Last Saturday, Peter Greenberg broadcast live from the small town of Monroe, Wisconsin, an area known particularly for its cheese. The local population is mainly Swiss and German, which is reflected in the local culture. If you’re passing through the town of Monroe, there are ways you can volunteer, meet the locals, and learn more about how the Swiss-German heritage has impacted the local culture. Check out the program below, and don’t forget to visit our archive for all kinds of voluntourism opportunities.
The town of Monroe, Wisconsin is probably best known for its biannual Green County Cheese Days festival. This event attracts more than 100,000 people, who gather in honor of Wisconsin cheeses and Swiss-German traditions.
Turner Hall is a non-profit and historic landmark committed to the preservation of Swiss Heritage. Opened to the public in 1868 as a center for the Swiss to gather and practice gymnastics (“turner” actually means gymnast in German), it soon became a community center open to the general public. This historic building is celebrated for its emphasis on heritage, but also features an eight-lane retro bowling alley, the Old World Ratskeller Restaurant, and Grand Hall, a stunning banquet room for events.
This cultural center frequently hosts events all year long that need volunteers. Due to the antique nature of the Swiss Ementhall-style chalet, there are plenty of short-term and long-term volunteer opportunities related to the building’s upkeep. This past year, as Monroe celebrated its 100th anniversary of Green County Cheese Days, Turner Hall of Monroe opened up a sidewalk cafe for the event called, “Streets of Switzerland,” operated entirely by volunteers.
The most common volunteer activities revolve around Turner Hall’s Swiss Heritage Series, which is a year-long roster of events that honor Swiss culture, such as Old World Holiday Shopping Market, Squeezebox Jam Sessions (for all levels of accordion players), and Swiss film screenings. Volunteers may be asked to help set up for events at Grand Hall, act as ushers during heritage events, help prepare Swiss food for sale, or perform general maintenance tasks around the building. Recently, volunteers collaborated to repaint and redecorate the “green room” off Grand Hall, while others repaired sections of the sidewalk outside.
Turner Hall of Monroe emphasizes that it is flexible with volunteer schedules. Whether you have a lot of time or a little, Turner Hall will find a way for you to get involved. For more information, visit turnerhallofmonroe.org.
For more information about voluntourism opportunities in the U.S., check out:
- Enjoy the Outdoors While Giving Back
- How You Can Help Keep Monterey, California Clean
- Uncover American History in Virginia
By Brittany Malooly for PeterGreenberg.com
