THE SWISS COLONY CHEESE DAYS PARADE
2024

Every year in June, the cows of Switzerland head up to alpine pastures to graze. Every autumn, they return home. Green County Cheese Days would like to thank the local farm families and their herds, and the New Glarus Yodel Club for depicting this tradition for the parade.

Known as “der Alpabzug” in the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland, the return of the cows is marked by festivities including markets, live music, cheese tasting, flag throwing and alphorns. 

Sounds a bit like Cheese Days, don’t you think?

Parade MC: Matt Urban
Banner Carriers: Monroe School Students
Parade Chairpersons: Shauna Bergemann and Amy Becker
Pre-parade entertainment - Andy Linder - Hacky Sack World Record Holder & Stilt Walkers

Division 1

1. Green County Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard

2. Monroe Rural Fire Department

3. THE SWISS COLONY CHEESE DAYS PARADE - Banner

4. Cheese Days Parade Marshals – Lee Binkley and Randy Ninmer

5. Swiss Goat Parade, Froseth Family & Friends

6. Cows on Parade, Local Dairy Farmers

7. Chris Mouse and Colony Brands,

8. Cheese Days King and Queen, Tony and Esther Zgraggen and Zgraggen Family – trucks courtesy of New Glarus Fire Dept.

9. Cheese Days Prince and Princess, Reid Krueger and Stella Doyle

10. Swiss Center of North America, President Bekah Stauffacher

11. Bucky Badger & Cheer Team, UW-Madison

12. Green County Cheese Days WHEEL OF SWISS Sponsors

Division 2

1. The “Almost Famous” Cheesemaker Dancers,

2. “We are the Green County Cheesemakers”, Past and Present Cheesemakers of Green County

3. Monroe High School Marching Band

4. The Big Cheese, Randy Pitman, Sponsored by The Foreign Type Cheesemaker’s Association

5. V&V Supremo Foods

6. Mario’s Cheese Castle, Monona Plumbing

7. St. Victor School is Fondue of Jesus

8. New Glarus Fire Department Ladder Team

9. Green County Dairy Queen, Keira Brunner, Sponsored by the Green County Ag Chest

10. Green County Dairy Princess, Reese Speth, Sponsored by the Green County Ag Chest

11. Green County Cheese Days GOLDEN CHEESE Sponsors

Division 3

1. Limburger in Paradise, Monroe Truck Equipment

2. Green County EMS, Celebrating 50 Years

3. “Spreading” Our Love for the Dairy Industry, Kuhn North America

4. Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southeastern Wisconsin

5. Monroe Cheesemakers Athletes, Monroe Cheesemaker Booster Club

6. Cheese Days Ambassador, Breanna Brooks

7. Must Wrestle Cheese, Monroe Wrestling Club

8. Our Youth Sports Aren’t just GOUDA, they are GRATE! Green County Family YMCA

9. New Glarus Yodel Club

10. 1922 Rumley Tractor, Dr. David E. Reeson

11. Wedgie – Cheese Days Mascot

12. Green County Cheese Days BIG CHEESE Sponsors

Division 4

1. City of Monroe Mayor, Donna Douglas, accompanied by Monroe Cheesemakers Cheerleading

2. Monroe American Legion Auxiliary Unit 84 & Poppy Princess, Alexys Crooks

3. Monroe Swiss Singers, Sponsored by Wisconsin Bank and Trust

4. Cecil Jones VFW Post 2312, Green County Veterans

5. AMVETS Post 69, New Glarus, WI

6. Freeport High School NJROTC,

7. Madison Brass Band

8. McConnell Legion Post 1225, Rock City, IL

9. New Glarus Wilhelm Tell Usherettes

10. Rocket Cycle and Spongy the Fun Truck

11. Emmi Roth Cheesemakers, Madeline Kuhn and Erjon Mucollari

Division 5

1. Brodhead High School Band

2. Brodhead Juda Cheer Team

3. Cheese Days Past Royalty

4. Chalet Cheese Cooperative Cheesemakers, Bob Bobak & Ashley O’Connor Penniston

5. Stilt Walkers

6. Recycling is our Way of Life, Alter Metal Recycling, Monroe, WI

7. Brookside Farm Clydesdales, Sparta, WI

8. Jack Links – Feed Your Wild Side, New Glarus, WI

9. Aged to Perfection, New Glarus Home

10. Green County Ag Chest Community Dairy Queens

11. Dairy Goat Shelter, The Cottage Works

Division 6

1. National Historic Cheesemaking Center Museum

2. Mainstreet “Cownseling” of Monroe – The Happiest Cows come from Green County

3. Jesse White Tumbling Team

4. Grande Cheese

5. Dakota High School Marching Band, Dakota, IL

6. Not Much is Cheddar than this, TDS Telecom

7. 1951 Farmall ‘M’, Bill Loveland

8. Celebrating 100 Years in Cheese Country, Monroe Golf Club

9. Our Therapy Dogs are Pawsitively Cheesy! Southern WI Canine Therapy Dog Association

10. Past Green County Dairy Queens, Sponsored by the Green County Ag Chest

Division 7

1. Breakfast on the Farm Hosts, Alan & Yvonne DeVoe 2023, Jeff & Julie Nimtz 2024, Sponsored by Green County Ag Chest

2. Cancer Stinks, Justice For A Cure

3. Old Folk Is Better Than Cheddar

4. 1957 McCormick Farmall 450 Tractor, Mike Moellenberndt

5. 1954 McCormick Farmall Super MTA Tractor, Don Gritmacker

6. Lena-Winslow Marching Band

7. Dotty’s Cheese Collection, Dotty the Clown

8. Circus Calliope, KK Lawn & Sport

9. From Cow to Curd, We’ve Got Your Back, SSM Health Monroe Clinic

10. Let’s Make Moo Sic! Wundrow’s Brown Swiss, Poplar Grove, IL

11. Faessler Family and “Hans” the Appenzeller

Division 8

1. Big Bird, guided by Pastor Blake and the flock from Redemption Church

2. First National Bank and Trust Company

3. Grand Champion Cheesemaker, Steven Stettler, Sponsored by Foreign Type Cheesemaker’s Association

4. 1st Brigade Band, Watertown, WI

5. Cheese City Moose Float, Monroe Moose Lodge 754

6. QPS Cheese Team, QPS Employment Group

7. Alpine Cow, Monroe Health Services

8. We Like to Moooove It! Mooooove It! Studio M Dance Academy

9. Life is Gouda! Azura Memory Care

10. A “Hole” Lotta Fun! Green County Special Olympics

Division 9

1. The JAM Band - with students from Juda, Albany and Monticello Schools

2. High Wheel Bicyclist, Jonathan Bee

3. 2024 Cheese Days Prince and Princess Contestants

4. Bots – A – Rella, Quest Industrial

5. Wheels of Cheese, The Bike Haus

6. Appaloosa Horse, Linda Buol

7. It’s GOUDA to talk about Mental Health, TUGS

8. Cole B & The Muenster’s, A Cheesy Group of Gouda Musicians

9. Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner, Green County Beef Producers

10. Patches the Clown

Division 10

1. ATVs/UTVs of Pec Valley, Monticello & Green County

2. Miss Wisconsin 2024, Mandi Genord, Sponsored by Family Chiropractic Clinic – Dr. Tom Thompson

3. Second Century Brass Quintet

4. Stilt Walkers

5. Green County 4-H: Green County Gold

6. Moooove with DC Rise Real Estate

7. Farmall Tractor Powered by a Honda Motorcycle Engine, Homer Weber

8. Wheel of Cheese Home, Tru Home

9. The Haus of Iron, Iron Haus

10. Smokin’ Joe’s Smoking Trailer