Small Towns, Wisconsin Southwest Region Fall 2015 | Page 27
Painted Cows
around the Town
Make a stop in New Glarus, and one of the first things you’re likely to notice is the
cows. No, not that type of cow. Scattered around town are 15 fiberglass cows painted by local artists.
Like much of New Glarus culture, the idea for the cows comes from Switzerland. Two
New Glarus business owners saw painted cows in the airport in Zurich and decided
to import some to the US, where they were painted and became part of the New
Glarus Cow Parade.
New Glarus is far from the only place that’s had a cow parade – others have appeared in Chicago, Madison, and many other cities, after first showing up as the
Land in Sicht (“Countryside in view”) exhibit in Zurich in 1998 – but most auction off
the cows after the event. The ones in New Glarus are here to stay.
How many can you find?
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New Glarus
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