Tag Archive | Middleton

26th Annual National Mustard Day in Middleton

Sep18

8-6-13

2016-Mustard Day poster

The last time we were able to attend the Mustard festival was in 2013. The festival always begins with the National Mustard Museum‘s Curator Barry Levenson kicks off the event with mustard songs and thanking the many sponsors.

Barry Levenson and Madison Accordion band

Here are the words to the songs, audience participation highly encouraged!

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The music is played by the Madison Accordion Band, dubbed the POUPON U Accordion Band during the festival.

vi-bergum in Madison Accordion

The Duchess of Mustard is the star of the show! Everyone wanted pictures with her. She makes her own special hats, quite the talent! She can also yodel and did so for the growing audience.

After the opening ceremony we mingled with the crowd and took in the sights.

Mustard Festival Crowd

Get your picture with the French’s Mustard bottle or the Culver’s mascot Scoopie! We posed with Scoopie in 2013, not this year.

frenchs-mustard-selfie-at-festival

Scoopie and us 8-3-13

Culver’s also had a mustard custard made special just for this festival.

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The Weinermobile was also there for selfies, since Oscar Mayer provided the hot dogs for sale.

Weinermobile at Mustard Festival

Love the beer mug hats this couple is wearing.

beer-mug-hats-at-mustard-festival

Of course we had to stop inside the mustard Museum itself and look at the mustards on display. Very impressive!

National Mustard Museum in Middleton

National Mustard Museum display

Got Mustard Statue in Mustard Museum

The museum sells about 400 mustards and ALL are available for tasting before buying. How else would you know if you like it!

Mustard Tasting

There was even a movie theater downstairs showing mustard videos.

Mustard Theater at Mustard Museum

After the museum I stopped by the souvenir tent. Even after the event, you can still pick up many of these items in the museum.

Souvenir tend at Mustard Festival

Enjoy the music entertainment at the festival, the Madison Accordion band and the Red Hot Horn Dawgs.

Lots of fun games too for both kids and adults. Feed the Curator is tossing mustard packets into the mouth of Barry Levenson and win a bottle of mustard!

Feed the Curator game

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Another great day at the National Mustard Day festival.

vi-bergums-hat

Pope Farm Conservancy in Middleton

Sep6

7-23-16

The Pope Farm Conservancy in Middleton is a beautiful park, formerly a farm owned by Art Pope. Here is a map of the grounds.

Pope Conservancy map

There are other small garden plots within the park. The crops of Wisconsin are represented here.

Crops of Wisconsin sign

Wisconsin crops

The path leading to the large sunflower field.

Path at Pope Conservancy

We were not here long since a storm was coming. The sunflowers were beautiful!

Sunflower sign

Sunflowers at Pope Conservancy

Sunflower field at Pope Farm

The sunflower season is short so be sure to stop in when they are blooming! The last week of July is their Sunflower Days event. They love visitors any time of the year though and donations gratefully accepted!

Sunflower closeup at Pope Conservancy

Middleton – The Good Neighbor City

Jan6

Welcome to Middleton! This community of 18,000 is just west of Madison and has a lot to offer. My husband and I spent several months exploring, it’s that big. Let’s explore the city’s more humble beginnings.This sign is at Mendota County Park, on the site was a fur-trading post in 1832. Harry Barnes, the town of Middleton’s first Postmaster, named it after a community in Vermont. The year was 1848 when it separated from the Town of Madison.

Many historic buildings still stand and are still in use today. Here you can learn about the many Landmarks in the city. The Stamm House has the proud distinction of being a way station on the Underground Railroad.

The Old Blacksmith Shop on 2645 Branch St.

Also on Branch St. is the Club Tavern or Ye Old Tavern, a popular place still today.

Downtown has a large number of historic buildings, housing great local businesses. One of our favorites is The National Mustard Museum, site of the Mustard Festival every first Saturday in August.

The former Opera House.

Louisianne’s, Etc. for great New Orleans’ style cuisine and sometimes live music, especially around Mardi Gras. The Hubbard Ave Diner and Bakery also has great food.

Railroad history remains in the downtown area. Here is the steam train water tower. Also the former Depot, now a visitor center and museum.

The other historic Museum is in the Rowley Residence, still owned by the family.

For great shopping and more dining, Greenway Station is nearby.

One of the most interesting spots in Middleton is the historic Boathouse Association. It is a row of pretty little houses on the shore of Lake Mendota.

It was impossible to get all of the boathouses in one shot, except in a boat or on the ice in winter. Here are all the houses, taken in the winter of 2015.