The Bayfield Apple Festival is hailed as one of the 10 Best Fall Harvest Festivals in the nation by USA Today! Bayfield celebrates its Apple Festival every October and in 2024 it will take place October 4th through the 6th.
The three day event features a farm market featuring local producers, over 60 orchard and food booths selling Bayfield’s apples, apple delicacies, and festival food favorites! There is plenty to buy and see at the 140 art, craft and vendor booths. Kids carnival rides and games, an apple peeling contest, fish fry & dance round out the offerings.
You can also catch Big Top Chautauqua’s Blue Canvas Orchestra perform throughout the weekend on the Grandstand stage. The festival culminates with the Grand Parade on Sunday, which features a 400 member “Mass Band” finale.
Bayfield is located along Highway 13 on the shores of Lake Superior, about 15 minutes north of U.S. 2. U.S. 63 brings you towards Bayfield from the Hayward, Spooner, and Twin Cities areas; U.S. 51 north through the North Woods sends you toward U.S. 2 for the connection to Bayfield, too. Enjoy the fall colors on your ride!
Bayfield Apple Festival Address:
Downtown Bayfield & Memorial Park
42 South Broad Street
Bayfield, WI 54814
(715) 779-3335 Website
Read about additional “things to know” below!
More Bayfield Apple Festival features and things to know:
Over 60 orchard and food booths selling Bayfield’s apples and apple desserts and delicacies; Caramel apples, apple pies, apple tortes, dumplings or tarts, apple sundaes, apple cider, bags and bushels of apples – even apple bratwurst, mustard, and butter.
A kids’ carnival with games, rides and favorite foods.
Plenty to buy and see including nearly 140 arts and crafts booths.
Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay wake up concert at Port Superior Marina, Saturday at 10am
Fine art exhibitors on South Second Street, featuring pottery, paintings, glassworks, photography, wood crafts and fiber arts.
A Grand Parade on Sunday featuring a 400+ member “Mass Band” finale
Big Top Chautauqua’s Blue Canvas Orchestra will perform throughout the weekend on the Essentia Health Grand Stand stage. Hear the original Apple Festival song!
The annual Apple Dumpling Gang for the little ones. Click here for Registration Form.
Bus shuttles for easy parking at Hauser’s Superior View Farm and Legendary Waters Casino.
Bayfield Fire Department offers a traditional fish fry dinner on Saturday afternoon at Lakeside Pavilion followed by a Saturday evening dance.
Boat cruises of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Musical entertainment at many local pubs and Legendary Waters Resort & Casino
Drive 5 minutes outside of town and tour the 15 local orchards and farms, many with pick-your-own apples and pumpkins.
Twice a year, the Door County Lighthouse Festival gives you a closer look at the beautiful lighthouses that mark the shores of the Door Peninsula. The spring edition this year is the weekend of June 7th – 9th; the fall will be October 4th-6th.
These fundraising Festival weekends include air, land-based, boat, and adventure tours that provide access to all of the treasured lighthouses of Door County and 3 neighbors to the south in Kewaunee and Brown Counties. Many of the tour excursions are unique to the Lighthouse Festival weekends and provide visitors exclusive access to lighthouses not typically open to the public – Chambers Island, Plum Island and Sherwood Point Lighthouses. There are tours for all levels of activity and accessibility. Some tours involve hiking. Boat tours depart from a variety of locations around the Peninsula, including Sister Bay, Gills Rock and Baileys Harbor. A portion of each Lighthouse Festival tour ticket helps fund the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc.
These are the Participating Locations, with their open hours during Spring and Fall Lighthouse Festivals. *Please note: If you are planning a self-guided experience, there may be an admission fee or requested donation.
*Door County Maritime Museum, Sturgeon Bay: 9am-5pm, all weekend (S/F)
*Death’s Door Maritime Museum, Gills Rock: 10am-5pm, all weekend (S/F)
*Cana Island Lighthouse, Baileys Harbor: 10am-5pm, all weekend (S/F)
Sherwood Point Lighthouse, Sturgeon Bay: 10am-4pm, Saturday/Sunday (S/F)
With Beef-A-Rama, the smell of beef fills the air and more than 12,000 people fill the streets of downtown Minocqua. For over 50 years, Beef-a-Rama™ has been a premiere event drawing visitors back year after year to join in on the one-of-a kind fun you can only find in the Northwoods.
Roasters begin cooking their signature beefs before dawn. Herds of creative festival goers dressed in cow-themed costumes start packing downtown early for the 10K and 5K Rump Roast Run and Walk along Lake Minocqua, live music, & Prime Choice Craft Show featuring more than 70 vendors.
Mooo-ve on down to Torpy Park to grab a roast beef sandwich and watch the Beef Eating Contest, Cow Pie Plop, and of course the famous Roaster Parade down main street!
Listen for the top roasters at the Awards Ceremony at 3pm following the Parade. Check for the latest itinerary online.
Minocqua is along “Wisconsin’s Backbone,” U.S. 51, just south of Highways 47 and 70.
Beef-A-Rama Address:
Torpy Park
806 U.S. Highway 51
Minocqua, WI 54548
(715) 356-5266 Website
Check out the Schedule of Events below!
Beef-A-Rama Schedule of Events:
Friday, September 27th
10am-Noon Live Radio Broadcast with WRJO at the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce
6:00-9:00pm Lakeland Rotary Rump Roast Run registration at American Legion Hall
6:30-9:30pm Live Music The Lincoln Boys Band and Beer Garden sponsored by The Minocqua Island Business Association at Torpy Park
Saturday, September 28th
7am Rump Roast Run Registration at the American Legion Hall
7:30am Street Closure Begins
7am-8pm Shuttles Run ($3 fee per car) from Lakeland Union High School, Hribar Corporation/Truck Country, Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena & Builders First Source
8:15am Lakeland Rotary’s Calf Mile Run for Kids
9am Lakeland Rotary’s Rump Roast Run
9am-3pm Live Radio Broadcast by WRJO at Torpy Park
9am-11:00am Live Music Red Ben and the Missing Miles at Torpy Park
9am-5pm Bouncy Houses for Kids on the lower level of Torpy Park
9am-5pm Prime Choice Craft Show on the lower level of Torpy Park
9am-5pm Official Beef-A-Rama™ apparel sales at Torpy Park
10am-5:00pm Henna, Face painting, Glitter Painting at Veterans Park
10am-9:00pm Lakeland Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
10am-9:00pm Minocqua Lions Club Beer Garden at Torpy Park
10am-5pm Official Beef-A-Rama™ Sandwich Sales at Torpy Park
10am-12pm Live Music by Corey Carlson at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
10am-3pm Kids’ Games, Bouncy Houses, and Face Painting in lower level of Torpy Park
10am-4pm Kraft’s Kuddly Kritters Petting Zoo at Veterans Park
10am-5pm Twisted Widdlin’ Fool chainsaw carving exhibition
10am Food Sales Begin Torpy Park & Chicago Street
11am-1pm Kids’ Activities at Redman Realty on Oneida Street
11am-1:45pm Judging of the Beef along Oneida Street
11am-3pm Cow Pie Plop & Mechanical Bull sponsored by Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena at Island City Ice Cream
11:00am Beef Eating Contest at Torpy Park sponsored by Associated Bank
Noon-4:00pm Live Music by The Lincoln Boys at Torpy Park
Noon-3:00 pm Live Music by Useful Jenkins at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
3:00 pm Parade of Beef down Oneida Street from Redman Realty to Torpy Park
3:15 pm Awards Ceremony and Beef Raffle Drawing at Torpy Park
3:00-5:00 pm Live Music by Corey Carlson at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
5pm Street Open to Traffic
4:00-8:30 pm Live Music Reality Bites sponsored by the Minocqua Lions Club at Torpy Park
5-9:00pm Live Music Whitehouse Players at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
Warrens is “Wisconsin’s Cranberry Capital,” so it’s only fitting they host the World’s Largest Cranberry Festival! Held annually since 1973 (with, of course, the exception of 2020), the Warrens Cranberry Festival welcomes over 110,000 visitors each year from places all over the world. Seriously, when we went we met people from Australia and other countries throughout Europe and South America!
Taking place the last full weekend of every September, activities a’plenty abound. Enjoy a guided bus tours of cranberry marshes (brilliant red colors mean you should have your camera ready!) and bogs that show you the harvesting of these tasty, nutritious, UTI-fighting berries.
In town – and the festival truly takes over the whole town – enjoy block after block of vendors, food stands, and beverage stops. Over 1,300 booths of arts & crafts, antique & flea markets, and farm market items can be explored and enjoyed. Plenty of fall produce is available with of course plenty of cranberry-based items including Cranberry Cream Puffs, barbecue sauces with cranberry, cranberry-inspired hot sauces, and more. On Sunday, September 24th at noon the largest band parade in Wisconsin will be featured.
Warrens Cranberry Festival includes contests such as “Crazy for Cranfest”, where guests can win special prizes for crazy or creative costumes. They also have prizes for the Biggest Berry Contest, a Button Design Contest, a Cranberry Chiffon Pie-Eating Contest, a Flower Contest, Marsh Medallion Hunt, a Photography Contest, Quilt & Needlework Contest, Scarecrow Contest, and more.
Getting to Warrens Cranberry Festival (aka Cranfest):
Warrens is a small, pleasant town north of Tomah in Monroe County. To access Warrens, follow I-94 to Exit 135 (County EW) by the Three Bears Resort. U.S. 12, which runs basically parallel to I-94 in this area, also comes close to Warrens. Highways 21 and 173 are just a few miles away, closer to Tomah but they still bring you close. Follow County O or EW into town – there will be plenty of signs!
Get the latest updates from their website, CranFest.com!
Harvest Fair at Wisconsin State Fair Park features tons of fall-focused events, activities, live entertainment, competitions, scarecrow making and the much anticipated Pumpkin Bowling. It runs September 27-29, 2024 and has FREE admission.
Over 30 vendors will be there, selling everything from tasty food to cool crafts. Since it’s fall, imbibe in a pumpkin spice cream puff; enjoy pies from the Elegant Farmer; grab a cup of Kozie’s Harvest Stew; explore a multitude of Wisconsin cheeses; and The Micro will be offering over 60 varieties of craft beers. Prefer wine? No problem, Wineberry will be serving up red wines, white wines, even wine slushies.
Check out the Antique Tractors Display, the Backyard Circus, Camel and Pony Rides, a Farmers’ Market, Free Live Music, Giant Cookie Decorating, Hay Rides, a Kiddie Tractor Maze, “Make Your Own Caramel Apple” fun (they provide a lot of toppings), even a chance for kids to slide down the “World’s Largest Piggy Bank.” Free, lively entertainment is rocking stages all weekend long, including performances by the 5 Card Studs, Too Hype Crew, Rhythm Kings, The Toys and more will be on the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater with nightly entertainment presented by Bud Light. Plus, multiple Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Shows, presented by WaterStone Bank, are also on deck.
A major feature of Harvest Fair is the massive pumpkin patch, big enough to impress Linus from Peanuts (yes, we’re going old school here.)
Wisconsin State Fair Park is in West Allis, minutes west of downtown Milwaukee. I-94 and Highways 59 and 181 border the park; I-41, I-894, U.S. 18, U.S. 45, and Highway 100 all get you close.
Harvest Fair / Maker Faire Address:
Wisconsin State Fair Park
640 S. 84th Street (Highways 181 & 59)
West Allis, WI 53214
(800) 884-3247 Website
It’s one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the country! La Crosse Oktoberfest celebrates 63 years in 2024, having hosted its first big Oktoberfest back in 1961. This time of year both Munich and La Crosse are filled with “merrymaking” and a carnival atmosphere known in both cities as Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest, USA, is one of the few authentic Old World folk festivals held annually in the United States. You’ll find plenty of beer, music, fun, food, lederhosen, dirndls, and more complemented with a carnival featuring rides, parades featuring the annually-elected “Royal Family,” the 2023 Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest Pageant, and enough accordions and Munich-style tents to make you feel like you’re in Deutschland.
Downtown Fest Grounds open at 4pm on Thursday, September 26th. The Torchlight Parade will take place at 7pm that evening; Craft Beer Night starts at 4pm and runs until 8pm. For $60 admission, the FestZelt tent will feature over 20 craft brewers and their products – and you can sample ’em all! There’s also a Cornhole Tournament and fireworks – and that’s all on opening night!
The La Crosse Oktoberfest Parade, held Thursday.
Friday night September 27th has the Festmaster Ball at the La Crosse Center’s South Hall, where the Festmaster and Frau will be introduced.
Other events include wiener dog races, live music, special German dinners, Lederhosen Games, and more. Get the latest events list here!
TICKETS General Admission tickets are $24.95
Craft Beer Night General Admission (which includes both) is $77.95
Children 12 and Under Admitted Free
FREE Admission on Sunday! More details and options here
La Crosse Oktoberfest USA is a great time in a true beer town. La Crosse is easily reached via U.S. 14, 53, or 61; I-90; and Highways 16, 33, and 35. The drive to and from is gorgeous too, especially at this time of the year!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th
7–9 am: SENIOR BREAKFAST | Morrie’s Heritage Hofbräu Haus – Downtown Festgrounds
Free Admission! Pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, juice. Featuring live music and WIZM-AM live broadcast
11 am–2:30 pm: SPECIAL FESTER CARNIVAL | Northside Family Festgrounds
4–9 pm: CARNIVAL, NORTHSIDE LA CROSSE, Fest fun with carnival rides and food vendors
4–8 pm: CRAFT BEER NIGHT | Downtown Festgrounds
$90 VIP 4 pm | $60 General Admission, 5 pm. Sample from more than 20 craft breweries. Get tickets.
5-7pm: LEDERHOSEN GAMES | Garden Stage Area – Fest Grounds
Stein races, stein holdings, barrel roll, grain toss, Schokolade essen and scavenger hunt | Play games, have fun and win prizes
7 pm: TORCHLIGHT PARADE | Northside La Crosse, Kane & Gillette Streets to Clinton Street
7:15pm: PACKER PARTY WITH DJ TRIVIA | Morrie’s Heritage Hofbräu Haus – Fest
Cheer on the Green Bay Packers as they compete against the Detroit Lions. Trivia, giveaways, and more!
7:30–11 pm: TORCHLIGHT AFTER GLOW bash| Copeland Park – Loggers Field
Free admission and families welcome! Kick off your Oktoberfest on the Northside with The Swing Crew
Free admission for students 21+ with a valid college student ID, enjoy current dance hits played by Twin Cities cover band, Good for Gary
ALTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION FESTPLATZ
8–11:30 pm GOOD FOR GARY
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th
Hours: 9:30am –midnight
10 am: STEIN HOLDING FINALS | The Remainders Garden Stage
11 am: OPENING CEREMONY | The Remainders Garden Stage The much-anticipated tapping of the Sam Adams Golden Keg
2–4 pm: LEDERHOSEN GAMES | The Remainders Garden Stage Area
Stein races, stein holdings, barrel roll, grain toss, Schokolade essen and scavenger hunt | Play games, have fun and win prizes
4–9 pm: CARNIVAL | Copeland Park – Northside La Crosse
Fest fun with carnival rides and food vendors
Live Music:
ALTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION FESTPLATZ
11:30 am – 2:30 pm SWING CREW
3 – 5:30 pm PAT MCCURDY
6 – 9 pm JUNK FM
9:30 pm – Midnight POP ROCKS
Live Music
ALTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION FESTPLATZ
11:30 am – 1:30 pm STEVE’S ONE MAN BAND
2pm – 5:30pm MUD DOGS BAND
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm FLASH MOB
9:00 pm – midnight BELLA CAIN
THE REMAINDERS GARDEN STAGE
1:00 – 3:30 pm POLKA-ZEIT
4:15 –7:30 pm PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY
8–10 pm THE REMAINDERS
LA CROSSE BIERHAUS STAGE INSIDE THE MORRIE’S HERITAGE HOFBRÄU HAUS
1:30–4 pm BRIAN BRUEGGEN & THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DUTCHMEN
4:30–7:30 pm THE SQUEEZETTES
8–11:00 pm THE RHYTHM PLAYBOYS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th
Live Music
THE REMAINDERS GARDEN STAGE
11:30 am – 2:00 pm HIGH MILEAGE
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm PHOENIX
LA CROSSE BIERHAUS STAGE INSIDE THE MORRIE’S HERITAGE HOFBRÄU HAUS
11:30 am – 12:00 pm HANS MAYER MUSIC
3:00 pm –6:00 pm MOLLIE B & SQUEEZEBOX with TED LANGE
Welcome the transition from summer to fall in historic Cedarburg with the annual Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival! It happens Saturday, September 21st from 10-6 pm & Sunday, September 22nd from 10-5 pm. Both the abundance of Wisconsin’s homegrown produce and artisan food products plus the award-winning wines of Cedar Creek Winery are what initiated this free, family-oriented arts and crafts event.
The Festival Food Court offers plenty of options for a quick meal and the Farmer’s Market offers foodstuffs such as honey, syrup, cheese, sausage and jellies are available in each Marketplace located at Turner Street, Mill Street and Cleveland Street. Also, the three Marketplaces offers shopping for find unique handbags, hats, skin care products and more.
Cedarburg Wine & Festival fans can kick back and listen to live music all over town including Top Forty, Folk and Rock & Roll bands. The Gruber Law Offices Main Stage is open until 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
“Art on the Avenue” also features over 250 juried artist booths presented by the Cedarburg Garden Club, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg Art Museum, and Ozaukee Art Center along Washington Avenue. Drop in at both the Cedarburg Cultural Center for the Cedarburg Artists Guild’s annual juried Fall Show and the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts for special exhibits. Take a free haywagon shuttle to their location.
On Saturday from 11am-4pm, check out the third Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, with some weighing in at well over 1,000 pounds. You can also see oversize watermelons, tomatoes, and gourds – last year somebody brought a 2,145-pound pumpkin!
The annual Giant Pumpkin Charity Regatta will take place on Sunday. Previous regattas are YouTube favorites featuring gigantic, decorated, hollowed-out, floatable pumpkins, piloted by intrepid paddlers’ attempting to race across Cedar Creek to win cash for their favorite charity.
Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival also features Ashley’s Candyland for Kids with a variety of activities and entertainment geared for children including Popcorn the Clown, a bouncer, coloring tables, spin art, and Paint a Pumpkin. Pumpkin Carver extraordinaire Steve Dahlke will be turning large pumpkins into grotesque faces at the City Hall Lawn on Saturday.
Cedar Creek Settlement will feature a Courtyard Grill with specialty beers and grilled foods with live music each day. At Cedar Creek Winery, you’ll find wine by the glass or bottle, with tours available. Also at the Shops of Cedar Creek Settlement, the Winery’s Grape Stomp offers stomping fun for both adults and kids each day.
For specific times and a complete list of Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival events, a map/schedule will be available at two information booths as well as at most retailers throughout town. Click here for a downloadable version. The information booths are on Washington Avenue at Bridge Road and at Mill Street.
Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival Location
Check out some great fall fun in historic Cedarburg, along Historic Highway 57 (Washington Avenue) just north of Highway 167 and south of Highway 60. Highway 181 is just to the west. It’s only about 10-12 minutes off I-43/Highway 32, and it’s a great little town!
Fromm Petfest is a free family event on Milwaukee’s lakefront (yep, the Summerfest grounds!) will host a variety of fun pet-focused attractions and activities. Check out the Bier Garden & Dog Park, the Lure Course, Agility Course, Dock Diving, Doggie Dash, nutritional seminars, grooming competitions, the pet-themed marketplace, contests, live music, food, even a Kids’ Zone. And yes, parking is free too!
By the way, the Bier Garden & Dog Park allows you to enjoy a frosty beverage at their two-level Bier Garden and you can bring your dog over for some supervised off leash play at one of two fully fenced in play areas!
You can explore Adoption Avenue, where some pretty amazing dogs and cats could find their forever homes. Visit with dozens of rescues and non-profits that work tirelessly to better the lives of dogs and cats. Many will have adoptable pets on hand for people to meet along with information on adoption.
Fromm Petfest Music Schedule:
9:30 AM – Chris Esenberg – Chris is a singer/songwriter and Wisconsin native who specializes in pop covers and original songs. Playing everything from Chris Stapleton to David Bowie, Chris plays with a signature style that has made him a local mainstay.
11:30 AM – Kaleb Woods
Hailing from Sauk County, Wisconsin, Kaleb is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter specializing in bringing a fun, upbeat vibe for all to enjoy. Having performed at numerous venues and events throughout the Midwest including The Rave, Crystal Grand Theatre, Pabst Theater, Majestic Theatre, and Summerfest, and sharing his platform with notable artists such as John King, Chris Janson, and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, it’s no surprise that Kaleb was Southeastern Wisconsin’s top streamed musician via Reverbnation, a 2022 Best of Madison finalist, and March 2022’s featured new artist for 99.9 WJVL.
1:30 PM – Mookie Terremoto
Good old fashioned rock and roll from a Riverwest trio! Who is Mookie Terremoto? Find out for yourself.
3:30 PM – Front Porch Rockers
Since 2010 the Front Porch Rockers have been performing acoustic covers of your favorite songs from the 1950s through today. You may have heard them at Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair, or various area festivals and beer gardens. The Front Porch Rockers play upbeat music for good times.
Fromm Petfest Main Stage Schedule:
11:00 – 11:45am − MPD K9 Presentation
12:00 – 12:45pm − Noodles the Wonder Dog, a mixed-breed, former shelter dog who has won trick and talents contests across North America, including Good Morning America’s National “Dog vs. Dog” contest.
1:00 – 1:45pm − EmE MaGiC
Prepare to be amazed and entertained by the interactive magic and illusion of EmE MaGiC. The Milwaukee-local magician will bring magic, mentalism and comedy to the Main Stage and will roam the grounds to oohh and aww all two and four-legged guests.
2:00 – 2:45pm − Sailor the Poodle
This amazing canine performer, under the guidance of his trainer Alex “Popeye” Rothacker, jumps rope, walks a tightrope and balances a ball while walking, to name a few of his fun tricks.
3:30 – 4:30pm − Costume Contest and Owner/Pet Look-a-like Contest with Riggs from 103.7 Kiss FM and special guest judges!
Back by popular demand, come to watch or click to enter the Fromm Petfest Pet/Owner Look-a-Like contest or the fan favorite costume contest. Grand prizes include a six-month supply of Fromm pet food and more!
Fromm Petfest Address:
The event is happening right where Summerfest takes place along Milwaukee’s lakefront near downtown and the Historic Third Ward. You can access the grounds via I-794, I-43/94, U.S. 18, and Highways 32, 38, 59, and 145.
200 N. Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202 Fromm Petfest Website
Monroe is an epicenter of cheesemaking in the heart of Green County – even their high school team name is the “Cheesemakers.” The city and county celebrates every other year Green County Cheese Days, a three-day hullabaloo filled with food, music, dancing, contests, crafts, cheesemaking, cow milking, yodeling, and even Wisconsin’s only parade led by Brown Swiss Cows. Green County Cheese Days is ready for 2024, happening September 19th through the 22nd.
Monroe’s beautiful town square centers around the gorgeous Green County Courthouse and fills up with all the fun. From a beer and Limburger sandwich at Baumgartner’s to the 5K & 10K Cheese Days Chase, from arts & crafts to actual cow milking, Cheese Days is a blast.
Get the schedule and details on all of their events at the Cheese Days website, or below reprinted from their site. Scroll down for more details, including the schedule for the Main Stage lineup!
Highways 11, 59, 69, and 81 all bring you to Monroe. The three days of festivities are also right next to the Minhas Craft Brewery, which is worth a tour, and the lovely trappings of Green County, including New Glarus just up Highway 69. Make a weekend of it!
Green County Cheese Days Address:
1016 16th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
(608) 325-7771 Website
Green County Cheese Days Schedule of Events
FRIDAY, SEPT 20
PARK & RIDE SHUTTLE BUS – $1 each trip. Park off site at Orchid (350 – 21st St.) & ride bus downtown. 5–10 pm
INFO TRAILER – SW Corner (near Baumgartner’s) – maps, schedules, ask questions, lost and found. 9 am – 7:30 pm
FOOD STANDS – Eat your way around the Courthouse Square! Menu/maps at INFO BOOTH. (10 am–9 pm)
CHEESE DAYS STORE – SOUVENIR TENT (Adenke Zält) – t-shirts & sweatshirts, collector buttons, International Harvester toy tractor, logo pint glasses, “udderly good time” drawstring backpacks, Wedgie bobbleheads, canvas tote bags, Swiss cheese earrings. SW corner cross from Baumgartner’s Cheese Store. (9 am–8:30 pm)
BEER and WINE STAND – SW Corner – near INFO TRAILER. (10 am–midnight) ****Proceeds from sales at the Cheese Days Beer & Wine Stand go toward the costs of tents, porta potties, electricity, stage entertainment and more – thank you for your support.****
HOSPITALITY TENT (Zält zum Höckle) Sponsored by Colony Brands. NORTH SIDE. Dining area with tables & chairs. Musical entertainment throughout the weekend. Open all weekend.
BIG RADIO DINING TENT – NORTHWEST CORNER. Dining area with tables and chairs. Open all weekend.
CARNIVAL in Spring Square Parking Lot (behind JoAnne’s Dress Shop) – all weekend.
NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER – Guided tours showcasing the history of cheesemaking. The past comes alive at the century-old Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. 2018 6th Ave, at intersection of Hwy 69 south and 21st St. (9 am–4 pm)
CHEESE TENT (Chäs Zält) – Cheese for sale. EAST SIDE of the Square. Presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers Assn. Vendors: Emmi Roth USA, Edelweiss Creamery, Landmark Creamery, Klondike Cheese Company, Valley View Cheese, Chula Vista (V&V Supremo), Brunkow Cheese and Decatur Dairy. (9 am–8 pm)
MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY – guided tours and tasting – “Oldest in the Midwest” with brewing excellence since 1845. Visitor Center and gift shop. Beer & root beer samples. Herb & Helen Haydock’s Collection of Brewery Memorabilia. $12 admission includes guided tour and gift pack ($15 retail value). Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS MICRO DISTILLERY GUIDED TASTING– Hand–crafted, small–batch distilled spirits using old world methods & traditions. Guided Distillery and Liqueur Tasting $12 admission includes 2 cocktails, branded whisky tasting glass & gift bottle to take home. Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS WINERY WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING: Guided by Executive Chef Trisha Coughlin and her team, wines paired with different types of artisanal cheeses and other small bites. $12 admission includes guided tasting and food pairing and take home a branded wine glass. ($5 retail value). (10 am–6 pm)
COLONY BRANDS TENT – Celebrating more than 90 years in Monroe. Buy cheesecake-on-a-stick – made exclusively for Cheese Days! Stop in to learn more about the Colony Brands team, our 10 retail brands, door prizes and more! NE CORNER (10 am – 9 pm)
BARN QUILT and DAIRY FARM TOUR – Board a bus for a guided tour to one of Green County’s most beautiful family-operated dairy farms. You’ll meet members of the family and their Holstein herd, along with calves, a donkey, rabbit, chickens, guineas, peacocks, ducks, pigs, goats, dogs, and cats. On the way to the farm and back, you’ll see some of Green County’s barn quilts. We guarantee you’ll be entertained along the way by stories from tour guides Lynn Lokken & Kris Winkler – the volunteers who developed the Barn Quilt project. Admission of $5 charged for those 6 and older; ages 5 and under are free. (This is a 2-hour tour. You’ll be back downtown at the festival grounds at 1 pm, so you may want to eat lunch prior to departing.) TODAY – PURCHASE TICKETS AT INFO TRAILER NEAR THE BEER STAND – limited seating 50 tickets will be sold. (Saturday – tickets for sale at Family Farm Adventure Tent) (11 am)
MAIN STAGE (Grossi Bühni) – Yodeling, alphorns, polka bands, & Swiss heritage music during the day. Tonight’s street dance – BOOGIE AND THE YO-YO’Z. (Live music today on the main stage from noon til midnight)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen – Master Yodeler (Noon)
GREEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM – Housed in a Civil War era church. Donations suggested. One block north of Square. (Noon–5 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – John Waelti and Bobbie Edler Accordion Duo (1 pm)
GREENWOODS CEMETERY WALK – sponsored by Green County Genealogical Society and Green County Historical Society – led by local historians. Info: 608.328.7436 or 608.426.1796. (Registration 1 pm; walk at 1:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Keith Zweifel Band (1:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorn Entertainment (3 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Green County Harmony Chorus (2 pm)
FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT – Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4–H, FFA & other ag groups. Check out a number of educational activities about agriculture; including milking a “cow”, AG Trivia Wheel, coloring station, crop boxes and “Cow Races” back by popular demand! On NORTHEAST corner of Square by First National Bank. (2–8 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Alphorns led by Heinz and George (2:45 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorns led by Heinz and George (3 pm)
OPENING CEREMONY – MAIN STAGE – MC – Scott Thompson of BIG RADIO. Presentation of Colors with Green County Sheriff Dept., ceremonial blowing of Alphorns, presentation of royalty, “Procession of Cheesemakers” (6 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Mascot Theory (Americana, Alt-Folk Rock) (7 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Monroe Swiss Singers (7:15 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorns led by Heinz and George (8:15 pm)
STREET DANCE (uf der Strass Tanze) – MAIN STAGE – Boogie and the Yo-Yo’z (8:30 pm–midnight)
SATURDAY, SEPT 21
PARK & RIDE SHUTTLE BUS – $1 each trip. Park offsite at Orchid (350 – 21st St.) and ride the bus downtown. Other stops today include **Historic Cheese Center** and Green County Fairgrounds. (**Historic Cheese Center closes at 4 pm). (Shuttle runs 10 am–10 pm)
INFO TRAILER – SW Corner (near Baumgartner’s) – maps, schedules, ask questions, lost and found. 8:30 am – 7:30 pm
FOOD STANDS – Eat your way around the Courthouse Square! Menu/maps at INFO BOOTH. (9 am–9 pm)
CHEESE DAYS STORE – SOUVENIR TENT (Adenke Zält) – t-shirts & sweatshirts, collector buttons, International Harvester toy tractor, logo pint glasses, “udderly good time” drawstring backpacks, Wedgie bobbleheads, canvas tote bags, Swiss cheese earrings. SW corner cross from Baumgartner’s Cheese Store. (9 am–8:30 pm)
BEER and WINE STAND – SW Corner – near INFO TRAILER. (10 am–midnight) ****Proceeds from sales at the Cheese Days Beer & Wine Stand go toward the costs of tents, porta potties, electricity, stage entertainment and more – thank you for your support.****
HOSPITALITY TENT (Zält zum Höckle) Sponsored by Colony Brands. NORTH SIDE. Dining area with tables & chairs. Musical entertainment throughout the weekend. Open all weekend.
BIG RADIO DINING TENT – NORTHWEST CORNER. Dining area with tables and chairs. Open all weekend.
CARNIVAL in Spring Square Parking Lot (behind JoAnne’s Dress Shop) – all weekend.
FARMER’S MARKET – South of Middle School (8 am–4 pm)
“STREETS OF SWITZERLAND” European Sidewalk Café & Biergarten – Swiss specialties at Turner Hall. (8:30 am–7:30 pm)
CHEESE DAYS CHASE – 5 & 10 k run, & 2-mile fun walk. Presented by Monroe Youth Hockey with sponsor Klondike Cheese Factory. Check in 7:30 am. Race starts PROMPTLY at 9 am. (Kid’s Race at 8:30 am) Click for more info.
NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER – Guided tours showcasing the history of cheesemaking. The past comes alive at the century-old Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. 2018 6th Ave, at intersection of Hwy 69 south and 21st St. (9 am–4 pm) PARK AND RIDE SHUTTLE STOP TIL 4 PM
VINTAGE TRACTOR DISPLAY – Courtesy of Monroe area antique tractor owners. Take a step back in time and learn how farmers and their tractors played an important role in shaping the agricultural and cheese industry in Green County. You’ll see various “colors” (brands) – meet the owners & talk about their favorite toys! On 17th Avenue between banks and also in First National Bank parking lot. (9 am–5 pm)
MAKER’S MARKET – Just west of the Square; right behind Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern. Shop the booths of creators, fiber artists, hobbyists, wood crafters, photographers, painters, etc, who personally design and make what they sell. (9 am–8 pm)
VENDOR MARKETPLACE – Booths in Library Parking Lot – Commercial vendors, merchandise for sale, businesses & groups promoting products & services. (9 am–8 pm)
CHEESE TENT (Chäs Zält) – Cheese for sale. EAST SIDE of the Square. Presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers Assn. Vendors: Emmi Roth USA, Edelweiss Creamery, Landmark Creamery, Klondike Cheese Company, Valley View Cheese, Chula Vista (V&V Supremo), Brunkow Cheese and Decatur Dairy. (9 am–8 pm)
COLONY BRANDS TENT – Celebrating more than 90 years in Monroe. Buy cheesecake-on-a-stick – made exclusively for Cheese Days! Stop in to learn more about the Colony Brands team, our 10 retail brands, door prizes and more! NE CORNER (9 am–9 pm)
HEART OF CHEESE DAYS – Exhibit & Sales – Meet artisans who create traditional Swiss folk art and view exhibits of Swiss artifacts and memorabilia brought to Green County by some of the area’s Swiss immigrants. Presented by Monroe Swiss Singers at Turner Hall. Free admission with 2020 CHEESE DAYS BUTTON (or $2 at the door). (10 am–4 pm)
GREEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM – Housed in a Civil War era church. Donations suggested. One block north of Square. (10 am–5 pm)
MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY – guided tours and tasting – “Oldest in the Midwest” with brewing excellence since 1845. Visitor Center and gift shop. Beer & root beer samples. Herb & Helen Haydock’s Collection of Brewery Memorabilia. $12 admission includes guided tour and gift pack ($15 retail value). Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS MICRO DISTILLERY GUIDED TASTING– Hand–crafted, small–batch distilled spirits using old world methods & traditions. Guided Distillery and Liqueur Tasting $12 admission includes 2 cocktails, branded whisky tasting glass & gift bottle to take home. Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS WINERY WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING – Guided by Executive Chef Trisha Coughlin and her team, wines paired with different types of artisanal cheeses and other small bites. $12 admission includes guided tasting and food pairing and take home a branded wine glass. ($5 retail value). (10 am–6 pm)
FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT – Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4–H, FFA & other ag groups. Check out a number of educational activities about agriculture; including milking a “cow”, AG Trivia Wheel, coloring station, crop boxes and “Cow Races” back by popular demand! On NORTHEAST corner of Square by First National Bank. (10 am–8 pm)
CARNIVAL (Rummel Platz) – “Spring Square” south of the Courthouse Square (10 am–11 pm)
KIDS’ STREET (Chinder Schpil Strass) SPONSORED BY TDS – On 16th Avenue by Library. Demonstrations, activities and fun for kids – all free! (Kid’s Street Schedule)
MAIN STAGE (Grossi Bühni) – Yodeling, alphorns, polka bands, & Swiss heritage music during the day. Tonight’s Street Dance – Bella Cain! (Live music today from 10:30 am–midnight)
DAIRY FARM TOURS – Board a bus for a guided tour into Green County countryside to visit a family run dairy farm, and to see cows and calves and gain a better understanding of where cheese gets started. $5 admission charged for those 10 and older; under 10 are free. Tickets available in FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT. Length of tour ranges from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (10:30 am til last bus departs at 3 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (10:30 am)
BARN QUILT and DAIRY FARM TOUR – Board a bus for a guided tour to one of Green County’s most beautiful family-operated dairy farms. You’ll meet members of the family and their Holstein herd, along with calves, a donkey, rabbit, chickens, guineas, peacocks, ducks, pigs, goats, dogs, and cats. On the way to the farm and back, you’ll see some of Green County’s barn quilts. We guarantee you’ll be entertained along the way by stories from tour guides Lynn Lokken & Kris Winkler – the volunteers who developed the Barn Quilt project. Special guest Alice in Dairyland will also be along for the tour! Admission of $5 charged for those 6 and older; ages 5 and under are free. (This is a 2-hour tour. You’ll be back downtown at the festival grounds at 1 pm, so you may want to eat lunch prior to departing.) PURCHASE TICKETS AT FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT ON NE CORNER – limited seating 49 tickets will be sold. (11 am)
MAIN STAGE – Meet the Cheese Days Royalty (11:20 am)
MAIN STAGE – Monroe City Band (Noon)
OLD WORLD CHEESEMAKING DEMONSTRATION (DIE ALT KASEREI “the old cheese factory”) Watch and learn as members of The Foreign Type Cheesemaker’s Association create a 200-pound wheel of Swiss cheese the old fashioned way, in a giant copper kettle. You’ll meet Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers Jeff Wideman and Gary Grossen, who will explain the process and demonstrate the steps. Spectators will have the opportunity to take a turn stirring the kettle with the “Swiss harp” (great photo opp!) After the cheese is “hooped” the cheesemakers will “plug” a block of cheese and demonstrate the grading and judging process using the criteria of the USA and World Championship Cheese Competitions. North of Courthouse. (Noon–4 pm)
COW MILKING CONTEST (Chueh Mälche Wettstriett) – An “udderly” good time thanks to area dairy farmers & their happy herds! Watch as teams compete for prizes – may the most milk win! Located by post office. (1 pm)
MAIN STAGE – David Austin Band (1:15 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – John and Bobbie Accordion Duo (2 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Accordion Four – John, Bobbie, Barb and Mary ( 4 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorn entertainment (4:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Cheesemaker Dancers (4:45 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Andy Yaun Ensemble (5 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (5:30 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – The Decade (Rock hits from the 70’s thru 90’s) (6:15 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Wheelhouse (7 pm)
STREET DANCE (uf der Strass Tanze) – MAIN STAGE – To Be Announced. (8:30 pm–midnight)
SUNDAY, SEPT 22
PARK & RIDE SHUTTLE BUS – $1 each trip. Park offsite at Orchid (350 – 21st St.) & ride the bus downtown. Shuttle also stops at Historic Cheese Center until 4 pm. (Shuttle runs 10 am–5 pm)
INFO TRAILER – SW Corner (near Baumgartner’s) – maps, schedules, ask questions, lost and found. (9 am – 5 pm)
FOOD STANDS – Eat your way around the Courthouse Square! Menu/maps at INFO BOOTH. (9 am–6 pm)
CHEESE DAYS STORE – SOUVENIR TENT (Adenke Zält) – t-shirts & sweatshirts, collector buttons, International Harvester toy tractor, logo pint glasses, “udderly good time” drawstring backpacks, Wedgie bobbleheads, canvas tote bags, Swiss cheese earrings. SW corner cross from Baumgartner’s Cheese Store. (9 am–6 pm)
BEER and WINE STAND – SW Corner – near INFO TRAILER. (10 am–6 pm) ****Proceeds from sales at the Cheese Days Beer & Wine Stand go toward the costs of tents, porta potties, electricity, stage entertainment and more – thank you for your support.****
HOSPITALITY TENT (Zält zum Höckle) Sponsored by Colony Brands. NORTH SIDE. Dining area with tables & chairs. Open today til 6 pm.
BIG RADIO DINING TENT – NORTHWEST CORNER. Dining area with tables and chairs. Open today til 6 pm.
CARNIVAL in Spring Square Parking Lot (behind JoAnne’s Dress Shop) – all weekend.
NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER – Guided tours showcasing the history of cheesemaking. The past comes alive at the century-old Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. 2018 6th Ave, at intersection of Hwy 69 south and 21st St. (9 am–4 pm) PARK AND RIDE BUS SHUTTLE STOP.
VENDOR MARKETPLACE – Booths in Library Parking Lot – Commercial vendors, merchandise for sale, businesses & groups promoting products & services. (9 am–5 pm)
MAKER’S MARKET – Just west of the Square; right behind Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern. Shop the booths of creators, fiber artists, hobbyists, wood crafters, photographers, painters, etc, who personally design and make what they sell. (9 am-5 pm)
CHEESE TENT (Chäs Zält) – Cheese for sale. EAST side of Square. Presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers Assn. Vendors: Emmi Roth USA, Edelweiss Creamery, Landmark Creamery, Klondike Cheese Company, Valley View Cheese, Chula Vista (V&V Supremo), Brunkow Cheese and Decatur Dairy. (9 am–5 pm)
COLONY BRANDS TENT – Celebrating more than 90 years in Monroe! Buy cheesecake-on-a-stick; made exclusively for Cheese Days. Stop in to learn more about the Colony Brands team, our 10 retail brands, door prizes and more! NE Corner. (9 am–6 pm)
MAIN STAGE (Grossi Bühni) – Yodeling, alphorns, polka bands, & Swiss heritage music. Daily schedule at INFO BOOTH. (Entertainment today 10 am–6 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Swiss Canton Fashion Show by Wilhelm Tell Usherettes (10 am)
GREEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM – Housed in a Civil War era church. Donations suggested. One block north of Square. (10 am–1 pm)
FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT – Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4–H, FFA & other ag groups. Check out a number of educational activities about agriculture; including milking a “cow”, AG Trivia Wheel, coloring station, crop boxes and “Cow Races” back by popular demand! On NORTHEAST corner of Square by First National Bank. (10 am–5 pm; closed during parade)
MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY – guided tours and tasting – “Oldest in the Midwest” with brewing excellence since 1845. Visitor Center and gift shop. Beer & root beer samples. Herb & Helen Haydock’s Collection of Brewery Memorabilia. $12 admission includes guided tour and gift pack ($15 retail value). Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–5 pm)
MINHAS MICRO DISTILLERY GUIDED TASTING– Hand–crafted, small–batch distilled spirits using old world methods & traditions. Guided Distillery and Liqueur Tasting $12 admission includes 2 cocktails, branded whisky tasting glass & gift bottle to take home. Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–5 pm)
MINHAS WINERY WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING: Guided by Executive Chef Trisha Coughlin and her team, wines paired with different types of artisanal cheeses and other small bites. $12 admission includes guided tasting and food pairing and take home a branded wine glass. ($5 retail value). (10 am–5 pm)
CARNIVAL (Rummel Platz) – “Spring Square” parking lot – south of the Courthouse Square (10 am–6 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (10:30 am)
MAIN STAGE – Goodtime Dutchmen – 3rd Generation Family Polka Band (11:30 am)
THE SWISS COLONY CHEESE DAYS PARADE (Chäs Tag Umzug) – Steps off from fairgrounds at 12:30 pm, arrives downtown approximately 12:45 pm.
MAIN STAGE – UW Marching Band 5th Quarter! (after parade)
MAIN STAGE – Goodtime Dutchmen – 3rd Generation Family Polka Band (3:15 pm)
MAIN STAGE – New Glarus Mannerchor (Men’s Choir) (4:10 pm)
MAIN STAGE – New Glarus Jodlerklub (Yodel Club) (5 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (5:45 pm-6:15 pm)
“Wo-Zha-Wa” means “fun time” in the Ho-Chunk language, and Wisconsin Dells offers just that September 13-15! As one of the largest festivals in Wisconsin, Wo-Zha-Wa is a three day extravaganza with delicious food, a 100-unit parade, rousing live music, and arts and crafts that everyone can enjoy.
Wo-Zha-Wa’s flea market (Maxwell Street Days) always has new novel items to check out including gourmet dog treats, hand-made works of art, custom pieces of jewelry, organic cosmetics, and wood flowers made before your eyes. You can stroll through all these different stalls while chowing down on some of the festival’s favorite culinary treats, like kettle corn and alligator on a stick.
The whole family can enjoy themselves at Wo-Zha-Wa. The yearly Wo-Zha-Wa parade is a spectacle filled with floats, performers, and music that fills the entire street. The carnival rides are always a hit with the kids, who always get a thrill on the rides’ twists, turns, and spins.
When you attend, you’re invited to participate in a street carnival with refreshment concessions and the Wo-Zha-Wa Run, Wisconsin’s oldest long-distance race. Runners can take part in the challenging half-marathon course, or the fast-paced four-mile run.
Festival admission is free, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t go to this Wisconsin favorite!
All activities located in Downtown Wisconsin Dells & Bowman Park.
You can get to the Dells easily, of course: I-90/94, U.S. 12, or Highways 13, 16, or 23 all bring you there. Check their website for full details!
Here’s a video from a ways back of Wo-Zha-Wa Days (not that it’s much different now) to give you an idea:
Schedule of Events:
Friday, September 13th
All Day Concessions and Carnival Rides 8 am – 5 pm Maxwell Street Days 8 am – 6 pm Antique & Collectibles Market Noon – 5 pm Arts & Crafts Fair Noon – 5 pm Funtime Bounce Houses and Obstacle Course 3:30-5:30pm Kindschi Pedal Pulls
Saturday, September 14th
Day Concessions and Carnival Rides Wo-Zha-Wa Run 8 am – 5 pm Maxwell Street Days 8 am Race for the Future Run Visit the website 8 am – 6 pm Antique & Collectibles Market 9am – 5 pm Arts & Crafts Fair 9am – 5pm Funtime Bounce Houses and Obstacle Course
Sunday, September 15th
All Day Concessions and Carnival Rides 8 am – 3 pm Maxwell Street Days 8 am – 3 pm Antique & Collectibles Market 9 am – 3 pm Arts & Crafts Fair 9 am – 3pm Funtime Bounce Houses and Obstacle Course 1:30 pm PARADE Post Parade South Shore Performance at the Elm Street Plaza
Celebrate the coming of fall with the Oconomowoc Fall Festival. This lovely town at the western edge of Waukesha County’s Lake Country has a bustling downtown nestled around Fowler Lake and Lac La Belle, and the big party is on Saturday, September 7th from 9am – 8pm, rain or shine.
There will be over 80 street vendors, lots of food, shopping, kids’ events, dancing, and festivities including a Beer Garden. Some details are still being adjusted, but for now there’s still a Chili Pepper Eating Contest in the afternoon, along with kayak races you can watch, or even participate in! Live music will punctuate the fun afternoon into evening.
Here’s the music lineup:
12:30pm – Candy Cigarette
2pm – The Stangs
4:15pm – Throw Back Stereo
7pm – Kingfish Band
An outdoor movie begins at dusk, extending the Oconomowoc Fall Festival well into the evening. While in Oconomowoc, check out the Wizard of Oz display in Oz Plaza along Wisconsin Avenue (the movie’s official premiere took place there on August 12, 1939), a great classic drive-in called The Kiltie, as well as craft breweries like Brewfinity and SteelTank.
You can get to Oconomowoc via Highway 16 or Highway 67. Forget the bypass routes; follow the original roads right into downtown. That includes Main Street, Summit Avenue, and Wisconsin Avenue. The downtown is three miles north of I-94, via Exit 282 – which is Highway 67.
Oconomowoc Fall Festival Address:
Wisconsin Avenue & Main Street (“city” Highways 16 & 67)
133 E. Wisconsin Avenue
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
(262) 567-1826 Website
Manitowoc celebrates Sputnik Fest due to an out-of-this-world experience on September 5, 1962 when a piece of the Soviet satellite Sputnik IV crashed to earth, just north of downtown right in the middle of 8th Street/U.S. 10/Highway 42. It was still glowing from the heat of re-entry when it landed! A brass ring in the street notes the exact spot of impact. The city celebrates Sputnik Fest to commemorate the glowing visitor’s anniversary, where you’ll see some interesting costumes and space-related activities. Basically at Sputnik Fest, science fiction rules the day – even though Sputnik itself was very real. See 5 Things about Sputnikfest in Manitowoc (and why you should go) for more on that.
Circle marks the spot where a piece of Sputnik landed. It’s the whole reason for Sputnik Fest.
The landing site of that piece of Sputnikfest – which inspired this whole thing – is right in front of the Rahr-West Art Museum, which hosts the event and holds a cast from the original piece of the spacecraft – the original was returned to the Russians – that is available for viewing all year.
The festival draws plenty of space fans – with Star Wars and Star Trek characters well-represented – costume contests, music, go-kart racing down 8th Street (there’s a bit of a hill towards the heart of downtown), food, drinks, and even an “alien drop”, where hundreds of mini-alien figures are dropped from a cherry picker – some with prizes. Even the hosting group, the Rahr-West Art Museum, calls it a “wacky tacky” weekend. Music from bands like Bazooka Joe add to the fun! Family fun continues with the Cosmic Kids Creation Station, which offers tye-dye, clay painting, and rocket building, plus live statues, portrait paintings, and more.
Sputnikfest Schedule of Events:
11:00-2:00PM DJ
11:30AM Photo Op with Sputnikfest Police (courtesy of the Masquers theater company)
12:00-5:00PM Art Space and Children’s Games
12:00-Noon 5K Art Walk/Run (register at: https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Manitowoc/Sputnikfest5KWalkRun)
1:00-3:00PM Meet and Greet with 501st Wisconsin Garrison
12:00PM Lakeshore 1st Robotics
2:00-6:00PM Musical entertainment by XPOSED 4 HEADS
3:00PM Pet Parade and contest
4:00PM Cosmic Kids Parade and contest
5:00PM Captain Space Debris (Alien Adults) Parade and Contest
6:00PM Alien Raffle Drop
Kites Over Lake Michigan is one of the largest kite festivals in the Midwest and attracts kite fliers from all over. Check out giant show kites, precision stunt kite teams flying dual- and quad-line kites, spectacular and colorful ground displays, running of the bols, and games for kids! Learn how to fly two and quad line stunt kites from the experts.
Kites Over Lake Michigan continues at Two Rivers High School with other activities taking place along Lake Michigan nearby. It will take place Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st. This includes a night fly on Saturday night, conditions permitting.
Since the High School serves as the festival grounds, Walsh Field (on 22nd Street just before the turn into Neshotah Beach) will serve as the overflow parking area. A shuttle bus service will run between Walsh Field and the high school both days from 11 am to 5 pm. Please note that the bus will be limited to 23 people per trip to allow for social distancing, more if family members living together are present. All those using the shuttle will have to be masked. Also, pets are not allowed anywhere on school property.
Good news: Free kite making for kids will continue, taking place Sunday 9/2/24 at 9.00 am.
Great News: The Fireworks Show WILL take place, and it will happen Saturday evening at 8 pm. Fireworks will be shot off behind the Coast Guard Station, allowing people to spread out over a wide area and still have optimum viewing from various places along the waterfront.
Highway 42 is the road to both Neshotah Beach and Two Rivers High School; Highway 147 brings you to Two Rivers from the north, and Highway 310 provides quick access to and from I-43. Check out this colorful fest (which we need in 2020) September 5th and 6th!
Kites Over Lake Michigan Event Address:
Two Rivers High School
4519 Lincoln Avenue (Highway 42)
Two Rivers, WI 54241
(920) 793-9599 Website
It happens over Labor Day weekend every year, and it’s a lot of tasty fun! Taste of Madison features over 80 local restaurants, 20 beverage stands and three entertainment stages. The participating restaurants sell a vast variety of both unique and traditional dishes to the estimated 225,000 attendees over the two-day period – you should be one of them. Most food items are in the $2 to $5 range! Best of all, admission – which includes hours and hours of live entertainment – is free and open to the public.
Taste of Madison happens on the Capitol Square, one of the most dynamic and beautiful places in Wisconsin with the shops, restaurants, bars, museums, and more surrounding our gorgeous State Capitol. U.S. 151/Washington Avenue brings you closest, although U.S. 12, U.S. 14, U.S. 18, U.S. 51, and Highways 30 and 113 all bring you to Madison.
Taste of Madison Hours:
Saturday, August 31st 2pm – 9pm
Sunday, September 5th: 11am – 7pm
Get the full list of participating restaurants (with address and phone where available) below or from the Taste of Madison website!
It’s the oldest county fair in Wisconsin – this will be its 175th year! The Walworth County Fair features livestock judging, exhibits, carnival rides, bull riding, concessions, harness racing, tractor and truck pulls, demolition derby, and free grandstand shows. Every long Labor Day weekend, the fair draws thousands of visitors to Elkhorn for this 6-day extravaganza, making it the single biggest event in Elkhorn and Walworth County.
“Stars, Stripes, and Fair Delights!” is the theme this year. Grandstand Events this year include:
Rice Professional Rodeo
Tractor Truck Pull
Demolition Derby
Main Stage Concerts including:
Nelly on Friday, August 30th
Brantley Gilbert on Saturday, August 31st
Crowder on Sunday, September 1st
There’s also the Strut Your Stuff Recipe Challenge, Rooster Crowing Contests, Barnyard Races, Fairest of the Fair, Bull Riding, a series of Horse Events, the Farmers Market & Old World Artisan Village, a Sunday morning Classic Car & Tractor Parade, and Kiddieland featuring barnyard adventures and kids’ entertainment. Plenty to do, see, eat, and enjoy at this historic venue!
I-43, U.S. 12, and Highways 11 and 67 all bring you to Elkhorn for the fun. Their website has all the updates and details, including a very full schedule!
Walworth County Fair Address:
411 E. Court Street
Elkhorn, WI 53121
(262) 723-3228 Website
Dragon boat racing is not only one of the fastest growing water sports in the world; it is also one of the most exciting! As one of the largest festivals of its kind, The Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival in Superior holds this community-building tradition on Friday, August 23rd and Saturday, August 24th, 2024.
Watch the races at Barker’s Island, feast on fantastic food, enjoy celebratory music, song and dance, shop the craft fair, and commemorate the weekend with a time-honored awards ceremony.
On the first festival day, Barker’s Island is transformed into a small city where thousands of people from the Midwest U.S. and central Canada join in community, camaraderie and competition. It’s a weekend of live music and dancing, fantastic food and food trucks, hay rides, children’s crafts and entertainment, and an awards ceremony. Fireworks will light the sky that night, too!
Saturday the 24th begins early with the Optimists Club Breakfast and of course, more boats and parades. Children’s activities begin at 8am, and Dragon Boat Racing begins at 9am. There’s also the Craft Fair, the Stterlling Silver Dance Studio , the Rose Petal Ceremony, Korean Sword Demonstrations, Mark Rubin performing as he does every year, and of course the final race heats and the closing awards ceremony.
Artstreet showcases over 200 artists from throughout the country as they descend on Green Bay. They’re once again located at Ashwaubomay Park on South Broadway! Take in music, dance, theatrical and literary performances on stage and in the park. View artists demonstrating their work during the creative process. Savor an array of specialty foods, enjoy cultural displays, children’s art activities, and more.
Music Lineup
MAIN STAGE
Friday 8/23/24 TBA
Saturday 8/24/24 TBA
Sunday 8/25/24 TBA
COMMUNITY STAGE
Friday 8/23/24 TBA
Saturday 8/24/24 TBA
Sunday 8/25/24 TBA
Ashwaubomay Park is an 84 acre park, conveniently located between the National Railroad Museum and the Brown County Fairgrounds, at 2881 South Broadway, 54304.
Artstreet Admission is free; donations, of course, are welcomed! You can get to downtown Green Bay via I-41 or I-43 via U.S. 141, or Highways 29, 32, 54, 57, or 172.
Artstreet Hours:
Friday, August 23 | 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm (music until 10 pm)
Saturday, August 24 | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (music until 9 pm)
Sunday, August 25 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Artstreet Address:
Ashwaybomay Park
2882 S. Broadway
Green Bay, WI 54304
(920) 435-5220 Website
The annual Great River Folk Festival is a family-friendly Saturday featuring outdoor contemporary and traditional folk music right in La Crosse’s beautiful Riverside Park. Along with the music, you can enjoy demonstrations of traditional crafts and plenty of craft items for sale from artists across the spectrum, ethnic food and children’s activities. The Driftless Folk School will be demonstrating Spoon Carving, Spindle Spinning and Small Basket weaving throughout the day—11 and 5 pm.
Check out the full music lineup below. Ticket prices range from $10 or Sunday only to $55 for all three days and nights of the festival (if you buy by August 18th, they’re $75 at the gate for all three days), with numerous options in between. Get details here.
Riverside Park is a beautiful space along the Mississippi River on the west edge of downtown La Crosse. Along with the Great River Folk Festival you’ll find historic and contemporary statutes, beautiful views of the river and bluffs, access to riverboats, restaurants, hotels, the Turtle Stack Brewing Company, and plenty of hotels to spend the night – all within easy walking distance.
Great River Folk Festival Music Schedule:
Activities in Riverside Park include:
Traditional arts and craft fair
Craft demonstrations
Children’s activities
Food from a wide variety of vendors
Music Performances and Workshops at three stages
U.S. 14, 53, and 61, as well as Highways 16, 33, 35, and I-90 all bring you to La Crosse, which has plenty of other fun things to check out, too!
Great River Folk Festival Address:
Riverside Park
100 State Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 784-3033 Website
Lake Geneva is a great place to visit and shop, and Maxwell Street Days offers “Hot Deals for Those Hot Summer Days”!
Maxwell Street Days Annual Summer Sidewalk Sale returns with the best shopping steals of the year Friday, August 23rd through Sunday, August 25th with more than 25 years of great bargains on clothing, shoes, jewelry, gifts, artwork, sporting goods, books and more, plus fabulous food and entertainment from downtown shops and restaurants. Dine al fresco, enjoy live music, and celebrate the end of summer! offers extra opportunities to find bargains on some great stuff! Check out the list of participating locations here.
U.S. 12 and Highways 50 and 120 bring you to Lake Geneva, home to plenty of fun activities. Enjoy the downtown shops and restaurants, craft breweries like Topsy Turvy Brewing and MashTun Brewing, the beautiful beach along the shores of Geneva Lake, shows from the internationally-renown Tristan Crist Magic Theater to The Belfry, amazing golf courses including Geneva National and the Grand Geneva, winter skiing at Alpine Valley, The Mountaintop at Grand Geneva, and Wilmot Mountain… the list goes on!
Lake Geneva Maxwell Street Days Address:
Downtown Lake Geneva, centered on Highway 50 (Main Street) at Broad Street (see map)
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Info: (262) 248-4416 Website
Welcome to the 38th Annual West Bend GERMANfest! This celebration of German Heritage and Gemütlichkeit takes place Thursday, August 22nd through Sunday, August 25th, 2024. GERMANfest is an outdoor festival featuring two stages of continuous ethnic and other music, authentic German food and dancing, Sheepshead tournaments, Kinderzone, fine selection of beer and wine, souvenirs, daily raffles, and more.
Take in all the food, fun, and Festlichkeit that awaits you and others as you enjoy the huge outdoor, tented danced floor, fabulous array of musical guests and of course excellent food and beverages. West Bend Germanfest is easy to find, located centrally on the corners of Walnut and Main Street in the heart of downtown West Bend, rich with history. Highways 33 and 144 meet in downtown West Bend, a few miles east of the U.S. 45 bypass of the city. The original U.S. 45, as Main Street, cuts right past the GERMANfest grounds. Check out Riverside Brewery while you’re there!
West Bend GERMANfest Address:
5th Avenue & Walnut Street
West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 338-0690 Website
Friday, August 23rd
Cedar Singers 10:00-11:00am
Goodtime Dutchmen 11:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-2:00pm
John Dietz & the Twin Lakes Trio 12:00-1:00pm, 2:00-3:00pm
Ryan Kautzer Band 3:00pm-4:00pm, 5:00pm-6:00pm
Copper Box 4:00-5:00pm, 6:00-8:00pm
The Nix 8:00pm-11:00pm
Saturday, August 24th
Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt 10:00-11:00am
RiverCity Blaskapelle 11:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-2:00pm
Dave Austin Band 12:00-1:00pm, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Brian and the Mississippi Valley Dutchmen 3:00pm-4:00pm, 5:30-6:30pm
Lynn Marie and the Nashville Polka Guys 4:15pm-5:30pm, 6:45pm-8:00pm
Alex Meixner Band 8:00-11:00pm
Sunday, August 25th
The Mike Schneider Band 10:00am-11:00am, 11:45am-1:00pm
Pint Sixed Polkas 11am-11:45am
Lynn Marie and the Nashville Polka Guys 1:00pm-2:30pm, 4:00pm-5:30pm
Alex Meixner Band 2:30pm-4:00pm, 5:30pm-8:00pm
Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events
October 4, 2024 – October 6, 2024
Bayfield Apple Festival
The Bayfield Apple Festival is hailed as one of the 10 Best Fall Harvest Festivals in the nation by USA Today! Bayfield celebrates its Apple Festival every October and in 2024 it will take place October 4th through the 6th.
The three day event features a farm market featuring local producers, over 60 orchard and food booths selling Bayfield’s apples, apple delicacies, and festival food favorites! There is plenty to buy and see at the 140 art, craft and vendor booths. Kids carnival rides and games, an apple peeling contest, fish fry & dance round out the offerings.
You can also catch Big Top Chautauqua’s Blue Canvas Orchestra perform throughout the weekend on the Grandstand stage. The festival culminates with the Grand Parade on Sunday, which features a 400 member “Mass Band” finale.
Bayfield is located along Highway 13 on the shores of Lake Superior, about 15 minutes north of U.S. 2. U.S. 63 brings you towards Bayfield from the Hayward, Spooner, and Twin Cities areas; U.S. 51 north through the North Woods sends you toward U.S. 2 for the connection to Bayfield, too. Enjoy the fall colors on your ride!
Bayfield Apple Festival Address:
Downtown Bayfield & Memorial Park
42 South Broad Street
Bayfield, WI 54814
(715) 779-3335
Website
Read about additional “things to know” below!
More Bayfield Apple Festival features and things to know:
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October 4, 2024 – October 6, 2024
Door County Lighthouse Festival
Twice a year, the Door County Lighthouse Festival gives you a closer look at the beautiful lighthouses that mark the shores of the Door Peninsula. The spring edition this year is the weekend of June 7th – 9th; the fall will be October 4th-6th.
These fundraising Festival weekends include air, land-based, boat, and adventure tours that provide access to all of the treasured lighthouses of Door County and 3 neighbors to the south in Kewaunee and Brown Counties. Many of the tour excursions are unique to the Lighthouse Festival weekends and provide visitors exclusive access to lighthouses not typically open to the public – Chambers Island, Plum Island and Sherwood Point Lighthouses. There are tours for all levels of activity and accessibility. Some tours involve hiking. Boat tours depart from a variety of locations around the Peninsula, including Sister Bay, Gills Rock and Baileys Harbor. A portion of each Lighthouse Festival tour ticket helps fund the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc.
These are the Participating Locations, with their open hours during Spring and Fall Lighthouse Festivals. *Please note: If you are planning a self-guided experience, there may be an admission fee or requested donation.
Learn details and prices of the tours, and purchase tour tickets at: DoorCountyTickets.com
Door County Lighthouse Festival Website
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September 27, 2024 – September 28, 2024
Beef-A-Rama
With Beef-A-Rama, the smell of beef fills the air and more than 12,000 people fill the streets of downtown Minocqua. For over 50 years, Beef-a-Rama™ has been a premiere event drawing visitors back year after year to join in on the one-of-a kind fun you can only find in the Northwoods.
Roasters begin cooking their signature beefs before dawn. Herds of creative festival goers dressed in cow-themed costumes start packing downtown early for the 10K and 5K Rump Roast Run and Walk along Lake Minocqua, live music, & Prime Choice Craft Show featuring more than 70 vendors.
Mooo-ve on down to Torpy Park to grab a roast beef sandwich and watch the Beef Eating Contest, Cow Pie Plop, and of course the famous Roaster Parade down main street!
Listen for the top roasters at the Awards Ceremony at 3pm following the Parade. Check for the latest itinerary online.
Minocqua is along “Wisconsin’s Backbone,” U.S. 51, just south of Highways 47 and 70.
Beef-A-Rama Address:
Torpy Park
806 U.S. Highway 51
Minocqua, WI 54548
(715) 356-5266
Website
Check out the Schedule of Events below!
Beef-A-Rama Schedule of Events:
Friday, September 27th
10am-Noon Live Radio Broadcast with WRJO at the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce
6:00-9:00pm Lakeland Rotary Rump Roast Run registration at American Legion Hall
6:30-9:30pm Live Music The Lincoln Boys Band and Beer Garden sponsored by The Minocqua Island Business Association at Torpy Park
Saturday, September 28th
7am Rump Roast Run Registration at the American Legion Hall
7:30am Street Closure Begins
7am-8pm Shuttles Run ($3 fee per car) from Lakeland Union High School, Hribar Corporation/Truck Country, Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena & Builders First Source
8:15am Lakeland Rotary’s Calf Mile Run for Kids
9am Lakeland Rotary’s Rump Roast Run
9am-3pm Live Radio Broadcast by WRJO at Torpy Park
9am-11:00am Live Music Red Ben and the Missing Miles at Torpy Park
9am-5pm Bouncy Houses for Kids on the lower level of Torpy Park
9am-5pm Prime Choice Craft Show on the lower level of Torpy Park
9am-5pm Official Beef-A-Rama™ apparel sales at Torpy Park
10am-5:00pm Henna, Face painting, Glitter Painting at Veterans Park
10am-9:00pm Lakeland Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
10am-9:00pm Minocqua Lions Club Beer Garden at Torpy Park
10am-5pm Official Beef-A-Rama™ Sandwich Sales at Torpy Park
10am-12pm Live Music by Corey Carlson at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
10am-3pm Kids’ Games, Bouncy Houses, and Face Painting in lower level of Torpy Park
10am-4pm Kraft’s Kuddly Kritters Petting Zoo at Veterans Park
10am-5pm Twisted Widdlin’ Fool chainsaw carving exhibition
10am Food Sales Begin Torpy Park & Chicago Street
11am-1pm Kids’ Activities at Redman Realty on Oneida Street
11am-1:45pm Judging of the Beef along Oneida Street
11am-3pm Cow Pie Plop & Mechanical Bull sponsored by Lakeland Hawks Ice Arena at Island City Ice Cream
11:00am Beef Eating Contest at Torpy Park sponsored by Associated Bank
Noon-4:00pm Live Music by The Lincoln Boys at Torpy Park
Noon-3:00 pm Live Music by Useful Jenkins at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
3:00 pm Parade of Beef down Oneida Street from Redman Realty to Torpy Park
3:15 pm Awards Ceremony and Beef Raffle Drawing at Torpy Park
3:00-5:00 pm Live Music by Corey Carlson at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
5pm Street Open to Traffic
4:00-8:30 pm Live Music Reality Bites sponsored by the Minocqua Lions Club at Torpy Park
5-9:00pm Live Music Whitehouse Players at the Rotary Beer Garden on Chicago Street
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September 27, 2024 – September 29, 2024
Warrens Cranberry Festival
Warrens is “Wisconsin’s Cranberry Capital,” so it’s only fitting they host the World’s Largest Cranberry Festival! Held annually since 1973 (with, of course, the exception of 2020), the Warrens Cranberry Festival welcomes over 110,000 visitors each year from places all over the world. Seriously, when we went we met people from Australia and other countries throughout Europe and South America!
Taking place the last full weekend of every September, activities a’plenty abound. Enjoy a guided bus tours of cranberry marshes (brilliant red colors mean you should have your camera ready!) and bogs that show you the harvesting of these tasty, nutritious, UTI-fighting berries.
Warrens Cranberry Festival includes contests such as “Crazy for Cranfest”, where guests can win special prizes for crazy or creative costumes. They also have prizes for the Biggest Berry Contest, a Button Design Contest, a Cranberry Chiffon Pie-Eating Contest, a Flower Contest, Marsh Medallion Hunt, a Photography Contest, Quilt & Needlework Contest, Scarecrow Contest, and more.
Getting to Warrens Cranberry Festival (aka Cranfest):
Warrens is a small, pleasant town north of Tomah in Monroe County. To access Warrens, follow I-94 to Exit 135 (County EW) by the Three Bears Resort. U.S. 12, which runs basically parallel to I-94 in this area, also comes close to Warrens. Highways 21 and 173 are just a few miles away, closer to Tomah but they still bring you close. Follow County O or EW into town – there will be plenty of signs!
Get the latest updates from their website, CranFest.com!
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September 27, 2024 – September 29, 2024
Harvest Fair
Harvest Fair at Wisconsin State Fair Park features tons of fall-focused events, activities, live entertainment, competitions, scarecrow making and the much anticipated Pumpkin Bowling. It runs September 27-29, 2024 and has FREE admission.
Over 30 vendors will be there, selling everything from tasty food to cool crafts. Since it’s fall, imbibe in a pumpkin spice cream puff; enjoy pies from the Elegant Farmer; grab a cup of Kozie’s Harvest Stew; explore a multitude of Wisconsin cheeses; and The Micro will be offering over 60 varieties of craft beers. Prefer wine? No problem, Wineberry will be serving up red wines, white wines, even wine slushies.
Check out the Antique Tractors Display, the Backyard Circus, Camel and Pony Rides, a Farmers’ Market, Free Live Music, Giant Cookie Decorating, Hay Rides, a Kiddie Tractor Maze, “Make Your Own Caramel Apple” fun (they provide a lot of toppings), even a chance for kids to slide down the “World’s Largest Piggy Bank.” Free, lively entertainment is rocking stages all weekend long, including performances by the 5 Card Studs, Too Hype Crew, Rhythm Kings, The Toys and more will be on the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater with nightly entertainment presented by Bud Light. Plus, multiple Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Shows, presented by WaterStone Bank, are also on deck.
A major feature of Harvest Fair is the massive pumpkin patch, big enough to impress Linus from Peanuts (yes, we’re going old school here.)
And, a lot more! Check their website for full schedules and details.
Wisconsin State Fair Park is in West Allis, minutes west of downtown Milwaukee. I-94 and Highways 59 and 181 border the park; I-41, I-894, U.S. 18, U.S. 45, and Highway 100 all get you close.
Harvest Fair / Maker Faire Address:
Wisconsin State Fair Park
640 S. 84th Street (Highways 181 & 59)
West Allis, WI 53214
(800) 884-3247
Website
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September 26, 2024 – September 29, 2024
La Crosse Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, USA, is one of the few authentic Old World folk festivals held annually in the United States. You’ll find plenty of beer, music, fun, food, lederhosen, dirndls, and more complemented with a carnival featuring rides, parades featuring the annually-elected “Royal Family,” the 2023 Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest Pageant, and enough accordions and Munich-style tents to make you feel like you’re in Deutschland.
Downtown Fest Grounds open at 4pm on Thursday, September 26th. The Torchlight Parade will take place at 7pm that evening; Craft Beer Night starts at 4pm and runs until 8pm. For $60 admission, the FestZelt tent will feature over 20 craft brewers and their products – and you can sample ’em all! There’s also a Cornhole Tournament and fireworks – and that’s all on opening night!
Friday night September 27th has the Festmaster Ball at the La Crosse Center’s South Hall, where the Festmaster and Frau will be introduced.
Other events include wiener dog races, live music, special German dinners, Lederhosen Games, and more. Get the latest events list here!
TICKETS
General Admission tickets are $24.95
Craft Beer Night General Admission (which includes both) is $77.95
Children 12 and Under Admitted Free
FREE Admission on Sunday!
More details and options here
La Crosse Oktoberfest USA is a great time in a true beer town. La Crosse is easily reached via U.S. 14, 53, or 61; I-90; and Highways 16, 33, and 35. The drive to and from is gorgeous too, especially at this time of the year!
Check the La Crosse Oktoberfest USA website for additional details!
La Crosse Oktoberfest Schedule of Events:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th
7–9 am: SENIOR BREAKFAST | Morrie’s Heritage Hofbräu Haus – Downtown Festgrounds
Free Admission! Pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, juice. Featuring live music and WIZM-AM live broadcast
11 am–2:30 pm: SPECIAL FESTER CARNIVAL | Northside Family Festgrounds
4–11 pm: DOWNTOWN FESTGROUNDS OPEN, $20 three-day pass or $100 VIP tickets available
4-11 pm: STUDENT NIGHT | Downtown Festgrounds
4–9 pm: CARNIVAL, NORTHSIDE LA CROSSE, Fest fun with carnival rides and food vendors
4–8 pm: CRAFT BEER NIGHT | Downtown Festgrounds
$90 VIP 4 pm | $60 General Admission, 5 pm. Sample from more than 20 craft breweries. Get tickets.
5-7pm: LEDERHOSEN GAMES | Garden Stage Area – Fest Grounds
Stein races, stein holdings, barrel roll, grain toss, Schokolade essen and scavenger hunt | Play games, have fun and win prizes
7 pm: TORCHLIGHT PARADE | Northside La Crosse, Kane & Gillette Streets to Clinton Street
7:15pm: PACKER PARTY WITH DJ TRIVIA | Morrie’s Heritage Hofbräu Haus – Fest
Cheer on the Green Bay Packers as they compete against the Detroit Lions. Trivia, giveaways, and more!
7:30–11 pm: TORCHLIGHT AFTER GLOW bash| Copeland Park – Loggers Field
Free admission and families welcome! Kick off your Oktoberfest on the Northside with The Swing Crew
Free admission for students 21+ with a valid college student ID, enjoy current dance hits played by Twin Cities cover band, Good for Gary
Thursday’s Live Music
LA CROSSE BIERHAUS STAGE INSIDE THE MORRIE’S HERITAGE HOFBRÄU HAUS
5-8 pm BRIAN BRUEGGEN AND THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DUTCHMEN
ALTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION FESTPLATZ
8–11:30 pm GOOD FOR GARY
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th
Hours: 9:30am –midnight
10 am: STEIN HOLDING FINALS | The Remainders Garden Stage
11 am: OPENING CEREMONY | The Remainders Garden Stage The much-anticipated tapping of the Sam Adams Golden Keg
2–4 pm: LEDERHOSEN GAMES | The Remainders Garden Stage Area
Stein races, stein holdings, barrel roll, grain toss, Schokolade essen and scavenger hunt | Play games, have fun and win prizes
4–9 pm: CARNIVAL | Copeland Park – Northside La Crosse
Fest fun with carnival rides and food vendors
Live Music:
ALTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION FESTPLATZ
11:30 am – 2:30 pm SWING CREW
3 – 5:30 pm PAT MCCURDY
6 – 9 pm JUNK FM
9:30 pm – Midnight POP ROCKS
THE REMAINDERS GARDEN STAGE
11:30 am – 2 pm SHIRTS AND SKINS
2:30 pm – 5 pm COPPER BOX OKTOBERFEST EXPERIENCE
5:30 – 8 pm HILLBILLY ROCKETSHIP
8:30–11:00 pm COYOTE WILD
LA CROSSE BIERHAUS STAGE INSIDE THE MORRIE’S HERITAGE HOFBRÄU HAUS
7:00 am: YMCA MAPLE LEAF WALK RUN | Riverside Park
Pre-registration required. Half marathon, 5-mile run, 5k walk and Kid’s Maple Mile. More Info
10 am: MAPLE LEAF PARADE | Northside to Downtown
11 am–midnight: DOWNTOWN FESTGROUNDS OPEN
Get Tickets
Noon – 9 pm: CARNIVAL | Copeland Park – Northside La Crosse
2–4 pm: LEDERHOSEN GAMES | Garden Stage Area
9 pm: 62ND OKTOBERFEST FIREWORKS CELEBRATION | Downtown Festgrounds
Live Music
ALTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION FESTPLATZ
11:30 am – 1:30 pm STEVE’S ONE MAN BAND
2pm – 5:30pm MUD DOGS BAND
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm FLASH MOB
9:00 pm – midnight BELLA CAIN
THE REMAINDERS GARDEN STAGE
1:00 – 3:30 pm POLKA-ZEIT
4:15 –7:30 pm PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY
8–10 pm THE REMAINDERS
LA CROSSE BIERHAUS STAGE INSIDE THE MORRIE’S HERITAGE HOFBRÄU HAUS
1:30–4 pm BRIAN BRUEGGEN & THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DUTCHMEN
4:30–7:30 pm THE SQUEEZETTES
8–11:00 pm THE RHYTHM PLAYBOYS
Live Music
THE REMAINDERS GARDEN STAGE
11:30 am – 2:00 pm HIGH MILEAGE
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm PHOENIX
LA CROSSE BIERHAUS STAGE INSIDE THE MORRIE’S HERITAGE HOFBRÄU HAUS
11:30 am – 12:00 pm HANS MAYER MUSIC
3:00 pm –6:00 pm MOLLIE B & SQUEEZEBOX with TED LANGE
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September 21, 2024 – September 22, 2024
Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Fest
Welcome the transition from summer to fall in historic Cedarburg with the annual Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival! It happens Saturday, September 21st from 10-6 pm & Sunday, September 22nd from 10-5 pm. Both the abundance of Wisconsin’s homegrown produce and artisan food products plus the award-winning wines of Cedar Creek Winery are what initiated this free, family-oriented arts and crafts event.
The Festival Food Court offers plenty of options for a quick meal and the Farmer’s Market offers foodstuffs such as honey, syrup, cheese, sausage and jellies are available in each Marketplace located at Turner Street, Mill Street and Cleveland Street. Also, the three Marketplaces offers shopping for find unique handbags, hats, skin care products and more.
Cedarburg Wine & Festival fans can kick back and listen to live music all over town including Top Forty, Folk and Rock & Roll bands. The Gruber Law Offices Main Stage is open until 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
On Saturday from 11am-4pm, check out the third Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, with some weighing in at well over 1,000 pounds. You can also see oversize watermelons, tomatoes, and gourds – last year somebody brought a 2,145-pound pumpkin!
The annual Giant Pumpkin Charity Regatta will take place on Sunday. Previous regattas are YouTube favorites featuring gigantic, decorated, hollowed-out, floatable pumpkins, piloted by intrepid paddlers’ attempting to race across Cedar Creek to win cash for their favorite charity.
Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival also features Ashley’s Candyland for Kids with a variety of activities and entertainment geared for children including Popcorn the Clown, a bouncer, coloring tables, spin art, and Paint a Pumpkin. Pumpkin Carver extraordinaire Steve Dahlke will be turning large pumpkins into grotesque faces at the City Hall Lawn on Saturday.
Cedar Creek Settlement will feature a Courtyard Grill with specialty beers and grilled foods with live music each day. At Cedar Creek Winery, you’ll find wine by the glass or bottle, with tours available. Also at the Shops of Cedar Creek Settlement, the Winery’s Grape Stomp offers stomping fun for both adults and kids each day.
For specific times and a complete list of Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival events, a map/schedule will be available at two information booths as well as at most retailers throughout town. Click here for a downloadable version. The information booths are on Washington Avenue at Bridge Road and at Mill Street.
Cedarburg Wine and Harvest Festival Location
Check out some great fall fun in historic Cedarburg, along Historic Highway 57 (Washington Avenue) just north of Highway 167 and south of Highway 60. Highway 181 is just to the west. It’s only about 10-12 minutes off I-43/Highway 32, and it’s a great little town!
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Fromm Petfest
Fromm Petfest is a free family event on Milwaukee’s lakefront (yep, the Summerfest grounds!) will host a variety of fun pet-focused attractions and activities. Check out the Bier Garden & Dog Park, the Lure Course, Agility Course, Dock Diving, Doggie Dash, nutritional seminars, grooming competitions, the pet-themed marketplace, contests, live music, food, even a Kids’ Zone. And yes, parking is free too!
By the way, the Bier Garden & Dog Park allows you to enjoy a frosty beverage at their two-level Bier Garden and you can bring your dog over for some supervised off leash play at one of two fully fenced in play areas!
You can explore Adoption Avenue, where some pretty amazing dogs and cats could find their forever homes. Visit with dozens of rescues and non-profits that work tirelessly to better the lives of dogs and cats. Many will have adoptable pets on hand for people to meet along with information on adoption.
Fromm Petfest Music Schedule:
9:30 AM – Chris Esenberg – Chris is a singer/songwriter and Wisconsin native who specializes in pop covers and original songs. Playing everything from Chris Stapleton to David Bowie, Chris plays with a signature style that has made him a local mainstay.
11:30 AM – Kaleb Woods
Hailing from Sauk County, Wisconsin, Kaleb is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter specializing in bringing a fun, upbeat vibe for all to enjoy. Having performed at numerous venues and events throughout the Midwest including The Rave, Crystal Grand Theatre, Pabst Theater, Majestic Theatre, and Summerfest, and sharing his platform with notable artists such as John King, Chris Janson, and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, it’s no surprise that Kaleb was Southeastern Wisconsin’s top streamed musician via Reverbnation, a 2022 Best of Madison finalist, and March 2022’s featured new artist for 99.9 WJVL.
1:30 PM – Mookie Terremoto
Good old fashioned rock and roll from a Riverwest trio! Who is Mookie Terremoto? Find out for yourself.
3:30 PM – Front Porch Rockers
Since 2010 the Front Porch Rockers have been performing acoustic covers of your favorite songs from the 1950s through today. You may have heard them at Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair, or various area festivals and beer gardens. The Front Porch Rockers play upbeat music for good times.
Fromm Petfest Main Stage Schedule:
11:00 – 11:45am − MPD K9 Presentation
12:00 – 12:45pm − Noodles the Wonder Dog, a mixed-breed, former shelter dog who has won trick and talents contests across North America, including Good Morning America’s National “Dog vs. Dog” contest.
1:00 – 1:45pm − EmE MaGiC
Prepare to be amazed and entertained by the interactive magic and illusion of EmE MaGiC. The Milwaukee-local magician will bring magic, mentalism and comedy to the Main Stage and will roam the grounds to oohh and aww all two and four-legged guests.
2:00 – 2:45pm − Sailor the Poodle
This amazing canine performer, under the guidance of his trainer Alex “Popeye” Rothacker, jumps rope, walks a tightrope and balances a ball while walking, to name a few of his fun tricks.
3:30 – 4:30pm − Costume Contest and Owner/Pet Look-a-like Contest with Riggs from 103.7 Kiss FM and special guest judges!
Back by popular demand, come to watch or click to enter the Fromm Petfest Pet/Owner Look-a-Like contest or the fan favorite costume contest. Grand prizes include a six-month supply of Fromm pet food and more!
Fromm Petfest Address:
The event is happening right where Summerfest takes place along Milwaukee’s lakefront near downtown and the Historic Third Ward. You can access the grounds via I-794, I-43/94, U.S. 18, and Highways 32, 38, 59, and 145.
200 N. Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Fromm Petfest Website
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September 19, 2024 – September 22, 2024
Green County Cheese Days
Monroe is an epicenter of cheesemaking in the heart of Green County – even their high school team name is the “Cheesemakers.” The city and county celebrates every other year Green County Cheese Days, a three-day hullabaloo filled with food, music, dancing, contests, crafts, cheesemaking, cow milking, yodeling, and even Wisconsin’s only parade led by Brown Swiss Cows. Green County Cheese Days is ready for 2024, happening September 19th through the 22nd.
Monroe’s beautiful town square centers around the gorgeous Green County Courthouse and fills up with all the fun. From a beer and Limburger sandwich at Baumgartner’s to the 5K & 10K Cheese Days Chase, from arts & crafts to actual cow milking, Cheese Days is a blast.
You can check out the Children’s Parade on Friday and the main Swiss Colony Cheese Days Parade on Sunday.
Get the schedule and details on all of their events at the Cheese Days website, or below reprinted from their site. Scroll down for more details, including the schedule for the Main Stage lineup!
Highways 11, 59, 69, and 81 all bring you to Monroe. The three days of festivities are also right next to the Minhas Craft Brewery, which is worth a tour, and the lovely trappings of Green County, including New Glarus just up Highway 69. Make a weekend of it!
Green County Cheese Days Address:
1016 16th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
(608) 325-7771
Website
Green County Cheese Days Schedule of Events
FRIDAY, SEPT 20
PARK & RIDE SHUTTLE BUS – $1 each trip. Park off site at Orchid (350 – 21st St.) & ride bus downtown. 5–10 pm
INFO TRAILER – SW Corner (near Baumgartner’s) – maps, schedules, ask questions, lost and found. 9 am – 7:30 pm
FOOD STANDS – Eat your way around the Courthouse Square! Menu/maps at INFO BOOTH. (10 am–9 pm)
CHEESE DAYS STORE – SOUVENIR TENT (Adenke Zält) – t-shirts & sweatshirts, collector buttons, International Harvester toy tractor, logo pint glasses, “udderly good time” drawstring backpacks, Wedgie bobbleheads, canvas tote bags, Swiss cheese earrings. SW corner cross from Baumgartner’s Cheese Store. (9 am–8:30 pm)
BEER and WINE STAND – SW Corner – near INFO TRAILER. (10 am–midnight) ****Proceeds from sales at the Cheese Days Beer & Wine Stand go toward the costs of tents, porta potties, electricity, stage entertainment and more – thank you for your support.****
HOSPITALITY TENT (Zält zum Höckle) Sponsored by Colony Brands. NORTH SIDE. Dining area with tables & chairs. Musical entertainment throughout the weekend. Open all weekend.
BIG RADIO DINING TENT – NORTHWEST CORNER. Dining area with tables and chairs. Open all weekend.
CARNIVAL in Spring Square Parking Lot (behind JoAnne’s Dress Shop) – all weekend.
NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER – Guided tours showcasing the history of cheesemaking. The past comes alive at the century-old Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. 2018 6th Ave, at intersection of Hwy 69 south and 21st St. (9 am–4 pm)
CHEESE TENT (Chäs Zält) – Cheese for sale. EAST SIDE of the Square. Presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers Assn. Vendors: Emmi Roth USA, Edelweiss Creamery, Landmark Creamery, Klondike Cheese Company, Valley View Cheese, Chula Vista (V&V Supremo), Brunkow Cheese and Decatur Dairy. (9 am–8 pm)
MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY – guided tours and tasting – “Oldest in the Midwest” with brewing excellence since 1845. Visitor Center and gift shop. Beer & root beer samples. Herb & Helen Haydock’s Collection of Brewery Memorabilia. $12 admission includes guided tour and gift pack ($15 retail value). Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS MICRO DISTILLERY GUIDED TASTING– Hand–crafted, small–batch distilled spirits using old world methods & traditions. Guided Distillery and Liqueur Tasting $12 admission includes 2 cocktails, branded whisky tasting glass & gift bottle to take home. Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS WINERY WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING: Guided by Executive Chef Trisha Coughlin and her team, wines paired with different types of artisanal cheeses and other small bites. $12 admission includes guided tasting and food pairing and take home a branded wine glass. ($5 retail value). (10 am–6 pm)
COLONY BRANDS TENT – Celebrating more than 90 years in Monroe. Buy cheesecake-on-a-stick – made exclusively for Cheese Days! Stop in to learn more about the Colony Brands team, our 10 retail brands, door prizes and more! NE CORNER (10 am – 9 pm)
BARN QUILT and DAIRY FARM TOUR – Board a bus for a guided tour to one of Green County’s most beautiful family-operated dairy farms. You’ll meet members of the family and their Holstein herd, along with calves, a donkey, rabbit, chickens, guineas, peacocks, ducks, pigs, goats, dogs, and cats. On the way to the farm and back, you’ll see some of Green County’s barn quilts. We guarantee you’ll be entertained along the way by stories from tour guides Lynn Lokken & Kris Winkler – the volunteers who developed the Barn Quilt project. Admission of $5 charged for those 6 and older; ages 5 and under are free. (This is a 2-hour tour. You’ll be back downtown at the festival grounds at 1 pm, so you may want to eat lunch prior to departing.) TODAY – PURCHASE TICKETS AT INFO TRAILER NEAR THE BEER STAND – limited seating 50 tickets will be sold. (Saturday – tickets for sale at Family Farm Adventure Tent) (11 am)
MAIN STAGE (Grossi Bühni) – Yodeling, alphorns, polka bands, & Swiss heritage music during the day. Tonight’s street dance – BOOGIE AND THE YO-YO’Z. (Live music today on the main stage from noon til midnight)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen – Master Yodeler (Noon)
GREEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM – Housed in a Civil War era church. Donations suggested. One block north of Square. (Noon–5 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – John Waelti and Bobbie Edler Accordion Duo (1 pm)
GREENWOODS CEMETERY WALK – sponsored by Green County Genealogical Society and Green County Historical Society – led by local historians. Info: 608.328.7436 or 608.426.1796. (Registration 1 pm; walk at 1:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Keith Zweifel Band (1:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorn Entertainment (3 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Green County Harmony Chorus (2 pm)
FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT – Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4–H, FFA & other ag groups. Check out a number of educational activities about agriculture; including milking a “cow”, AG Trivia Wheel, coloring station, crop boxes and “Cow Races” back by popular demand! On NORTHEAST corner of Square by First National Bank. (2–8 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Alphorns led by Heinz and George (2:45 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorns led by Heinz and George (3 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (3:15 pm)
“STREETS OF SWITZERLAND” European Sidewalk Café & Biergarten – Swiss specialties at Turner Hall (3–7:30 pm)
CARNIVAL (Rummel Platz) – “Spring Square” parking lot – south of the Courthouse Square (4 – 11 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Children’s Swiss Music Concert (4:15 pm)
CHILDREN’S COSTUME PARADE (Chinder Trachte Umzug) – Prince & Princess lead the parade (5 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (5 pm)
OPENING CEREMONY – MAIN STAGE – MC – Scott Thompson of BIG RADIO. Presentation of Colors with Green County Sheriff Dept., ceremonial blowing of Alphorns, presentation of royalty, “Procession of Cheesemakers” (6 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Mascot Theory (Americana, Alt-Folk Rock) (7 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Monroe Swiss Singers (7:15 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorns led by Heinz and George (8:15 pm)
STREET DANCE (uf der Strass Tanze) – MAIN STAGE – Boogie and the Yo-Yo’z (8:30 pm–midnight)
SATURDAY, SEPT 21
PARK & RIDE SHUTTLE BUS – $1 each trip. Park offsite at Orchid (350 – 21st St.) and ride the bus downtown. Other stops today include **Historic Cheese Center** and Green County Fairgrounds. (**Historic Cheese Center closes at 4 pm). (Shuttle runs 10 am–10 pm)
INFO TRAILER – SW Corner (near Baumgartner’s) – maps, schedules, ask questions, lost and found. 8:30 am – 7:30 pm
FOOD STANDS – Eat your way around the Courthouse Square! Menu/maps at INFO BOOTH. (9 am–9 pm)
CHEESE DAYS STORE – SOUVENIR TENT (Adenke Zält) – t-shirts & sweatshirts, collector buttons, International Harvester toy tractor, logo pint glasses, “udderly good time” drawstring backpacks, Wedgie bobbleheads, canvas tote bags, Swiss cheese earrings. SW corner cross from Baumgartner’s Cheese Store. (9 am–8:30 pm)
BEER and WINE STAND – SW Corner – near INFO TRAILER. (10 am–midnight) ****Proceeds from sales at the Cheese Days Beer & Wine Stand go toward the costs of tents, porta potties, electricity, stage entertainment and more – thank you for your support.****
HOSPITALITY TENT (Zält zum Höckle) Sponsored by Colony Brands. NORTH SIDE. Dining area with tables & chairs. Musical entertainment throughout the weekend. Open all weekend.
BIG RADIO DINING TENT – NORTHWEST CORNER. Dining area with tables and chairs. Open all weekend.
CARNIVAL in Spring Square Parking Lot (behind JoAnne’s Dress Shop) – all weekend.
FARMER’S MARKET – South of Middle School (8 am–4 pm)
“STREETS OF SWITZERLAND” European Sidewalk Café & Biergarten – Swiss specialties at Turner Hall. (8:30 am–7:30 pm)
CHEESE DAYS CHASE – 5 & 10 k run, & 2-mile fun walk. Presented by Monroe Youth Hockey with sponsor Klondike Cheese Factory. Check in 7:30 am. Race starts PROMPTLY at 9 am. (Kid’s Race at 8:30 am) Click for more info.
NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER – Guided tours showcasing the history of cheesemaking. The past comes alive at the century-old Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. 2018 6th Ave, at intersection of Hwy 69 south and 21st St. (9 am–4 pm) PARK AND RIDE SHUTTLE STOP TIL 4 PM
VINTAGE TRACTOR DISPLAY – Courtesy of Monroe area antique tractor owners. Take a step back in time and learn how farmers and their tractors played an important role in shaping the agricultural and cheese industry in Green County. You’ll see various “colors” (brands) – meet the owners & talk about their favorite toys! On 17th Avenue between banks and also in First National Bank parking lot. (9 am–5 pm)
MAKER’S MARKET – Just west of the Square; right behind Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern. Shop the booths of creators, fiber artists, hobbyists, wood crafters, photographers, painters, etc, who personally design and make what they sell. (9 am–8 pm)
VENDOR MARKETPLACE – Booths in Library Parking Lot – Commercial vendors, merchandise for sale, businesses & groups promoting products & services. (9 am–8 pm)
CHEESE TENT (Chäs Zält) – Cheese for sale. EAST SIDE of the Square. Presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers Assn. Vendors: Emmi Roth USA, Edelweiss Creamery, Landmark Creamery, Klondike Cheese Company, Valley View Cheese, Chula Vista (V&V Supremo), Brunkow Cheese and Decatur Dairy. (9 am–8 pm)
COLONY BRANDS TENT – Celebrating more than 90 years in Monroe. Buy cheesecake-on-a-stick – made exclusively for Cheese Days! Stop in to learn more about the Colony Brands team, our 10 retail brands, door prizes and more! NE CORNER (9 am–9 pm)
HEART OF CHEESE DAYS – Exhibit & Sales – Meet artisans who create traditional Swiss folk art and view exhibits of Swiss artifacts and memorabilia brought to Green County by some of the area’s Swiss immigrants. Presented by Monroe Swiss Singers at Turner Hall. Free admission with 2020 CHEESE DAYS BUTTON (or $2 at the door). (10 am–4 pm)
GREEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM – Housed in a Civil War era church. Donations suggested. One block north of Square. (10 am–5 pm)
MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY – guided tours and tasting – “Oldest in the Midwest” with brewing excellence since 1845. Visitor Center and gift shop. Beer & root beer samples. Herb & Helen Haydock’s Collection of Brewery Memorabilia. $12 admission includes guided tour and gift pack ($15 retail value). Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS MICRO DISTILLERY GUIDED TASTING– Hand–crafted, small–batch distilled spirits using old world methods & traditions. Guided Distillery and Liqueur Tasting $12 admission includes 2 cocktails, branded whisky tasting glass & gift bottle to take home. Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–6 pm)
MINHAS WINERY WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING – Guided by Executive Chef Trisha Coughlin and her team, wines paired with different types of artisanal cheeses and other small bites. $12 admission includes guided tasting and food pairing and take home a branded wine glass. ($5 retail value). (10 am–6 pm)
FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT – Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4–H, FFA & other ag groups. Check out a number of educational activities about agriculture; including milking a “cow”, AG Trivia Wheel, coloring station, crop boxes and “Cow Races” back by popular demand! On NORTHEAST corner of Square by First National Bank. (10 am–8 pm)
CARNIVAL (Rummel Platz) – “Spring Square” south of the Courthouse Square (10 am–11 pm)
KIDS’ STREET (Chinder Schpil Strass) SPONSORED BY TDS – On 16th Avenue by Library. Demonstrations, activities and fun for kids – all free! (Kid’s Street Schedule)
MAIN STAGE (Grossi Bühni) – Yodeling, alphorns, polka bands, & Swiss heritage music during the day. Tonight’s Street Dance – Bella Cain! (Live music today from 10:30 am–midnight)
DAIRY FARM TOURS – Board a bus for a guided tour into Green County countryside to visit a family run dairy farm, and to see cows and calves and gain a better understanding of where cheese gets started. $5 admission charged for those 10 and older; under 10 are free. Tickets available in FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT. Length of tour ranges from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (10:30 am til last bus departs at 3 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (10:30 am)
BARN QUILT and DAIRY FARM TOUR – Board a bus for a guided tour to one of Green County’s most beautiful family-operated dairy farms. You’ll meet members of the family and their Holstein herd, along with calves, a donkey, rabbit, chickens, guineas, peacocks, ducks, pigs, goats, dogs, and cats. On the way to the farm and back, you’ll see some of Green County’s barn quilts. We guarantee you’ll be entertained along the way by stories from tour guides Lynn Lokken & Kris Winkler – the volunteers who developed the Barn Quilt project. Special guest Alice in Dairyland will also be along for the tour! Admission of $5 charged for those 6 and older; ages 5 and under are free. (This is a 2-hour tour. You’ll be back downtown at the festival grounds at 1 pm, so you may want to eat lunch prior to departing.) PURCHASE TICKETS AT FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT ON NE CORNER – limited seating 49 tickets will be sold. (11 am)
MAIN STAGE – Meet the Cheese Days Royalty (11:20 am)
MAIN STAGE – Monroe City Band (Noon)
OLD WORLD CHEESEMAKING DEMONSTRATION (DIE ALT KASEREI “the old cheese factory”) Watch and learn as members of The Foreign Type Cheesemaker’s Association create a 200-pound wheel of Swiss cheese the old fashioned way, in a giant copper kettle. You’ll meet Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers Jeff Wideman and Gary Grossen, who will explain the process and demonstrate the steps. Spectators will have the opportunity to take a turn stirring the kettle with the “Swiss harp” (great photo opp!) After the cheese is “hooped” the cheesemakers will “plug” a block of cheese and demonstrate the grading and judging process using the criteria of the USA and World Championship Cheese Competitions. North of Courthouse. (Noon–4 pm)
COW MILKING CONTEST (Chueh Mälche Wettstriett) – An “udderly” good time thanks to area dairy farmers & their happy herds! Watch as teams compete for prizes – may the most milk win! Located by post office. (1 pm)
MAIN STAGE – David Austin Band (1:15 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – John and Bobbie Accordion Duo (2 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Swiss Miss Dancers (2:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Doo Wop Daddies (3 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (3 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Accordion Four – John, Bobbie, Barb and Mary ( 4 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Alphorn entertainment (4:30 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Cheesemaker Dancers (4:45 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Andy Yaun Ensemble (5 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (5:30 pm)
HOSPITALITY TENT – The Decade (Rock hits from the 70’s thru 90’s) (6:15 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Wheelhouse (7 pm)
STREET DANCE (uf der Strass Tanze) – MAIN STAGE – To Be Announced. (8:30 pm–midnight)
SUNDAY, SEPT 22
PARK & RIDE SHUTTLE BUS – $1 each trip. Park offsite at Orchid (350 – 21st St.) & ride the bus downtown. Shuttle also stops at Historic Cheese Center until 4 pm. (Shuttle runs 10 am–5 pm)
INFO TRAILER – SW Corner (near Baumgartner’s) – maps, schedules, ask questions, lost and found. (9 am – 5 pm)
FOOD STANDS – Eat your way around the Courthouse Square! Menu/maps at INFO BOOTH. (9 am–6 pm)
CHEESE DAYS STORE – SOUVENIR TENT (Adenke Zält) – t-shirts & sweatshirts, collector buttons, International Harvester toy tractor, logo pint glasses, “udderly good time” drawstring backpacks, Wedgie bobbleheads, canvas tote bags, Swiss cheese earrings. SW corner cross from Baumgartner’s Cheese Store. (9 am–6 pm)
BEER and WINE STAND – SW Corner – near INFO TRAILER. (10 am–6 pm) ****Proceeds from sales at the Cheese Days Beer & Wine Stand go toward the costs of tents, porta potties, electricity, stage entertainment and more – thank you for your support.****
HOSPITALITY TENT (Zält zum Höckle) Sponsored by Colony Brands. NORTH SIDE. Dining area with tables & chairs. Open today til 6 pm.
BIG RADIO DINING TENT – NORTHWEST CORNER. Dining area with tables and chairs. Open today til 6 pm.
CARNIVAL in Spring Square Parking Lot (behind JoAnne’s Dress Shop) – all weekend.
NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER – Guided tours showcasing the history of cheesemaking. The past comes alive at the century-old Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. 2018 6th Ave, at intersection of Hwy 69 south and 21st St. (9 am–4 pm) PARK AND RIDE BUS SHUTTLE STOP.
VENDOR MARKETPLACE – Booths in Library Parking Lot – Commercial vendors, merchandise for sale, businesses & groups promoting products & services. (9 am–5 pm)
MAKER’S MARKET – Just west of the Square; right behind Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern. Shop the booths of creators, fiber artists, hobbyists, wood crafters, photographers, painters, etc, who personally design and make what they sell. (9 am-5 pm)
CHEESE TENT (Chäs Zält) – Cheese for sale. EAST side of Square. Presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers Assn. Vendors: Emmi Roth USA, Edelweiss Creamery, Landmark Creamery, Klondike Cheese Company, Valley View Cheese, Chula Vista (V&V Supremo), Brunkow Cheese and Decatur Dairy. (9 am–5 pm)
COLONY BRANDS TENT – Celebrating more than 90 years in Monroe! Buy cheesecake-on-a-stick; made exclusively for Cheese Days. Stop in to learn more about the Colony Brands team, our 10 retail brands, door prizes and more! NE Corner. (9 am–6 pm)
MAIN STAGE (Grossi Bühni) – Yodeling, alphorns, polka bands, & Swiss heritage music. Daily schedule at INFO BOOTH. (Entertainment today 10 am–6 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Swiss Canton Fashion Show by Wilhelm Tell Usherettes (10 am)
HOSPITALITY TENT – Ecumenical Worship Serivice (10 am)
GREEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM – Housed in a Civil War era church. Donations suggested. One block north of Square. (10 am–1 pm)
FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT – Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4–H, FFA & other ag groups. Check out a number of educational activities about agriculture; including milking a “cow”, AG Trivia Wheel, coloring station, crop boxes and “Cow Races” back by popular demand! On NORTHEAST corner of Square by First National Bank. (10 am–5 pm; closed during parade)
MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY – guided tours and tasting – “Oldest in the Midwest” with brewing excellence since 1845. Visitor Center and gift shop. Beer & root beer samples. Herb & Helen Haydock’s Collection of Brewery Memorabilia. $12 admission includes guided tour and gift pack ($15 retail value). Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–5 pm)
MINHAS MICRO DISTILLERY GUIDED TASTING– Hand–crafted, small–batch distilled spirits using old world methods & traditions. Guided Distillery and Liqueur Tasting $12 admission includes 2 cocktails, branded whisky tasting glass & gift bottle to take home. Tours every 15 minutes. (10 am–5 pm)
MINHAS WINERY WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING: Guided by Executive Chef Trisha Coughlin and her team, wines paired with different types of artisanal cheeses and other small bites. $12 admission includes guided tasting and food pairing and take home a branded wine glass. ($5 retail value). (10 am–5 pm)
CARNIVAL (Rummel Platz) – “Spring Square” parking lot – south of the Courthouse Square (10 am–6 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (10:30 am)
MAIN STAGE – Goodtime Dutchmen – 3rd Generation Family Polka Band (11:30 am)
THE SWISS COLONY CHEESE DAYS PARADE (Chäs Tag Umzug) – Steps off from fairgrounds at 12:30 pm, arrives downtown approximately 12:45 pm.
MAIN STAGE – UW Marching Band 5th Quarter! (after parade)
MAIN STAGE – Goodtime Dutchmen – 3rd Generation Family Polka Band (3:15 pm)
MAIN STAGE – New Glarus Mannerchor (Men’s Choir) (4:10 pm)
MAIN STAGE – New Glarus Jodlerklub (Yodel Club) (5 pm)
MAIN STAGE – Kerry Christensen, Master Yodeler (5:45 pm-6:15 pm)
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September 13, 2024 – September 15, 2024
Wo-Zha-Wa Days
“Wo-Zha-Wa” means “fun time” in the Ho-Chunk language, and Wisconsin Dells offers just that September 13-15! As one of the largest festivals in Wisconsin, Wo-Zha-Wa is a three day extravaganza with delicious food, a 100-unit parade, rousing live music, and arts and crafts that everyone can enjoy.
Wo-Zha-Wa’s flea market (Maxwell Street Days) always has new novel items to check out including gourmet dog treats, hand-made works of art, custom pieces of jewelry, organic cosmetics, and wood flowers made before your eyes. You can stroll through all these different stalls while chowing down on some of the festival’s favorite culinary treats, like kettle corn and alligator on a stick.
The whole family can enjoy themselves at Wo-Zha-Wa. The yearly Wo-Zha-Wa parade is a spectacle filled with floats, performers, and music that fills the entire street. The carnival rides are always a hit with the kids, who always get a thrill on the rides’ twists, turns, and spins.
When you attend, you’re invited to participate in a street carnival with refreshment concessions and the Wo-Zha-Wa Run, Wisconsin’s oldest long-distance race. Runners can take part in the challenging half-marathon course, or the fast-paced four-mile run.
Festival admission is free, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t go to this Wisconsin favorite!
All activities located in Downtown Wisconsin Dells & Bowman Park.
You can get to the Dells easily, of course: I-90/94, U.S. 12, or Highways 13, 16, or 23 all bring you there. Check their website for full details!
Here’s a video from a ways back of Wo-Zha-Wa Days (not that it’s much different now) to give you an idea:
Schedule of Events:
Friday, September 13th
All Day Concessions and Carnival Rides
8 am – 5 pm Maxwell Street Days
8 am – 6 pm Antique & Collectibles Market
Noon – 5 pm Arts & Crafts Fair
Noon – 5 pm Funtime Bounce Houses and Obstacle Course
3:30-5:30pm Kindschi Pedal Pulls
Saturday, September 14th
Day Concessions and Carnival Rides
Wo-Zha-Wa Run
8 am – 5 pm Maxwell Street Days
8 am Race for the Future Run Visit the website
8 am – 6 pm Antique & Collectibles Market
9am – 5 pm Arts & Crafts Fair
9am – 5pm Funtime Bounce Houses and Obstacle Course
Sunday, September 15th
All Day Concessions and Carnival Rides
8 am – 3 pm Maxwell Street Days
8 am – 3 pm Antique & Collectibles Market
9 am – 3 pm Arts & Crafts Fair
9 am – 3pm Funtime Bounce Houses and Obstacle Course
1:30 pm PARADE
Post Parade South Shore Performance at the Elm Street Plaza
Wo-Zha-Wa Days Website
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September 7, 2024
Oconomowoc Fall Festival
Celebrate the coming of fall with the Oconomowoc Fall Festival. This lovely town at the western edge of Waukesha County’s Lake Country has a bustling downtown nestled around Fowler Lake and Lac La Belle, and the big party is on Saturday, September 7th from 9am – 8pm, rain or shine.
There will be over 80 street vendors, lots of food, shopping, kids’ events, dancing, and festivities including a Beer Garden. Some details are still being adjusted, but for now there’s still a Chili Pepper Eating Contest in the afternoon, along with kayak races you can watch, or even participate in! Live music will punctuate the fun afternoon into evening.
Here’s the music lineup:
12:30pm – Candy Cigarette
2pm – The Stangs
4:15pm – Throw Back Stereo
7pm – Kingfish Band
An outdoor movie begins at dusk, extending the Oconomowoc Fall Festival well into the evening. While in Oconomowoc, check out the Wizard of Oz display in Oz Plaza along Wisconsin Avenue (the movie’s official premiere took place there on August 12, 1939), a great classic drive-in called The Kiltie, as well as craft breweries like Brewfinity and SteelTank.
You can get to Oconomowoc via Highway 16 or Highway 67. Forget the bypass routes; follow the original roads right into downtown. That includes Main Street, Summit Avenue, and Wisconsin Avenue. The downtown is three miles north of I-94, via Exit 282 – which is Highway 67.
Oconomowoc Fall Festival Address:
Wisconsin Avenue & Main Street (“city” Highways 16 & 67)
133 E. Wisconsin Avenue
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
(262) 567-1826
Website
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Sputnik Fest
The festival draws plenty of space fans – with Star Wars and Star Trek characters well-represented – costume contests, music, go-kart racing down 8th Street (there’s a bit of a hill towards the heart of downtown), food, drinks, and even an “alien drop”, where hundreds of mini-alien figures are dropped from a cherry picker – some with prizes. Even the hosting group, the Rahr-West Art Museum, calls it a “wacky tacky” weekend. Music from bands like Bazooka Joe add to the fun! Family fun continues with the Cosmic Kids Creation Station, which offers tye-dye, clay painting, and rocket building, plus live statues, portrait paintings, and more.
Sputnikfest Schedule of Events:
11:00-2:00PM DJ
11:30AM Photo Op with Sputnikfest Police (courtesy of the Masquers theater company)
12:00-5:00PM Art Space and Children’s Games
12:00-Noon 5K Art Walk/Run (register at: https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Manitowoc/Sputnikfest5KWalkRun)
1:00-3:00PM Meet and Greet with 501st Wisconsin Garrison
12:00PM Lakeshore 1st Robotics
2:00-6:00PM Musical entertainment by XPOSED 4 HEADS
3:00PM Pet Parade and contest
4:00PM Cosmic Kids Parade and contest
5:00PM Captain Space Debris (Alien Adults) Parade and Contest
6:00PM Alien Raffle Drop
Get more details here.
Sputnikfest Address:
Rahr-West Art Museum
610 N. 8th Street (8th & Park, U.S. 10 & Business 42)
Manitowoc, WI 54220
Website
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August 31, 2024 – September 1, 2024
Kites Over Lake Michigan
Kites Over Lake Michigan is one of the largest kite festivals in the Midwest and attracts kite fliers from all over. Check out giant show kites, precision stunt kite teams flying dual- and quad-line kites, spectacular and colorful ground displays, running of the bols, and games for kids! Learn how to fly two and quad line stunt kites from the experts.
Kites Over Lake Michigan continues at Two Rivers High School with other activities taking place along Lake Michigan nearby. It will take place Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st. This includes a night fly on Saturday night, conditions permitting.
Since the High School serves as the festival grounds, Walsh Field (on 22nd Street just before the turn into Neshotah Beach) will serve as the overflow parking area. A shuttle bus service will run between Walsh Field and the high school both days from 11 am to 5 pm. Please note that the bus will be limited to 23 people per trip to allow for social distancing, more if family members living together are present. All those using the shuttle will have to be masked. Also, pets are not allowed anywhere on school property.
Good news: Free kite making for kids will continue, taking place Sunday 9/2/24 at 9.00 am.
Great News: The Fireworks Show WILL take place, and it will happen Saturday evening at 8 pm. Fireworks will be shot off behind the Coast Guard Station, allowing people to spread out over a wide area and still have optimum viewing from various places along the waterfront.
Highway 42 is the road to both Neshotah Beach and Two Rivers High School; Highway 147 brings you to Two Rivers from the north, and Highway 310 provides quick access to and from I-43. Check out this colorful fest (which we need in 2020) September 5th and 6th!
Kites Over Lake Michigan Event Address:
Two Rivers High School
4519 Lincoln Avenue (Highway 42)
Two Rivers, WI 54241
(920) 793-9599
Website
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August 31, 2024 – September 1, 2024
Taste of Madison
Taste of Madison happens on the Capitol Square, one of the most dynamic and beautiful places in Wisconsin with the shops, restaurants, bars, museums, and more surrounding our gorgeous State Capitol. U.S. 151/Washington Avenue brings you closest, although U.S. 12, U.S. 14, U.S. 18, U.S. 51, and Highways 30 and 113 all bring you to Madison.
Taste of Madison Hours:
Saturday, August 31st 2pm – 9pm
Sunday, September 5th: 11am – 7pm
Get the full list of participating restaurants (with address and phone where available) below or from the Taste of Madison website!
All Star Catering
Arod’s Tex-Mex
Banzo
Bel-Air Cantina
Ben’s Soft Pretzels
Bob’s BBQ Emporium
Buraka East African Cuisine
Cafe Costa Rica – Mango Man Cooks
Caracas Arepas/Caracas Empenadas
Chez Moi
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company
Common Pasta
Cooper’s Hawk
Culinarynirvana
Curd Girl
Daddy Rocks
David’s Jamaican Cuisine
DonutNV
Draper Brothers Chophouse
El Gran Taco Gato
El Sabor de Puebla
Ernie’s Kettle Korn
Famous Dave’s
Fresh Mart
Gigi’s Cupcakes
Glazed
Gyros Express
Hibachi Hut
Hong Kong Cafe
Jakarta Cafe
JDs Taste of Chicago
Just Veggiez
KC Taste Asian Cuisine
Kerol’s Kitchen
Keur Fatou Catering
Kona Ice of Madison
La Pollera Columbiana
La Taguara
Lao Laan-Xang
Les Delices de Awa
Little Orbits Mini Donuts
Little Tibet Madison
Lombardino’s Restaurant
Melting Pot
6816 Odana Rd., Madison
608-833-5676
Milano Ice
6816 Odana Rd., Madison
608-572-5543
Mirch Masala
449 State St., Madison
608-665-3667
Monona Bakery & Eatery
4544 Monona Drive, Madison
608-720-1133
Native Food Network – Mobile Farmers Market
7 N. Pickney, Suite 235, Madison
608-280-1267
Natural Juice
7 N. Pinckney, Suite 235, Madison
608-628-9280
North & South Seafood & Smokehouse
6604 Mineral Point Rd., Madison
608-829-0093
The Old Fashioned
23 N. Pinckney, Madison
608-310-4545
Pagoda Smoothie Food Cart
People’s Bakery
2810 E. Washington Ave., Madison
608-245-0404
The Post
24 S. Carroll St., Madison
608-327-1101
Poke Poke
600 Williamson St., Madison
608-665-3306
RibMasters WI
Food Truck, Madison
608-669-0955
The Rigby Pub and Grill
119 E Main St, Madison
608-442-1112
The Rodeo Wagon
Food Cart
Roll Play
The Roman Candle
1054 Williamson St., Madison
608-258-2000
Sabor Queretano
4512 E. Washington Ave., Madison
608-209-0643
Savi Cafe & Catering
215 S. Hamilton, Madison
608-283-4903
Schultz’s Sugar River Kettle Corn
N9560 Hwy. 92, Belleville
608-217-9137
Smokin’ Cantina
Madison Food Cart
608-438-9643
Smokin’ Dragons
Soho Gourmet Cuisines
2990 Cahill Main #106, Madison
608-960-4011
Steak Escape
212 East Towne Mall, Madison
608-333-1103
Surco Peruvian
515 Cottage Grove Rd., Madison
608-957-1716
Tavernakaya
27 E. Main St., Madison
608-286-1548
Teriyaki Samurai
Food Cart, Madison
608-338-5660
The Globe
309 N. Henry St., Madison
608-640-4435
TnT’s Coffee & Cafe
729 N High Point Rd, Madison
608-831-2298
Toast
728 State Street, Madison
608-692-4549
Toppers
1368 Regent St., Madison
Ugly Apple
Food Cart
608-352-8459
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August 28, 2024 – September 2, 2024
Walworth County Fair
It’s the oldest county fair in Wisconsin – this will be its 175th year! The Walworth County Fair features livestock judging, exhibits, carnival rides, bull riding, concessions, harness racing, tractor and truck pulls, demolition derby, and free grandstand shows. Every long Labor Day weekend, the fair draws thousands of visitors to Elkhorn for this 6-day extravaganza, making it the single biggest event in Elkhorn and Walworth County.
“Stars, Stripes, and Fair Delights!” is the theme this year. Grandstand Events this year include:
There’s also the Strut Your Stuff Recipe Challenge, Rooster Crowing Contests, Barnyard Races, Fairest of the Fair, Bull Riding, a series of Horse Events, the Farmers Market & Old World Artisan Village, a Sunday morning Classic Car & Tractor Parade, and Kiddieland featuring barnyard adventures and kids’ entertainment. Plenty to do, see, eat, and enjoy at this historic venue!
I-43, U.S. 12, and Highways 11 and 67 all bring you to Elkhorn for the fun. Their website has all the updates and details, including a very full schedule!
Walworth County Fair Address:
411 E. Court Street
Elkhorn, WI 53121
(262) 723-3228
Website
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August 23, 2024 – August 24, 2024
Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon boat racing is not only one of the fastest growing water sports in the world; it is also one of the most exciting! As one of the largest festivals of its kind, The Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival in Superior holds this community-building tradition on Friday, August 23rd and Saturday, August 24th, 2024.
Watch the races at Barker’s Island, feast on fantastic food, enjoy celebratory music, song and dance, shop the craft fair, and commemorate the weekend with a time-honored awards ceremony.
On the first festival day, Barker’s Island is transformed into a small city where thousands of people from the Midwest U.S. and central Canada join in community, camaraderie and competition. It’s a weekend of live music and dancing, fantastic food and food trucks, hay rides, children’s crafts and entertainment, and an awards ceremony. Fireworks will light the sky that night, too!
Saturday the 24th begins early with the Optimists Club Breakfast and of course, more boats and parades. Children’s activities begin at 8am, and Dragon Boat Racing begins at 9am. There’s also the Craft Fair, the Stterlling Silver Dance Studio , the Rose Petal Ceremony, Korean Sword Demonstrations, Mark Rubin performing as he does every year, and of course the final race heats and the closing awards ceremony.
Get the full guide here!
You’ll find the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival in Superior just off U.S. 2/53 (2nd Street) close to Highways 13, 35, and I-535.
Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival Address:
Barker’s Island
300 Marina Drive
Superior, WI 54880
(715) 395-6169
Website
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August 23, 2024 – August 25, 2024
Artstreet
Music Lineup
MAIN STAGE
Friday 8/23/24
TBA
Saturday 8/24/24
TBA
Sunday 8/25/24
TBA
COMMUNITY STAGE
Friday 8/23/24
TBA
Saturday 8/24/24
TBA
Sunday 8/25/24
TBA
Ashwaubomay Park is an 84 acre park, conveniently located between the National Railroad Museum and the Brown County Fairgrounds, at 2881 South Broadway, 54304.
Artstreet Admission is free; donations, of course, are welcomed! You can get to downtown Green Bay via I-41 or I-43 via U.S. 141, or Highways 29, 32, 54, 57, or 172.
Artstreet Hours:
Friday, August 23 | 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm (music until 10 pm)
Saturday, August 24 | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (music until 9 pm)
Sunday, August 25 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Artstreet Address:
Ashwaybomay Park
2882 S. Broadway
Green Bay, WI 54304
(920) 435-5220
Website
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August 23, 2024 – August 25, 2024
Great River Folk Festival
The annual Great River Folk Festival is a family-friendly Saturday featuring outdoor contemporary and traditional folk music right in La Crosse’s beautiful Riverside Park. Along with the music, you can enjoy demonstrations of traditional crafts and plenty of craft items for sale from artists across the spectrum, ethnic food and children’s activities. The Driftless Folk School will be demonstrating Spoon Carving, Spindle Spinning and Small Basket weaving throughout the day—11 and 5 pm.
Check out the full music lineup below. Ticket prices range from $10 or Sunday only to $55 for all three days and nights of the festival (if you buy by August 18th, they’re $75 at the gate for all three days), with numerous options in between. Get details here.
Riverside Park is a beautiful space along the Mississippi River on the west edge of downtown La Crosse. Along with the Great River Folk Festival you’ll find historic and contemporary statutes, beautiful views of the river and bluffs, access to riverboats, restaurants, hotels, the Turtle Stack Brewing Company, and plenty of hotels to spend the night – all within easy walking distance.
Great River Folk Festival Music Schedule:
Activities in Riverside Park include:
U.S. 14, 53, and 61, as well as Highways 16, 33, 35, and I-90 all bring you to La Crosse, which has plenty of other fun things to check out, too!
Great River Folk Festival Address:
Riverside Park
100 State Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 784-3033
Website
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August 23, 2024 – August 25, 2024
Lake Geneva Maxwell Street Days
Lake Geneva is a great place to visit and shop, and Maxwell Street Days offers “Hot Deals for Those Hot Summer Days”!
Maxwell Street Days Annual Summer Sidewalk Sale returns with the best shopping steals of the year Friday, August 23rd through Sunday, August 25th with more than 25 years of great bargains on clothing, shoes, jewelry, gifts, artwork, sporting goods, books and more, plus fabulous food and entertainment from downtown shops and restaurants. Dine al fresco, enjoy live music, and celebrate the end of summer! offers extra opportunities to find bargains on some great stuff! Check out the list of participating locations here.
U.S. 12 and Highways 50 and 120 bring you to Lake Geneva, home to plenty of fun activities. Enjoy the downtown shops and restaurants, craft breweries like Topsy Turvy Brewing and MashTun Brewing, the beautiful beach along the shores of Geneva Lake, shows from the internationally-renown Tristan Crist Magic Theater to The Belfry, amazing golf courses including Geneva National and the Grand Geneva, winter skiing at Alpine Valley, The Mountaintop at Grand Geneva, and Wilmot Mountain… the list goes on!
Lake Geneva Maxwell Street Days Address:
Downtown Lake Geneva, centered on Highway 50 (Main Street) at Broad Street (see map)
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Info: (262) 248-4416
Website
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August 22, 2024 – August 25, 2024
West Bend GERMANFest
Welcome to the 38th Annual West Bend GERMANfest! This celebration of German Heritage and Gemütlichkeit takes place Thursday, August 22nd through Sunday, August 25th, 2024. GERMANfest is an outdoor festival featuring two stages of continuous ethnic and other music, authentic German food and dancing, Sheepshead tournaments, Kinderzone, fine selection of beer and wine, souvenirs, daily raffles, and more.
Take in all the food, fun, and Festlichkeit that awaits you and others as you enjoy the huge outdoor, tented danced floor, fabulous array of musical guests and of course excellent food and beverages. West Bend Germanfest is easy to find, located centrally on the corners of Walnut and Main Street in the heart of downtown West Bend, rich with history. Highways 33 and 144 meet in downtown West Bend, a few miles east of the U.S. 45 bypass of the city. The original U.S. 45, as Main Street, cuts right past the GERMANfest grounds. Check out Riverside Brewery while you’re there!
West Bend GERMANfest Address:
5th Avenue & Walnut Street
West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 338-0690
Website
2024 West Bend GERMANfest Music Lineup
Thursday, August 22nd
Liquid Crush 5:00pm – 7:30pm
Rebel Grace 8:00pm – 11:00pm
Friday, August 23rd
Cedar Singers 10:00-11:00am
Goodtime Dutchmen 11:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-2:00pm
John Dietz & the Twin Lakes Trio 12:00-1:00pm, 2:00-3:00pm
Ryan Kautzer Band 3:00pm-4:00pm, 5:00pm-6:00pm
Copper Box 4:00-5:00pm, 6:00-8:00pm
The Nix 8:00pm-11:00pm
Saturday, August 24th
Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt 10:00-11:00am
RiverCity Blaskapelle 11:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-2:00pm
Dave Austin Band 12:00-1:00pm, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Brian and the Mississippi Valley Dutchmen 3:00pm-4:00pm, 5:30-6:30pm
Lynn Marie and the Nashville Polka Guys 4:15pm-5:30pm, 6:45pm-8:00pm
Alex Meixner Band 8:00-11:00pm
Sunday, August 25th
The Mike Schneider Band 10:00am-11:00am, 11:45am-1:00pm
Pint Sixed Polkas 11am-11:45am
Lynn Marie and the Nashville Polka Guys 1:00pm-2:30pm, 4:00pm-5:30pm
Alex Meixner Band 2:30pm-4:00pm, 5:30pm-8:00pm
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