See Goats Parade Onto a Rooftop at This Unique Wisconsin Festival

Every state has its share of unusual traditions, but the Upper Midwest seems to specialize in the gloriously offbeat.

Minnesota gives us a giant butter sculpture of a dairy princess at the State Fair. Wisconsin, never one to be outdone, gives us a parade where the guests of honor are goats, and the finish line is a restaurant roof.

It sounds made up. It is not.

In the Door County village of Sister Bay, Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant sits, home to one of the most photographed rooftops in the state. The building has a green sod roof, and for decades, live goats have grazed up there all summer long, calmly munching grass while tourists below crane their necks and reach for their phones.

According to local coverage, the whole thing reportedly started back in 1973 as a birthday prank between owner Al Johnson and his friend Wink Larson. More than fifty years later, the joke has become an institution.

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Goats Get Their Own Parade Before Heading To The Roof

You might assume the goats wander up on their own each spring. However, getting them onto the roof has become a community event in its own right.

The Roofing of the Goats Parade returns for its 12th year on Saturday, June 13, with the parade stepping off at 11 a.m. at the corner of Mill Road and Highway 42 in downtown Sister Bay.

From there, the herd makes its way down the road to Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik, where the first goats of the season are led up to their leafy summer perch, weather permitting. The goats, understandably, stay grounded in rain or snow.

Organizers encourage spectators to dress the part, with goat costumes, Viking hats, and other creative getups all fair game. All goats are welcome to march, too, as long as they're leashed or harnessed. One firm rule: leave the family dog at home, since goats are famously unnerved by them.

A Pancake Contest, A Beer Garden, And One Very Unusual Raffle

Once the goats are settled in, the celebration moves to Goat Fest at the Stabbur Beer Garden next to the restaurant. Reports indicate the day features live music, kids' games, food, refreshments, and a Swedish pancake-eating contest, plus a stein-holding competition for those feeling strong.

The standout attraction, though, is the Goat Drop Contest, a fundraiser that is exactly as advertised. Festivalgoers buy numbered stickers that get placed along the parade route, and if a goat happens to drop a deposit on your sticker during the march, you win a prize.

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Sticker proceeds benefit the Northern Door Food Pantry at the Sister Bay Baptist Church, and you don't need to be present to win.

The whole day is worth a trip to the tip of the Door Peninsula. Where else can you watch summer arrive on four legs, climbing a ladder?