Only in Iowa

Every part of the country has its own unique festival, celebration, etc. One of the biggest draws in Iowa is the Iowa State Fair. For ten days in August the streets and freeways are clogged as hundreds of thousands of people attend. Once there, you can munch on corn dogs, smoked turkey legs, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, cotton candy. You can wash them down with fresh lemonade or copious amounts of beer as you wander around admiring the latest farm machinery, prize winning livestock (sheep, pigs, cattle, horses, chickens...if it clucks, moos, or baas...you'll see it there!). Or you can take a trip through the Varied Industries Building and see all the latest gadgets to make your life easier, and maybe get a real deal from the eager sales staff on a pool, sauna, or new vacuum cleaner. If none of these trip your trigger, you can always stop and watch many of the free performances given at various stages located around the fairgrounds.

But even with all of the above to see, hear, and do, one of the biggest draws at the fair is a trip through the Agricultural Building to see the butter cow. Yes, I said "butter cow!" It's a wood and wire frame slathered with 600 pounds of Iowa butter, then carved into a Guernsey, Jersey, Holstein, or one of the other dairy breeds. They've been displaying this cow (a new one every year, however they do recycle some of the butter from one year to the next) since 1911. Now is it hokey??? A little, but it's a tradition! Kind of like fireworks on the 4th of July, picnics on Labor Day, and in this constantly changing world, I appreciate that!

So, yes, I did take a trip to the fair, AND stand in line to view the butter cow! Now if I could just figure out a way to work this into a mystery!!! ;)

Take care, see you next week,
Shirley

P.S.
I thought you all might like to see what the cow looks like, so here's a pic. I also took a picture of one of my friends admiring the cow, but she said if I posted it, she'd have to hurt me! ;)