Suddenly, it’s summer. With so many events and performances cancelled last year, we need to get out there and make up for lost time. Here’s an assortment of fun and free stuff to add to your July calendar.

Ooh, aah… Monticello’s fireworks display does double duty when it comes to making a big splash. See the bursts of color in the sky, and watch the reflections over Lake Montesian. The big show takes place on Saturday evening during Monticello’s Homecoming festival this upcoming weekend — July 9-11.

After a lengthy hiatus, the Junction Jammers are back to squeezing out the tunes. Catch their polka power accordion jam at Leisure Lanes in Monroe on Wednesday, July 14. The show runs from 1 — 4  p.m., but your boss won’t mind if you take the afternoon off.

Main Street Monroe kicks off their much-anticipated Concert on the Square season with the band Wheelhouse on Friday, July 16. Wait ‘til you hear their cover of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb. There’s a fiddle player in the band to make things extra fun. Bring your chairs and blankets. This summer fun Block Party starts at 6:30  p.m..

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. However, you can get into the Green County Fairgrounds for free during weekday lunchtime hours to pick up some of your favorite fair foods — like Green County Ag Chest cream puffs and Monroe Optimist deep fried cheese curds. Here’s how it works: you pay the gate fee, pop in, get the good stuff, pop back out in a timely fashion, and get your money returned. If you want to stick around longer to enjoy the shows and exhibits (and you should), admission is just $10 for adults. The Green County Fair is July 21-25.

Get ready to party like it’s 1929! Kelch Aviation Museum in Brodhead opens the doors to their brand new state-of-the-art hangar where you can step back in time to the “golden age of aviation”. There’s a ribbon cutting on Friday, July 23, and fun stuff planned for the entire weekend — including “super nerd” tours for hardcore aviation fans, free ice cream, fun stuff for kids, and even a movie night.

Sunday evenings are something to look forward to with live music in Brodhead at the Twilight in the Park Concert series. Enjoy classic country with Cherokee Rose Band on July 11, polkas and accordions with the Zweifel Brothers on July 18, and a bit of bluegrass with Soggy Prairie on July 25. Shows run from 6-8  p.m., and the series continues through mid-August.

Twining Park in Monroe is the setting for Monroe City Band Concerts at the groovy, retro Swiss-style band shell. The acoustics are outstanding. The band is outstanding. And the new benches? Well, you get the idea. The next show is Monday, July 26 at 7:30  p.m..

Did someone say Pet Parade? Dress up your real pup (or a plush friend) and bring them to Monroe Public Library for a fashion show on the front lawn on Thursday, July 29 at 6  p.m.. Does someone have a dog I can borrow?

Cue the yodeling… New Glarus celebrates a milestone anniversary of 175+1 years on the last weekend of the month. Enjoy fireworks and birthday treats on the evening of Friday, July 30, and the anniversary parade on Saturday, July 31 at 10:30 a.m.. 

— Noreen Rueckert is director for Green County Tourism and Green County Cheese Days, and helps out with Main Street Monroe’s Concerts on the Square. Her favorite cheese is rumored to be Feta. She has the best office in the county — overlooking Monroe’s Square from the tower of the Historic Green County Courthouse. She dabbles in photography and graphic design, adores cats and iced coffee, and secretly loves the Cheese Days Song.