Don't mess with Bessie.
That message comes through
loud and clear from certain locals whenever Janesville's iconic cow
gets adorned with anything from high heels to pink spots to Mexican
headwear.
So I imagine a segment of
the population is none too pleased about the recent announcement that
Bessie is transitioning from a Guernsey to a Holstein. Apparently
cows,
 |
| "Pic-Cow-So" |
unlike leopards, can change their spots.
I certainly understand the
reasoning behind the change. After all, when you think of cows,
especially Wisconsin cows, the image that usually comes to mind is
that of a black-and-white Holstein. At the Wisconsin-themed gift
shops, you'll find everything from T-shirts to mailboxes adorned in
Holstein colors. And no less an expert than “Far Side” cartoonist
Gary Larson chose the Holstein as his representative dairy cow in
hundreds of strips.
Not that there is anything
wrong with Guernseys. I'm sure they are perfectly fine cows. But do
these reddish-orange bovines make you think “Wisconsin”?
Personally, having grown up on a dairy farm where we exclusively
milked Holsteins, I like the impending change.
But this reflection of the
local zeitgeist is about more than just aesthetics. Making Bessie a
Holstein could truly be a cash cow for Janesville. The change in
appearance should stimulate lagging merchandise sales. “New”
Bessie T-shirts, postcards, photos andother items will likely be
solid moo-vers. Consider Bessie's new look the equivalent of a sports
team adding alternate jerseys. It's no accident that the Packers
occasionally wear blue, and Brewers jerseys come in every color from
gold to blue to red. A new look equals new sales, a fact not lost on
city fathers.
To that end, “Bessie's
Milk House” will be constructed in a section of the parking lot
next to Bessie. The small gift stand will feature the aforementioned
Bessie items as well as other related goods like Cow Pie candies.
Although the benefits to
Bessie's Holsteinism are many, it is acknowledged that not everyone
will be happy about the change. Artist Harry Breederman of Chicago
was ultimately chosen to do the work on Bessie after local artists
were offered the job – and turned it down. One Rock County artist
told me that she believed the backlash would kill her career here. “I
wouldn't touch Bessie with a 10-foot brush,” she said. Others
apparently felt likewise.
Breederman, however, seems
a perfect choice for the job. Renowned for “bold” projects in the
Windy City, Bessie will not be his first Holstein. To celebrate
Illinois Farm Progress Days in 2004, Breederman temporarily
transformed the Picasso in Chicago's Daley Plaza into an abstract
version of Bessie-To-Be. He dubbed his work - wait for it -
“Pic-Cow-So.”
The mixed reviews that project generated may serve
as ample preparation for what Breederman might hear once work begins
on Bessie, depending on how outraged art lovers express themselves as
opposed to outraged agriculturalists.
Whether it's a new bypass
around Milton or the closing of the General Motors plant, change is
often hard to swallow. But with time, wounds heal and we move on.
Rock County residents are a sturdy lot, and while we may get our bibs
in a bunch for a brief spell, I suspect that the new black-and-white
Bessie will be warmly embraced. Excitement will be in the air on the
day of her grand unveiling, when the city council and the local
chamber ambassadors pose for a photo in front of Bessie and unfurl a
banner that reads:
“April Fool.”
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