In Green County, Wisconsin, we like to say “there’s an art to it” when it comes to the products we make along with the Swiss traditions of precision and attention to detail as part of the process. That sentiment definitely rings true during Cheese Days — the oldest food fest in the Midwest. From local tastes to hometown entertainment, we’re proud to showcase the art of Green County’s past, present and future.

This year’s Cheese Tent features eight vendors with dozens and dozens of varieties of cheeses. Odds are you might meet up with the actual cheesemaker who crafted your favorite. 

Right away you’ll gain an appreciation for the passion that goes into Green County’s signature product. But the art of cheese starts at the farm, so festival goers are invited to hop on a bus downtown for a trip to one of three dairies where they can meet the farm families and their herds. 

One tour each on Friday and Saturday has volunteers Kris Winkler and Lynn Lokken talking barn quilts along the way.

In addition to blocks, wedges and wheels in the cheese tent — you’ll find local cheese on the menus of many food vendors. Buggyworks Restaurant and Pub’s mac and cheese has a trio of local flavors singing in harmony: Deppeler’s Baby Swiss, Roth Kase Grand Cru, and Maple Leaf Cheddar. The volunteers at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center booth won’t divulge what’s in the secret sauce, but they will proudly tell you that their gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches use mellow Brick from Klondike Cheese Company. The sliders offered by New Glarus Vision are layered with Limburger from Chalet Cheese Cooperative. Perhaps most notable are the Monroe Optimist deep-fried curds, with blocks of young Cheddar from Maple Leaf as a cornerstone of the melty goodness.

Nothing pairs better with cheese than beer. Local brews in the beer tent include Spotted Cow and Staghorn Oktoberfest from New Glarus Brewing Company, and Huber Bock – which will be enjoyed by festival goers just a few blocks from where it is made at Minhas Craft Brewery in downtown Monroe.

Because man can’t live by cheese and beer alone, there’s also the Monroe Rebel Soccer stand with bratwurst from Hoesly’s Meats in New Glarus — crafted by sausage masters Devon and “Lumpy” Hoesly — who just happen to be father and grandfather to Cheese Days Prince Tyse Hoesly. For dessert — Cheesecake on a Stick from The Swiss Colony Bakery, a signature item available only at the festival. Colony Brands’ Kim Markham tells me that eager buyers show up with coolers, so these tasty treats are limited in number per purchaser. 

One of the more unique features of Cheese Days is the variety of local entertainers on the schedule. Longtime traditional favorite New Glarus Jodlerklub (Jodel Club) has a history dating back to 1928. The Monroe City Band has been on the schedule for as long as anyone can remember, and the dance floor is sure to fill up when the Zweifel Brothers take the stage. Comparatively newer to the local music scene is Monticello’s very own Rockabilly Kid, Andy Yaun — who plays in the Colony Brands Hospitality Tent on Saturday.

All of these local flavors are made possible by the passion of our local residents — whether cheesemakers, farmers, brewers, sausage makers, bakers or entertainers.

And let’s not forget volunteers; they’ll be the ones tapping your beer and frying your curds. I hope you can join us at Cheese Days, September 14-16, to celebrate the remarkable bounty of Green County.

— Noreen Rueckert is director for Green County Tourism, executive director for Green County Cheese Days, and co-chair of Main Street Monroe’s Concerts on the Square. She refuses to name her favorite cheese, but it is rumored to be Feta. She has the best office in the county — overlooking Monroe’s downtown Square from the tower of the Historic Green County Courthouse. She dabbles in photography and graphic design, adores cats and coffee, and secretly loves the Cheese Days Song.