amish illinois

 

Miss Slice pulls Artie the Mouse down mainstreet Arthur Illinois during their annual Arthur Cheese Festival.

Arthur's Annual Cheese Festival

Each year Arthur blocks off the downtown and fills it streets with craft vendors, food, live entertainment, and ,of course, lots and lot of cheese. 

The events kick off on Saturday at noon at a ceremony where local celebrities and politicians make the first slice into a 300 pound wheel of cheese.  After that the wheel of cheese is sliced into hundreds of slices and then given out free to the public.  Each day of Cheese Festival has a cheese give away.  If you particularly love the taste of cheese Arthur also has the Cheese Eating Nationals where contestants compete to see how much of a 4 lb wheel can be eaten in one minute.

Cheese eating is not the only cheese event that takes place on Cheese Festival weekend.  Arthur Illinois is also the home International Cheese Curling Championships.  This year they are celebrating the eight year of the championships where teams of four people computer to see who can score the most points by landing a 4 lb wheel of cheese on a designated target.  Three members on a team compete by "curling", rolling or tossing", a "stone", wheel of cheese, down a smooth surface while one member keeps the playing surface smooth with a broom.

The Illlinois Amish Country Cheese Festival is not all about cheese though.  Hundreds of craft and food vendors line the streets on Labor Day weekend.  Everything from homemade jewelry to homemade corn dogs are available for the tens of thousands of visitors from around the country.  Also, each year the Cheese Festival hosts live entertainment for everyone to see and hear.

Come enjoy Illinois Amish country and a great small town festival this year in downtown Arthur.  If you would like more information please visit ArthurCheeseFestival.com .  If you need info on lodging or tours while you are in the area please visit ACM Tours.