What attendees should know
The Wedge, an Oregon cheese festival organized by the Oregon Cheese Guild, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, at Alder Block, 100 S.E. Alder St., in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District. The event is set to run from noon to 5 p.m. and is restricted to guests 21 and older, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. It is part of Oregon Cheese Month.
Advance admission is $25, compared with $30 at the door. The base ticket covers cheese, other food, and nonalcoholic beverage samples. The menu is also expected to include items such as jams and jellies, charcuterie, chocolate, caramel, breads, crackers, hot sauces, syrups, teas, salts, and seasonings, the newspaper reports. Guests can add a $15 tasting of wine, beer, cider, and spirits, which includes a commemorative glass. A $75 early VIP ticket includes a goodie bag.
Recent awards among expected participants
Don Froylan Creamery of Salem is expected to bring Liliana’s String Cheese, which received Best of Class in the hand-stretched string cheese category at the 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest. Cheesemaker Francisco Ochoa developed the cheese and named it for his daughter. The creamery’s queso cotija placed second in its category, according to the Salem Business Journal.
A federal snapshot of Oregon dairy farms
The most recent federal agricultural census provides a statewide baseline for the dairy industry behind Oregon’s cheese producers. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Oregon had 516 farms with milk cows and 117,533 milk cows in 2022. That figure is a snapshot and does not, by itself, establish how the number of dairy farms changed over the preceding decade.
Tillamook’s Hickory Smoked Extra Sharp White Cheddar also earned a second-place result at the contest. The cooperative reported three honors in total: a gold award for Spicy Colby Jack Slices and silver awards for the smoked cheddar and Seriously Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread, according to Tillamook…