio, and JD and Nico Leonard of Superior Trailers for their expertise, time and space for this year's event. As over 100 individuals used their pull and squirt techniques, hundreds more filled the bleachers and surrounding area to watch this traditional event of the festival. Whether individual or team competition, all divisions combined to entertain and squeeze a few more drops of milk to claim the title of a champion milker. Weights and measures to crown these champs came from Carly Shafer, Bonnie and Jim Moser of Green County DHIA. Thank you to the organizers of the participating teams and their unique milking attire, this is what makes the event so popular and fun. And a final blossom to the area farmers, who took off a great day of fall harvesting to provide the "Queens of Cheese" who were excellent ambassadors of agriculture. A big thank you to our dairy farm families; Jeremy and Kelsi Mayer, Carli Ritschards, Jeremy Davis, Dale Foster, Harry Lynch, Dorothy and Matt Baxter. You are all a credit to our area's agriculture industry - keep milking. - Randy, Pam, Theresa, Stephanie and Molly Wyss, Cheese Days Milking Contest Chairs

I would like to give a large blossom all of hard workers that make the Cheese Days event a family and citizen friendly event. But I also want to give a large barb to the establishments that served people that were clearly intoxicated. As long as you could put the money on the bar, you got served. People were falling down drunk, passing out the sidewalk, urinating on the sides of buildings, (males and females). There is a law about serving intoxicated people. Why isn't it enforced? The drunks themselves should be cited for disorderly conduct. They caused a disturbance in town and either the cops or ambulance had to be called. I know a lot of locals who stayed away because after it gets dark, cheese days turn into Drunkfest. There is no limit put on the amount of alcohol sold. The city Okayed beer gardens being enlarged so more alcohol can be sold.When will we ever put a limit on the abuse of alcohol? Will we continue the unlimited sale of alcohol so more money can be made without any regard to safety of the public? - Glenn

This is a huge barb to all the gas stations that raised there gas prices for the weekend then lower them back beginning of the week. It is price gouging and you all should be investigated for it. It's absolutely disgusting. - Disgusted

BTW, I almost forgot, but, I must add, "How about that MHS Band!?" They looked and sounded awesome! As one of the loudest and harshest critics two years ago when they didn't march, I want to pass out bouquets of blossoms to each of the "new/newer" band instructors for taking the bull by the horns and getting those marching shoes on for Cheese Days in Monroe!!! How impressive to even see Mrs. Bennett, the choral instructor, marching with them. What a strong showing of departmental pride and support. This was no small feat as I read about the "marching clinic" this summer, too. To each and every one of you involved, thank you for taking the time and making this effort. You truly rocked and it was a wonderful sight and sound. - Lori V.

A blossom and a barb to the Monroe Optimists Cheese Curd stand at Cheese Days. In years past we had to wait in a long line for tickets that did move pretty quickly and then after purchasing the tickets we would walk up to the tent and usually get waited on quickly. There were usually no more than 2-3 people in each line waiting for those wonderful cheese curds . This year tickets were pre-sold which made the lines to get the cheese curds terribly long. If you had to buy tickets, your wait was twice as long. I'm sure there were many tickets that were paid for and never used. I know my family had several. Yes the Optimists made money off of this, but go back to the old way. Don't pre-sell tickets. Some things are better the old way. - Cheese Curd

After the deadly Station Fire in Rhode Island that killed over 100 people when an overcrowded bar went up in flames I would think Ms. Lefevre would consider the beer tent on the square a public safety necessity where the police officers can more actively control crowds and the overly intoxicated. As to the cheese curd stand - there always has been and always will be a line - the best things come to those who wait. My barb is to the downtown businesses who closed their doors over the weekend. You would think they would want to attract as many out-of-town guests as possible to entice them into becoming repeat customers. - J.

I would like to give a huge bouquet of thanks to whomever is responsible for the additional children's activities this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you! - Jen S.