My husband and I are ardent fans of giant fiberglass cows. We are fortunate to live just down the road from Bernice, a beautiful big girl who stands in front of our local ice cream factory. Affectionately referred to as “the Big Cow” by almost everyone in Manitowoc, her hometown, she has been known to don special attire for events such as Sputnikfest.
In the nearby town of Plymouth stands another supersized bovine named Antoinette. This lady’s a Holstein and a tribute to Plymouth which bills itself as “The Cheese Capital of the World”. That might be a bit of hyperbole, but the city’s cheese statistics are impressive. Four major cheese factories operate in the town and they produce 15% of Wisconsin’s cheese. (Wisconsin makes 27% of America’s cheese.) If Plymouth were a country, it would be the 4th largest cheese producer.
On a recent road trip, we serendipitously discovered two more humongous, Wisconsin girls. The first welcomed us to the delightful Marieka Gouda Cheese facility in Thorp. The owners are from the Netherlands so they know a thing or two about making award-winning Gouda cheese. A visit to their store and cafe is like a mini trip to Holland.
The second cow, Chatty Belle, lives in Neillsville and is “the World’s Largest Talking Cow”… if you put a quarter in her voice box. She was named by a first grader who received 100 pounds of butter for coming up with the winning name. Chatty Belle’s a traveler, her first appearance was at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. When she came home to Wisconsin, she brought the Wisconsin Pavilion at that Fair back with her. This whimsical piece of Atomic Age architecture stands beside her and is used as the headquarters for a local radio station. Chatty Belle will tell you all about it.
