'Big Cheeses' honored as Toledo Cheese Days gets underway

Toledo’s 103rd annual Cheese Days festival kicked off with the Big Cheese Social on Thursday night at Kemp Olson Memorial Park.

There, this year’s Big Cheeses — essentially the grand marshals of festivities — were honored. This year’s Big Cheeses are Don Buswell Sr. and his sons Guy, Alan, Carl and Don.

Don Buswell Sr. was born in Toledo in 1922 and was a Toledo High School graduate in 1939. He joined the military in 1942 as an Air Corps pilot. Following the war, he moved approximately 13 times before settling again in Toledo after the death of his father in 1968 with his sons Don, Carl, Guy, Alan and wife Bernice.

Buswell worked as a logger for many years and cleared areas that are used today as access to Mount Rainier National Park and roadways to campgrounds in the surrounding area. Upon their return to Toledo, the whole family took up the job of farming the land left to Don Sr. by his father and were all active members in the community.

For more details on Don’s experiences during the Great Depression while living in Toledo, his time as an Air Corps pilot and some shenanigans in California involving Bigfoot sightings, take a look at the 2024 Cheese Days Magazine available on the Toledo Lions Club website at https://toledolionsclub.org/events/cheese-days/.

Thursday’s Big Cheese Social featured performances by Dakota Robbins and Ellie Buzzard, sponsored by Julia Gaul. Dinner was provided by Bonanza BBQ, sponsored by the Paula Burrows Team.

Cheese Days festivities continued Friday night with the “Cheddar Open” Golf Tournament, the Frog Jumping Contest, bingo and a Music in the Street event.

Saturday will feature the 11 a.m. Cheese Days Parade and a number of events and activities throughout the day.

The events schedule below is subject to change. For more exact times, locations and descriptions of the events, visit the Toledo Lions Club website at https://toledolionsclub.org/events/cheese-days/ .

Saturday, July 13:

• Cheddar Challenge — 6:45 to 9:30 a.m.

• Pancake Breakfast — 7 to 10 a.m.

• 24th annual Car and Motorcycle Show — 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Toledo Library Bake and Book Sale — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Food and vendors — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Street Arts and Crafts Sale — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Toledo Cheese Days Parade — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Barbecue — noon to 5 p.m.

• Toledo Fire Department Open House — noon to 5 p.m.

• Wine and Cheese Event — 4 to 8 p.m.

• Music in the Street — 8 to 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 14:

• Horseshoe Tournament — 8 to 10 a.m.

• All-Class Reunion — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Toledo Lions Club Beef Barbecue — noon to 2 p.m.

• Lions Club Beef Auction — 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

• 20th annual Dessert Auction — 3 to 4 p.m.