The Annual Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival, to be held between June 4 and 6, 2010, will be celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. The festival, which will open on Friday, 5 PM, promises to be a unique amalgamation of food and music, a combination as old as civilization itself.

The opening ceremony of the festival will feature a cheese curd eating contest, which is sure to bring a few laughs on the sidelines as well as musical entertainment provided by RPM. 

On the second day, there is a big cheese parade, wherein you will see people dressed up as cheese of different kinds, among other things, parading in front of you. This is sure to whip up your appetite for cheese, right? Don’t worry, you have further free cheese tasting to satisfy that craving.

For entertainment, there will be cheese carving demonstrations, in which participants will carve out interesting shapes out of blocks of cheese and if you feel like, you can try your hand as well. For children, there is petting zoo, where they can mingle with the animals and learn about nature. Besides, the second day also has musical entertainment by Half Empty, Straight Chuters and Sonic Circus musical groups. Don’t forget to bring along some cheese to nibble on while tapping your feet to the music.

On the third and last day of the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival 2010, get ready for the sumptuous big cheese breakfast, to be held at LC Civic Center. However, be there very early in the morning because you don’t want to miss out on the best seats, right? There is more free cheese tasting on the sidelines and more entertainment for children.

Well, it is a cheese festival, isn’t it? So, how can it be complete without some cheesecake contest. There is one scheduled for Sunday itself and there are band performances of Homemade Brew and McInnis. We told you, wherever cheese goes, the music follows!!!

On all three days, there are food booths, novelty booths and children’s rides, which come at $ 1 per ride so that couples who come with kids do not feel weighed down for lack of children’s entertainment.

History: The festival first opened in 1988 as an attempt to celebrate the dairy industry of the state and since then, it is organized at the Doyle Park, Little Chute in acknowledgment of the cheese producers of the area. This family event features music, cheese contests, carving competitions, and what not.

Admissions: You require an admission pass to enter the festival grounds on Friday as well Saturday. On Sunday the festival grounds are free for admission. You can purchase advance admission passes, which will cost you $ 4 (age 13 and up) and $ 2 (age 4 to 12). Kids under the age of three  do not require any advance admission pass. In case you forgot to purchase the passes, never mind. You can also get them at the entry itself. However, at the festival grounds gate, the passes come for $ 5 and $ 3, respectively.

If cheese, music and fun are not reason enough for you to visit this festival, be informed that the proceeds from this even will be donated to the community through scholarships, school donations and development projects.

In case you want to know more about the festival, visit here.
(Photo Courtesy: www.littlechutewi.org, 2.bp.blogspot.com)