Green County Cheese Days is Back!

We only get to enjoy this one-of-a-kind event every two years, so don’t miss out! One of the oldest and largest heritage festivals in the United States, Green County Cheese Days honors Swiss heritage and the cheesemaking and dairying traditions of the area. This year's fest will be held in Monroe September 16 through 18.

The festival began in 1914, when the original organizers decided that “if some little town in Illinois could have a festival commemorating sauerkraut, then a celebration based on cheese would be an even better idea,” says the festival’s website.

That first event drew 3,000 to 4,000 people and served 13,000 cheese sandwiches. The history includes other interesting quips, such as that Cheese Days was canceled in 1918 due to World War I; in 1988, “After not milking a cow for 45 years, Helen Summers Davis walks away the winner of the cow milking contest”; and in 1992, “Parade includes a 52-hitch llama entry.”

There’s even a theme song, called “Come to Cheese Days in Monroe,” written by Rudy Burkhalter in 1965, set to a popular Swiss song and accompanied by a yodeler and the local high school band.

This year’s Green County Cheese Days will include a “food truck street,” a folk dancing group from Switzerland, barn quilt and dairy farm tours, kids’ educational activities, carved cheese sculptures, old-time cheesemaking demos, a cow milking contest, and of course, music and delicious food.

At the festival’s website, www.cheesedays.com, you can hear the Cheese Days song, read the history timeline, and see the schedule.