Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 --- 4:00 p.m.

A part of Mt. Horeb's claim to fame is on the move. The mustard museum is leaving Main Street for another Dane County community.

"It's been terrific, but it's time for mustard to move on," Barry Levenson says.

Levenson is deep in the mustard business in Mt. Horeb, but he has his hands on a new recipe for success -- a kind of "interactive" mustard museum is in the making.

"The king of condiments needs a new palace," he says.

Levenson is moving his collection of 5-thousand types of mustard to a landmark building in Middleton.

"This is a very emotional thing for us, but the mustard museum, in order to survive and to thrive, I think needs a different kind of facility."

The City is working with the developer to the tune of one-point-four million dollars to re-develop the 1860s-era building.

"It will retain a lot of its historical significance and character, but it's going to be so much more," Levenson says.

Locals say the loss of the museum will put the squeeze on downtown Main Street. Barry has been here since 1992 and says the museum draws thousands every year.

"Into our visitor's center, we get one out of every 4 will ask directions or something about the mustard museum," Melissa Theisen with the Mt. Horeb Area Chamber of Commerce says.

Mary and Charlie Schrader stopped at the museum after hearing about it from a friend.

"We wanted to get the hottest mustard for our neighbor," the couple says.

But the Iowa couple also stopped at a nearby bakery while downtown.

"We're gonna go have some lunch at The Grumpy Troll," Paul Eckhart says.

Eckhart's in town for Saturday's football game but traveled to Mt. Horeb for the museum.

"We still have the trolls. We have Cave of the Mounds and other attractions, but it's going to be a big impact," Theisen says.

Mustard is big enough for Mt. Horeb to host National Mustard Day in August... making Levenson's departure bittersweet.

"No hard feelings, even though we couldn't pass the mustard here in Mt. Horeb," Theisen says.

The museum is expected to make its move to Middleton in about a year.

It's also receiving 50-thousand dollars from the city to help with relocation costs.