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.

culvers-mustard-custard-2016

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

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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.

Mendota County park Mendota sign

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.

Stamm House in Middleton Wisconsin

The Old Blacksmith Shop on 2645 Branch St.

Old Blacksmith Shop

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

The Club Tavern in Middleton WI

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.

National Mustard Museum

Mustard Tasting

National Mustard Museum display

The former Opera House.

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.

Louisianne's Etc. in Middleton

Hubbard Avenue Diner and Bakery in Middleton

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

Train Water tower  Middleton Depot

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

Rowley Residence Museum in Middleton WI

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

Greenway Station

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.

Middleton Boathouse Company plaque

Middleton Boathouse Company houses

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.

Middleton Boat Houses frame

For a great getaway close to Madison, Middleton cuts the mustard!

Summer 2013

Sep2

May – Augustraisin bran reflector 75x75

Wow, what a great summer! I don’t think we could have packed much more in. Wisconsinites tend to start summer in May since there is so much going on and warm days don’t last long. We were no exception. Our summer began May 13 with our trip to Cedarburg.

grist-mill altered

May 16 – Milwaukee sightseeing 

 

May 18 – Muscoda Morel Mushroom Festival.

signTame big ones

May 27- World’s Largest Brat Fest

Brat Tent

June 1 – Cows on the Concourse  and Cars on State Street

Cows 001100_9388

June 11 – Paoli and Stoughton

6-11 090Chicken Heads

OH 3 Clocktower CenterCoffeeBreakMug

June 15 – Cottage Grove (Fireman’s Festival)

Cottage Grove Wisconsin signFlynn Hall

June 20 – Waterloo

WatertowerIMG_7617

June 23-Cedarburg  and Hartford

June 28 – Pendarvis and Shake Rag Alley

Mineral Point Pendarvis House

Mineral Point Pendarvis House

6-30 Sauk City  Wollersheim Winery

6-30 2816-30 684

7-4 Independence Day in DeForest

DeForest WI DepotDeForest July 4th Parade 2013

7-8 Marshall

Blaschka Mill

Blaschka Mill

Marshall Wisconsin Train Track

Marshall Wisconsin Train Track

7-13 Le Fete de Marquette and Art Fair on/off the Square

Ferris WheelLa Fete de Marquette Festival picture

7-18  Madison Mallard’s Baseball  and Waunakee

Waunakee Depot and train

7-22 Oregon

Downtown Oregon Wisconsin

7-27 Greek Fest , Clean Lake Festival and Atwood Summer Fest 

Greek Assumption Church MadisonPericles Productions

7-28 Fennimore

Fennimore Railroad Museum

8-3 Middleton Mustard Festival

National Mustard MuseumDuchess de Mustard and us

8-9 Algoma and Green Bay and Rosendale

Algoma lighthouseGreen Bay Packer Game

8-10 Susie the Duck Day in Lodi

Susie and Maynard

8-15 Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival

Freshly steamed corn40600164

8-18 Triangle Ethnic Fest 

8-23 Orton Park Festival

Orton Park GazeboMarquette Waterfront Festival dancing

8-24 Town of Burke Picnic 

8-25 Circus World Museum

Circus World Museum Hippodrome

8-31 Taste of Madison

Fraboni's Italian Specialties

Whew!  🙂

 

National Mustard Day Festival in Middleton

Aug4

8-3-13  or first Saturday of August

I have not been to this festival in four years so I was real happy that this year it worked out. Barry Levenson is the owner and curator of the National Mustard Museum in Middleton.  This is his moment to shine, he is very excited during the festival and it shows when he mixes and mingles with the crowd.

At 9:30 the event kicks off with the Accordion Band, headed by the Duchess of Mustard, who also yodeled for the crowd.

Accordion Band

Soon Barry arrives to kick off the festival and to thanks his sponsors.

Barry Levenson 8-3-13

He even took a picture with us a little later. What an honor!  We had many pictures taken with the many mascots wandering about.

Barry Levenson and us 8-3-13French's Mustard Mascot 8-3-13

Scoopie and us 8-3-13Duchess de Mustard and us

It was time for lunch! Hot dogs were offered for free, $1 donation encouraged for each hot dog.  Merchandise was for sale also, and lots of it.  Culver’s  was there selling their famous Mustard Custard, made and sold ONLY at this festival.  Its an interesting taste.

Mustard Custard

It was quite busy inside the museum and store as well, for some people their first time going there.

National Mustard Museum

They also offer mustard tasting so you can pick the perfect mustard 🙂

Mustard Tasting

The museum is downstairs. The collection is over 5000 mustards and mustard pots, used to keep a personal supply of mustard with you at the dinner table.

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We were entertained by two wonderful groups. The first one was the Red Hot Horn Dawgs. They got everyone going playing popular classic rock songs.

RedHotHornDawgs logoRed Hot Horn Dawgs

Next up was Harmonious Wail.  Their genre is Gypsy swing, a combination that  works better than you would think!

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While I was taking pictures of the group, a Photographer from the Capital Times took my picture in turn.  It was up on their website today!

Photo by Michelle Stocker, Capital Times, Madison.

Photo by Michelle Stocker, Capital Times, Madison.

This was the best Mustard Fest ever, we highly recommend going if you love mustard!

Weinermobile and us as hot dogs

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