Sugarcreek Ohio was originally settled by immigrants from Switzerland. It has a rich blend of Swiss culture and Amish heritage wrapped into an experience all its own. These first two murals are on buildings on Main Street in Sugarcreek, Ohio. The mural above had moving skiers coming down the slope.

With Swiss-style architecture, famous Swiss cheese and an annual Swiss Festival, Sugarcreek has become a top tourist destination in Ohio. It’s called the Little Switzerland of Ohio.

The next series of shots are from a mural in Heini’s Cheese Chalet in Millersburg, Ohio.

Heini’s Cheese Chalet is a required stop on any cheese country tour so you can see this indoor marvel, sixty feet long, painted by hand. It provides a unique perspective on the rise of Civilization. Come with us, to a time before there was cheese….

The mural begins on the left with a huge wedge of Swiss — before there was a Switzerland — crossed by nomads on camels. The mural charts evolving cheesemaking processes, consumption, and its impact to the present day, circa 1980. “Mutiny on the Bounty was partly over cheese,” explains the accompanying text, also painted by hand. The illustration style is reminiscent of a child’s guide to the Bible; though an elfish, round-faced boy with a half-eaten cheese morsel makes an appearance.

The mural concludes with a tiny billboard promoting the world’s largest wheel of cheese, a ten-ton cheddar that was here until someone accidentally kicked the plug out of its refrigerated kiosk in the 1990s.

The entire mural was painted by local artist Tom Miller. “His work,” according to Heine’s promotional literature, “is now considered to be of collectible worth with increasing value.”

ht: RoadsideAmerica.com

I bought a basket made by four year old Amish child from this shop. Seriously…four years old, I was blown away. There were long aisles of refrigerated cases with so many cheeses that you could sample. There were other goodies, too. These large Cheese shops in Amish country were really amazing. Makes all of the food stores I frequent seem cheese challenged and sausage challenged, too.

Linking with Oakland Daily Photo for Monday Mural.