Artful Icons...the cow parade

It seems wherever we go, there's a particular icon that's significant to the city or the area. The local marketeers, with a goal of inspiring artists and raising money for a town's pet project, provide thematic, plain, fiberglass sculptures and the local artists work hard to create a distinctive masterpiece from the singular design they've been provided. The results are colorful, imaginative and fun. Local businesses usually bid for their favorites at auction and then display them throughout the town.

With a little research, I discovered this concept was the original brainchild of Walter Knapp in Zurich, Switzerland in 1998, then spread around the world. They used lions in Zurich, the city's symbol, but the themes change to reflect the area. Since the original theme in the US was cows, they refer to the event as a Cow Parade, though we've seen buffaloes, mermaids, cowboy boots and more.

Take a look...