ELLSWORTH – The Cheese Curd Festival is taking place this Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24 in Ellsworth’s East End Park and business district. Ellsworth is the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin and the Cheese Curd Festival is the nation’s first and original celebration of the squeaky white morsels that continue to attract a cult following.

Cheese curd fans devour 3 tons of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery cheese curds during the event, along with your favorite Sconnie BBQ, brick oven pizzas, and more delicious cheese curd dishes along Food Truck Alley.

The Journal asked Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kim Beebe, who is also part of the Cheese Curd Festival planning committee, questions about the event.

Could you give us a preview of what attendees can expect this year?

The event can best be described as part food and beer celebration and part music festival. Attendees get their fill of hand-battered deep-fried cheese curds and curd-infused dishes, along with craft beer, regional wines, and hard ciders. To top it all off, an eclectic mix of music, interactive tasting experiences, a Festival Market, and classic car show.

The Cheese Curd Festival is known for its delicious cheese curds. Can you tell us more about the variety of cheese curds that will be available at the festival? Are there any unique or special flavors that visitors can look forward to trying?

Every year we work with Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery to create a unique signature cheese curd flavor to fry up for festival guests. Past flavors have included Jalapeno Bacon, Pizza, and Dill Pickle. This year’s flavor was a tough one and took a few months to develop. However, we think everyone is going to be blown away by Nacho Supremo. With flavors of taco, sour cream, onion, and a slight jalapeno pepper heat, they literally taste like nachos. We can’t wait for guests to try this never-before-fried cheese curd flavor at this year’s festival. 

Of course, there will also be plenty of our traditional Natural deep friend cheese curds, as well as the Cinnamon Sugar dessert deep-fried cheese curds that everyone loves so much and are exclusive to the Cheese Curd Festival.

In addition to cheese curds, what other culinary delights will be at the festival?

 Seventeen professional food vendors will be on hand to serve up their specialties at the event. Each food vendor incorporates cheese curds into their menu, making the Cheese Curd Festival an event where guests can try unique creations that aren’t usually offered at other events. Guests can try gyros, egg rolls, funnel cakes, grilled cheeses, pizzas, sweet treats, and more, all incorporating the festival’s starring food, cheese curds.

Several unique tasting experiences will also be offered during the event. The Corks & Kegs adult tasting experience is a happy hour like no other. The event features local and regional craft beer, wine, and hard cider, with unlimited sampling and light appetizers.

Six local breweries battle it out for the best brew and cheese curd flavor pairing during Craft & Curd: Paired. Who wins in this ultimate brewery face-off is up to festival guests. They are the judges for this intense (and tasty) competition!

During the festival's Block Party, attendees take a delicious trip around the state by sampling unique Wisconsin cheeses, each with their own Claim to Fame. Over 30 types of cheeses will be available for tasting with guest cheese experts on hand to share how our dairy state, and all our cheeses, came to be so famous, not only in the Midwest but all around the world.

There are family-friendly tasting experience, too, such as the Ice Cream Tasting and Milk and Cookie Pairing events.

Tasting events take place in the Taste of Wisconsin tasting tent. Advance tickets are available for purchase for some events. More information can be found on the event’s website.

The festival is not just about food. Tell us about any live performances, entertainment, or activities that will be taking place during the festival.

All those cheese curds will be served up with a heaping side of music. Popular regional musical acts, ranging from solo acoustical country and rock artists to several piece bands playing blues, jazz, Cajun funk, and soulful genres will perform on festival stages offering a near continuous stream of music.

A Hard Day’s Night, the popular Beatles tribute band, Left Wing Bourbon, and Jack Knife & The Sharps will be back to the festival again this year. They are always popular and so much fun. New acts this year include The Oatmeal Band, The Resonators, Oly (Eric Olson), Vivian Hayes & the Hi-Praise, and Inside Straight Blues Band. Plus, several other regional favorites will be performing during the event.

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery is just east of the festival grounds. Attendees will want to make the pilgrimage to the cooperative that earned Ellsworth their official Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin designation.

Browse the Festival Market for unique handmade and hand-crafted items. In addition, the 5 and 10K run and classic car show offer additional interactive family-friendly experiences. In staying true to the area’s agricultural roots, a corn dig and straw bale playland give the kids plenty of opportunity to have fun. And the festival wouldn’t be complete without the Cheese Curd Eating Contest. Compete as an individual or a two-person team or join in the fun as a spectator. Contestants will compete for cash, prizes, and bragging rights.

Is there anything else new at the festival this year?

Guest should keep an eye out for the E-town Arts murals throughout the east end area. The murals are part of a mural walk initiative to support the revitalization of the east end business district. Some of the murals have fun interactive elements and all make great selfie-spots!

Once on the festival grounds, attendees can access SwiftCurrent Connect’s complimentary high-speed wifi service.

Where is the best place to park for the festival?

Parking for the festival couldn’t be easier. We have designated parking areas at the Ellsworth Elementary and High School parking areas off Piety Street, as well as the Pierce County Office Building on Kinne Street and the Pierce County Fairgrounds. Continuous shuttles will take guests from the parking areas, dropping them off at the entrance of the festival. They can hop on a shuttle anytime to head back to their vehicles. It’s much faster and way more convenient than searching out a parking space and walking in. Even better, both parking and shuttle service are complimentary.

Admission to the Cheese Curd Festival is free, with tickets required for some events. You’ll find a complete event schedule, tickets, and directions at CheeseCurdFestival.com, and breaking festival news and announcements on Facebook at fb.com/CheeseCurdFestival.