Monroe, WI

There is a lot going on in Cheese Country this first weekend in October!

The annual Chili Cookoff and Oktoberfest is happening on Monroe's downtown Square on Saturday. Chili judging happens at noon, and all proceeds benefit Monroe Youth Hockey. There will also be face painting, a pumpkin patch, scarecrow making, balloons and music. The Monroe Farmer's Market is also running on the Square on Saturday from 7 am until noon.

Before or after your visit to the Chili Cookoff, walk over to the library for the annual Monroe Stamp and Post Card show. The show is open from 10 am until 3 and will be in the second floor meeting room of the library. There will be a silent auction of post cards and stamps as well.

The Wisconsin Solar Tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, and there are stops in the area. Up in Blanchardville, visit the Hankley House. Inn Serendipity, a favorite of this blog, is open between Clarno and Browntown. New this year is the Monroe Super 8. Now Travel Green certified, the hotel has a wide array of environmental and energy conersving systems in place.

Fall festivals abound! The village of Albany is having their fall festival on Saturday in downtown Albany, and St Victor's in Monroe is having theirs as well on Saturday and Sunday.

A new exhibit is opening in Frehner Gallery this evening. "Fall into Art" with the Driftless Area Artists is a multi-media exhibit, and the opening reception is from 5 until 7 pm this evening. Come back on Saturday from 10 until 4 for Art in Action, an event designed to bring the public closer to the art and the artists. There will be video studio tours, and the artists will be on hand to demonstrate their art and discuss with the public.

As mentioned in my last post, Berghoff and Blues is happening this weekend in conjunction with Cheese Days.

The festival, now in its 11th year, features excellent blues performers and Berghoff Beer, brewed locally by our own Minhas Craft Brewery. Our brewery is the oldest continuously operating brewery in the Midwest, and it turns out wonderful products like Minhas brews, Huber beers including Berghoff and Blumers sodas.

The brewery is open for tours this weekend, as it is most weekends. Come, learn about the brewing process and then stay for some music and refreshments. Concessions stands will be operated by Monroe's Lions Club to raise money for local projects.

The festival schedule this year is as follows:

Friday, Sept 19:

6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Perry Weber & the Devilles featuring Tony Menzer & Jimmy Voegeli

Saturday Sept 20:

1:00 - 3:15 p.m. Ernie & the Po Boys

3:45 - 6:30 p.m. The Blue Olives

7:00 - 9:30 p.m. The Crashers

This week's featured property is a commercial building in Monroe. Space, space and more space. If this is what your business needs, come spread out in this commercial building just off of Monroe's downtown square.

You will have all the room your business needs with nearly 4500 square feet of commercial space spread out over two floors. The location is superb, just one block off of the square on a busy corner next to the library. Off street parking insures that your customers will always be able to find a spot to park, giving your business an edge over other downtown businesses. Combine this building with the available parking lot across the street for even more parking space if warranted.

Updates have been done inside in recent years, including a new furnace, new water heater and more.

If this is more space than your business needs, the zoning allows for residential use as well. Convert the upstairs to apartments and earn additional income on your investment.

This is a fantastic opportunity to buy property near the bustling downtown. Be sure to come view this space if you are looking for a new home for your business!