Green County’s Cheese Days is scheduled from Sept. 14 to 16 and it’s going to bring approximately 100,000 people to our community to celebrate everything about cheese.
There’s no better place to celebrate this than our community, home of the “Cheese-makers” and a dozen world-renowned cheese producers.
Even in non-Cheese Days years, my family and I have seen the signs of how far-reaching the event is throughout the world. It was not long ago, while our family was sitting around the television, some clip of singer Justin Bieber came on the television. We weren’t blown away that the “The Biebs” was on TV, but instead that he was wearing a Green County Cheese Days T-Shirt.
Our local ties to cheese span the globe. Another example is that my family has a following for the Canadian television show “Trailer Park Boys.” An online store site that’s operated by the costume director of the show put up a sweatshirt for sale. Just not any sweatshirt, but a 1986 Monroe Cheesemaker State Football Championship sweatshirt. Although it was a size medium, and I could never wear it, I bought it. It arrived with a nice note from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. How did it come to be up for sale through this site? My wife and I can only guess that it was planned kitschy costume wear for characters on the television show.
There’s little need for me to explain everything about Cheese Days. First, there’s not enough room in this column to begin to do it. Second, our staff has worked with Noreen Rueckert and Green County Cheese Days Inc. since last year to prepare all of the information in this year’s Cheese Days special section in the Monroe Times.
Talk about a labor of love… Being able to tell our community, and people from around the world, about the wonder that is Green County’s Cheese Days is an honor. We’re proud of our involvement in Cheese Days and our staff will see many of you at the event. As a team, we’re volunteering in the beer tent the Friday morning of Cheese Days starting at 10 a.m. You’ll see our red and white T-shirts for Morris Media of Monroe, the Monroe Times and the Monroe Shopping News.
By the way, our office is closing early that day. Not only will our reporting team be out on the Cheese Days grounds covering the event, we simply can’t expect more than half our staff to head off to work in the beer tent at Cheese Days and then return to the office for work.
There’s more than just cheese at the heart of Green County’s Cheese Days — there’s community and tradition. Our newsroom has again signed up to be part of the cow-milking contest. Our associates have planned their parade attendance by requesting wristbands for bleacher seating sections around Monroe’s Square. We’ve talked at manager’s meetings about the walking distance from prime parking areas to the Cheese Days grounds. We’ve helped locate the accessible parking areas and restrooms for visiting family members who have mobility issues. We’ve talked about our favorite locations to visit on the Cheese Days grounds and what’s the best time of day to visit them.
A month ago, as we were in the throes of covering Green County’s Best Cheeseburger Contest, I was targeting locally-made cheeses that I thought would be perfect for melting over the top of a juicy, perfectly-cooked burger. There is a lot of enthusiasm for that contest, which simply increases the quality of cheeseburgers you can order at the restaurants throughout our community.
I have no shame in admitting my first love for cheese was kindled by the processed cheese single. Did you know that six of the top 10 processed cheese singles in the World Championship Cheese Contest in 2018 were made in Wisconsin? I have many different “favorites” now when it comes to cheese. I’ve always been partial to baby Swiss. Taking third- and fourth-place in the world championships for baby Swiss cheese was Monroe’s Chalet Cheese Co-op and cheesemakers Jamie Farhney and Mike Nelson.
Our refrigerator usually has about five different kinds of cheese in it at any given time and I realize this number may pale in comparison to our cheese-loving neighbors. It’s incredible to know that when I reach in the refrigerator to pull out a snack, I’m getting the world’s best and it was made where I live, work and have my family.
We are the epicenter of the most delicious cheese in the world. And what makes it so good is the love and care, from farm to table, that’s involved in cheese production.
In about a week, Cheese Days will arrive. We’re hoping for a glorious event and know that everything that can be planned about Cheese Days has been meticulously cared for by Green County Cheese Days Inc.
Is there excitement in this community for Cheese Days? You betcha.
We’ll see you there!
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
