The Hoard Historical Museum will be holding a cow cutout decorating contest. The activity is offered as part of an annual event titled: “Dairy Day at the MOOseum.”
According to information released by the museum, the contest offers participants an opportunity to decorate a plywood cutout in the shape of a cow that can be purchased from the museum.
The contest is open to participants of all ages, artistic levels and abilities. Families, businesses and organizations are invited to participate, the release stated.
Cutouts come in two sizes: cow and calf. The cow cutout is roughly 43 inches long by 24 inches tall. The calf cutout is roughly 33 inches long by 18 inches tall.
Cow-sized cutouts are available for purchase to be decorated by entrants of any age, while calf-sized cutouts are available for purchase to be decorated by participants in youth categories, the release stated.
Cow-sized cutouts cost $30 and calf-sized cutouts cost $20 each. A reduction of $5 to the cost of each sized cutout is offered to members of the Hoard Historical Museum.
Participants may enter their decorated cutouts in one of two contests, both of which will be held during the Dairy Day at the MOOseum event on Saturday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to the release, winners of the first contest will be decided by a “popular choice” vote. To cast a popular choice vote, members of the public will be offered an opportunity to place a penny near the selected entry. Pennies to cast votes must be supplied by the voter.
“Cash will be counted as votes as well. Funds raised from the votes will be used for prize money,” the release noted.
The second contest, which includes five categories, will be judged by members of the Dairy Day at the MOOseum planning committee.
Categories include: individual youth, in which one contestant under the age of 16 has decorated the cutout; individual adult, in which one adult contestant has decorated the cutout; youth group, in which two or more “youth” contestants have decorated the cutout; adult group, in which two or more adults have decorated the cutout, and mixed group, in which two or contestants of any age have decorated the cutout.
Winners will be announced prior to the live cow parade which will be held at 1:30 p.m. as part of the Dairy Day at the MOOseum event.
Participants do not need to be present to win, the release stated.
“Participants will keep the (cutouts) after the contest has concluded and may reuse them in future cow decorating contests for a reduced fee,” according to the release.
Plywood forms in both sizes are available for pickup at the museum.
Decorated cutouts must be returned to the Hoard Historical Museum by 4 p.m., Thursday, June 16. Cutouts will be placed on display outside of the museum during the Dairy Day at the MOOseum event. After the event, the cow cutouts will be on display inside the museum for public viewing until Saturday, June 25. Decorated cows may be picked up after 2 p.m., Saturday, June 25.
“We are excited to announce our new cow-decorating contest and encourage anyone who is interested in the contest to sign up soon. We have a ‘herd’ of plywood cattle ready to go,” Merrilee Lee, director of the Hoard Historical Museum was quoted as saying in the release.
To register for the contest and purchase a plywood cow cutout, contact the Hoard Historical Museum at info@hoardmuseum.org or 920-563-7769.
Lee noted in the release: “Dairy Day at the MOOSeum is a celebration of all things dairy. This contest adds an artistic element to dairy. We’re hoping that people of all ages and backgrounds will enter the contest and have a MOOvelous time.”
For more information and suggestions regarding the preparation of the plywood forms, visit: www.hoardmuseum.org or contact the museum for a list of contest rules and painting tips.
The Hoard Historical Museum and National Dairy Shrine Museum are located at 401 Whitewater Ave., Fort Atkinson. The museums are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are closed Sundays and Mondays.
A young artist paints a cow cutout. The cutout was entered in a contest held in a previous year. Contributed photo.
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