Green County 2019 Guide

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PETER ETTER: WILLKOMMEN

Join Andres and Kristi for a dining experience you won’t forget!

and Etter decided that was what he wanted to do, too. After teaching for several years, he decided to earn his principal and superintendent certifications from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Etter served the New Glarus School District as superintendent, elementary principal and business manager. After he retired, Etter was one of the most requested substitute teachers in the New Glarus, Monticello, and Belleville School Districts. ‘Udderly Etter’ is a black and white fiberglass Holstein standing in front of the New Glarus Elementary School that honors Etter for his long-time dedication to the school district and his German heritage. When Etter started working in the New Glarus School District, it had a German program and 130 students of the total 200 high school students were enrolled in the German program. Etter suggested that they start a project with a partnership school in Hessen, Bad Arolsen. Every year since, German high school students travel to New Glarus in the spring and New Glarus students travel to Germany during the summer. “I’m real proud of that project,” said Etter. Etter also is a member of the Männerchor, which was established in 1928, and has hosted New Glarus' annual Swiss Independence Day celebration, Volksfest, for most of its existence. With members from New Glarus, Monroe, Blanchardville, Brooklyn, Madison, and Verona, the group's performances of traditional German men's choral music and Swiss-dialect music are heard at many of the area's major events.

The group has performed at Daley Plaza in Chicago; as guest artists with the Madison Männerchor, Milwaukee Liedertafel, and Milwaukee Liederkranz; and at the Green County Fair. Etter also served as a Swiss Historical Museum tour

Mention the name Peter Etter in New Glarus and certainly community service comes to mind. “Peter is one of the most requested tour guides when visitors come to New Glarus or America’s Little Switzerland,” said Susie Weiss, director of the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce. “And he’s not even Swiss.” In 1978, soon after Etter and his wife Sharon moved to New Glarus, he was asked if he wanted to be involved in the Wilhelm Tell play. “Anyone who lives in New Glarus becomes Swiss,” said Etter, the first non-Swiss to be elected president of the Wilhelm Tell Guild and for years he portrayed Hermann Gessler in the German performance of Friedrich Schiller’s “Wilhelm Tell.” The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as part of the greater Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century. More than 200 volunteers, members of the Wilhelm Tell Guild, put on the Wilhelm Tell Festival, a Labor Day tradition in New Glarus since 1938. Etter was born in Lauenstein, Germany, and he came to America with his parents who settled in Waukesha, Wisconsin, because they had other family members in the area. While in high school, Etter worked in a bakery. He went to college at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A friend was attending University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to be a teacher

guide, President of the Swiss Historical Museum, and the Chalet of the Golden Fleece, a step-on bus guide, as a volunteer for New Glarus’

many festivals and so much more. Etter enjoys sharing his stories at a few of New Glarus’ pubs

where he strictly follows his ‘two-beer limit,’ and whistles as he walks to the next pub to share a

few more stories. A man of many talents, Etter also makes, carves and paints shields and signs, some with the word "Gruezi" which in German translates to good morning, afternoon, or evening, and sells them at the local museums and pubs. Prosit und danke schön! Cheers and thank you, Peter Etter!

Another good reason to celebrate New Glarus… the best fine dining restaurant with a Mexican flair you are going to find in the area… - Samara Kalk Derby (Wisconsin State Journal)

119 5th Ave., New Glarus 608.527.2012 kristisrestaurant.com

Tours of fourteen historic buildings – showcasing Green County’s Swiss heritage and rural/small town life. Swiss Historical Village & Museum

You know it’s real when it’s cut from the wheel!

Open May 24th through Oct. 15: 10 am - 4 pm daily swisshistoricalvillage.org 612 7th Ave., P.O. Box 745 New Glarus, WI 53574 (608) 527-2317 Group tours and buses welcome by appointment starting May 1st

Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Bruce Workman started with his very own award-winning EDELWEISS CREAMERY cheeses, and invited other local cheesemakers to share their favorites too! * Over 100 varieties of Wisconsin cheese * Cheese tools, cutting boards * Wisconsin beers * Sausages and meats

* Year round shipping available Looking for a gift idea? We can help with a creative

gift basket for all of the cheese lovers on your list. Edelweiss Cheese Shop Authentic Wisconsin 529 First St., New Glarus, WI Phone 608.636.2155 Daily: 10 am - 5 pm; Winter hours vary edelweisscheeseshop.com

Bruce and his son Ben with a 200-pound wheel of Edelweiss Emmentaler.