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Wednesday, aUG. 26, 2015
Mars Cheese Castle has been a favorite of travelers since 1947 By Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT
Driving along Interstate 94 travelers cannot help but notice the towering 80-foot-high sign announcing the famous Mars Cheese Castle. Located at the intersection of I-94 and Highway 142, this exit off I-94 has been called by some as “the cheese inter-
change.” But it is not only for cheese that travelers and local residents stop, it is for everything Wisconsin. The Mars Cheese Castle has been a familiar sight since 1947 although it has changed in appearance over the years. It is here that families have stopped to purchase their favorite cheese to take home
or to give as gifts when they arrive at their destination. Others stop to enjoy a lunch of one of the store’s famous cheese sandwiches. Mario and Martha Ventura opened Mars Cheese Castle in 1947 in an unused schoolhouse on Highway 41 near Kenosha. Business grew until 1957 when the schoolhouse
burned down. They moved the business to a former gasoline station just to the south while they built a new building for the Mars Cheese Castle. Over the years the business had many additions, a lunch counter, a supper club, and even a motel. Business was good with returning customers and many
SANDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Hi-Liter
Customers enjoy the cheeses ranging from locally made varieties to imports. Samples are available to help customers decide which cheeses they prefer.
new ones who found the store along the well-traveled route. Then progress interfered. The interstate was going to be expanded and a change in the entrance to the frontage road would necessitate moving the store. So once again the Mars Cheese Castle needed a new building. Negotiating with the state, the owners worked out a deal that provided property to build a new Cheese Castle very close to their previous location that could be reached by the frontage road. The 80-foo-tall sign was no longer within code but special legislation allowed the owners to retain it as a landmark. The new castle opened in March 2011. With its turret and the appearance of a drawbridge, visitors get the feeling they are entering a real castle. But the real draw is the products available inside especially the cheese. The cheese room contains many types of cheese. There is a counter that is strictly Wisconsin-made cheese and another that displays a wide selection of imported cheese. The clerks are there to help customers find the cheese they came for and to offer suggestions of new varieties. They offer tastes of almost any cheese. Many different cheeses are on display with samples available. Whether you pre-
SANDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Hi-Liter
The Mars Cheese Castle has been a destination for travelers along Interstate Highway 94 since 1947.
fer a hard cheese or soft, mild or sharp there is a seemingly endless combination of options. Cheese spreads, and cheese in the shape of a cow, the State of Wisconsin, and even a mug of beer are cute novelties to take home to friends. Off the cheese room is the bar, which – just as in the older versions of the Castle – maintains a Rathskeller look. Visitors may stop in for a beer or treat themselves to the signature drink, a Bloody Mary. Lunch and dinner are also available. While there are
See CHEESE CASTLE, Page 7
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