By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Oct 11, 2022 at 3:01 PM Photography: Lori Fredrich

’Tis Dining Month, the tastiest time of year! This means we’re dishing up fun and fascinating food content throughout October. Dig in, Milwaukee! OnMilwaukee Dining Month is served up by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino and Wollersheim Winery & Distillery.

 

Saturday marks one of the most delicious days on the calendar: National Cheese Curd Day. And what better way to celebrate the squeakiest, cheese-stretchiest 24 hours of the year than a full-on festival?

Indeed, brace your stomach, because Drink Wisconsibly Pub is bringing back Curd Fest, cooking up a glorious day of golden brown deliciousness at its Deer District hub on Saturday, Oct. 15. Running from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., it's a foodie fest so appetizing that even the lactose intolerant will want to attend. Tickets are available right here – but in case it somehow wasn't already very clear why you would want to attend a curd-obsessed cheese curd party centered on serving countless curds, here are five reasons why you should squeak I mean seek out Curd Fest this weekend. 

1. Curds on curds on curds on curds

I mean ... duh.

In case it wasn't obvious, the curd party held on National Cheese Curd Day is going to have a lot of cheese curds – and I mean A LOT of cheese curds. The dairy-filled day will feature squeaky, stretchy samples from a number of tasty vendors and restaurants – currently including Lakefront Curd Wagon, The MECCA Sports Bar & Grill, Who's on Third (which should obviously be renamed Who's on Curd for the day, in my opinion), Crafty Cow and Pepperpot. As the hosts of the craveable celebration, Drink Wisconsinbly Pub will obviously join in on dishing out the deliciousness too, with Ellsworth cold cheese curds on the menu in honor of the curds from its original Walker's Point location. History's never been so scrumptious!

It's a lineup of such dairy delight that everyone's sure to leave cheesin'. 

2. Guilt-free feasting

In case somehow merely hearing about an afternoon of cheese-chomping delight doesn't get your stomach happily rumbling in eager anticipation, you can work up a suitable appetite during Curd Fest thanks to its half-mile trot around Fiserv Forum. Whether you're running, walking or polka-ing through the micro-marathon on Saturday, you'll definitely have earned a cheese curd (or 471 of them) afterward. See, Curd Fest is healthy ... or so I'll convince myself when I'm on my 76th serving of fried cheese on the afternoon.

3. Live chedd-art

I would argue that cheese curds are already a beautiful work of delicious edible art. In case you need more convincing, however, thanks to Culver's, Curd Fest will feature the crafty carving of Sarah Kauffmann, aka The Cheese Lady, who will turn a 40-pound block of cheese into an in-curd-ible piece of culinary creativity. And while some say the creative process can be difficult and stressful, in this particular instance, it'll be delicious because while Kauffmann is carving away, attendees will be able to snack on the edible edits sliced away from the sculpture. So here's to the final product being very small. 

4. Polka party

What's the perfect soundtrack to a Wisconsin queso soiree? Polka, obviously – so Curd Fest will feature the Mike Schneider Band setting the perfect scene throughout Saturday, whether it's motivating you to dance through the run/walk or motivating you to chow down on yet another serving of cheese curds on the afternoon. Curd Fest: a treat for the senses beyond just the taste buds!

5. Tasty bonuses

Tickets for Curd Fest are available at Eventbrite as we speak – and while obviously the access to curds upon curds is the headliner, admission comes with plenty of other perks "whey" beyond cheese. For $45, a VIP ticket not only serves up curd samples but also a Curd Fest t-shirt, sticker commemorating the run-walk, a Curd Fest coozie and a Drink Wisconsinbly lager to help wash down the delectible golden nuggets. Even if you settle for the $20 general admission, you still score the bonus beer and the Curd Fest coozie – arguably the most Sconnie item a Wisconsinite could possess. So no matter which ticket you go for on Saturday, you'll leave Curd Fest with more than just a full stomach. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.