LITTLE CHUTE, Wis. — Things feel a little more like a normal summer at Doyle Park in Little Chute.

Joe Harlow and staff are busy with the final setup for the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival.

What You Need To Know

  • The Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival runs through the weekend in Little Chute

  • Like many others, it was put on hold in 2020 but is back with some changes.

  • Proceeds from the event are invested back in community projects

“It’s been a little bit of a scramble and we’ve certainly had to make some adjustments,” he said Friday afternoon, hours before the kickoff of the event. “There are somethings we weren’t able to do, things we adjusted to do. But, as you get here and the tents are up and the excitement starts to build, it’s starting to feel like Cheese Fest again.”

The event includes bands, $1 amusement rides, a parade, cheese samples and cheese carving on various days through the weekend. Proceeds from the festival go back to community projects.

“When you didn’t have the festival last year — which is the first time in over 30 years we didn’t have the festival — when we started to plan for this one it felt like we hand’t done it for 10 years,” Harlow said. “That gap is really real”

For vendors and game and ride operators, setting up for a weekend event feels a little more like old times.

Russell Geasland, a game operator from Oshkosh, said he did one event last year and hopes this is the start of a more typical summer with multiple festivals and fairs.

“Extremely anxious and extremely excited to be out here,” Geasland said.

Harlow said organizers have been working with the county health department and are following the Center for Disease Control's recommendation that unvaccinated people wear masks in large outdoor gatherings.

“We’ve spread this out a little bit to give a little more distancing in the carnival area,” he said. “There’s extra hand washing stations and something they’re doing for extra safety precautions. There will be extra hand sanitizing stations throughout the park grounds as well.”

Harlow said he and other members of the festival board are excited to again see people at their event.

“You know, having the crowds here is the reward for us,” he said.

Admission Friday and Saturday is $5 for adults and $3 for kids ages 4 to 12. It’s good all weekend.

Admission is free Sunday.

More information on the festival is available here.