Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA) - Wednesday, June 26, 1996
Author: PAULA LAVIGNE East Jefferson bureau
It was an udder success.
After 27 years as the rotating bovine sentry of Metairie, the sacred cow of Interstate 10 was removed from her 35-foot aerial post in front of the old Walker-Roemer Dairies building Tuesday.
But she's not headed for the slaughterhouse. The Guernsey's hide will be painted, patched up and put back out to pasture, though the cow's current owner, Barbe's Dairy, doesn't know where yet.
The cow has long been one of East Jefferson's most familiar landmarks, attracting the attention of the 140,000 motorists who pass the Walker-Roemer site daily. But Walker-Roemer is tearing down the buildings and selling the 4-acre area, which has been divided into three industrial lots.
When Walker-Roemer and Barbe's dairies merged in 1993, Walker-Roemer kept title to the property. Barbe's, however, got the cow.
Barbe's President Victor Barbe said he hopes the new property owners will resurrect the cow and put a highway information board beneath it. He said he's received several calls offering new locations, but he wants to keep it near its original site.
In the meantime, the cow will join Barbe's other mascot, Betsie, a fake mobile cow that travels in a fenced-in boat trailer to parades and commercial events.
Joanna Broussard, president of the BBP Marketing Group, which is handling Barbe's publicity, said she's already talked to concerned cow fans.
"They said, 'You're what? You can't do that,' " she said. "I felt like I had just gunned down somebody's mother."
Cow fans abounded Tuesday about 10:30 a.m. as drivers along I-10 and the parallel service road between Clearview Parkway and Cleary Avenue honked and waved as the cow was lassoed by two workers wielding 20-foot straps and hoisted by crane off its platform.
Two tractor-trailer trucks, a Jefferson Parish school bus and a few concerned motorists pulled off the highway to look, ask questions or take photos. Other drivers just gawked, causing a few skids and squeals.
Michael Christopher, an employee at Frameworks, a nearby business, brought his camera.
"It's been a landmark forever," he said. "I had to stop and get a picture of her now because I was afraid she'd be gone for good."
Repairing more than 10 bullet holes will be part of the cow's refurbishing, Barbe said. The brown-and-white Guernsey also will go through an identity change, he said, because most of the milk in New Orleans now comes from black-and-white Holstein cows.
"She won't have her feelings hurt," he said, laughing. "She'll be getting a new paint job, and she'll be groomed."
Unlike Betsie, the Walker-Roemer cow doesn't have a name, Barbe said. He said there might be a cow-naming contest when she is returned.
The cow also will undergo a study by the Louisiana State University agriculture department to see what a cow its size would eat and how much milk it would give if it were real, Barbe said.
All the original statistics on the cow's dimensions were lost in a fire, Barbe said, but a quick study of the cow before it was moved onto the trailer revealed that it is 12 feet high, 18 feet long and has 6-inch teats. He said Barbe's will weigh the Fiberglas beast after it gets to Barbe's offices in Westwego.
Laurent Barbe Jr., Victor Barbe's brother, traveled with the cow to Westwego.
"She's about ready to be loose in pasture over here, and she's waggin' her tail," he said, laughing. "She won't be afraid of heights tonight. She'll be resting on solid ground."
=============================================================
#ART:
At Christmas time, she wore a wreath around her neck. At
Carnival, she was draped in a Mardi Gras flag. She kept
silent watch over Interstate 10 and its thousands of
travelers for more than 25 years. Now, the revolving cow atop
the old Walker-Roemer Dairy in Metairie is coming down from
her perch for a facelift and an uncertain future.
GRAPHIC
_________________________
Illustration:
At top, the Walker-Roemer cow is lowered from her perch
overlooking Interstate 10 in Metairie Tuesday. Kendall
Frickey, a maintenance worker at Barbe's Dairy, directs
the operation. The cow wasn't beloved by all; part of
the refurbishing job will be the repair of more than 10
bullet holes in her Fiberglas hide. [COLOR]
2 STAFF PHOTOS BY RUSTY COSTANZA
After 27 years as the rotating bovine sentry of Metairie, the sacred cow of Interstate 10 was removed from her 35-foot aerial post in front of the old Walker-Roemer Dairies building Tuesday.
But she's not headed for the slaughterhouse. The Guernsey's hide will be painted, patched up and put back out to pasture, though the cow's current owner, Barbe's Dairy, doesn't know where yet.
The cow has long been one of East Jefferson's most familiar landmarks, attracting the attention of the 140,000 motorists who pass the Walker-Roemer site daily. But Walker-Roemer is tearing down the buildings and selling the 4-acre area, which has been divided into three industrial lots.
When Walker-Roemer and Barbe's dairies merged in 1993, Walker-Roemer kept title to the property. Barbe's, however, got the cow.
Barbe's President Victor Barbe said he hopes the new property owners will resurrect the cow and put a highway information board beneath it. He said he's received several calls offering new locations, but he wants to keep it near its original site.
In the meantime, the cow will join Barbe's other mascot, Betsie, a fake mobile cow that travels in a fenced-in boat trailer to parades and commercial events.
Joanna Broussard, president of the BBP Marketing Group, which is handling Barbe's publicity, said she's already talked to concerned cow fans.
"They said, 'You're what? You can't do that,' " she said. "I felt like I had just gunned down somebody's mother."
Cow fans abounded Tuesday about 10:30 a.m. as drivers along I-10 and the parallel service road between Clearview Parkway and Cleary Avenue honked and waved as the cow was lassoed by two workers wielding 20-foot straps and hoisted by crane off its platform.
Two tractor-trailer trucks, a Jefferson Parish school bus and a few concerned motorists pulled off the highway to look, ask questions or take photos. Other drivers just gawked, causing a few skids and squeals.
Michael Christopher, an employee at Frameworks, a nearby business, brought his camera.
"It's been a landmark forever," he said. "I had to stop and get a picture of her now because I was afraid she'd be gone for good."
Repairing more than 10 bullet holes will be part of the cow's refurbishing, Barbe said. The brown-and-white Guernsey also will go through an identity change, he said, because most of the milk in New Orleans now comes from black-and-white Holstein cows.
"She won't have her feelings hurt," he said, laughing. "She'll be getting a new paint job, and she'll be groomed."
Unlike Betsie, the Walker-Roemer cow doesn't have a name, Barbe said. He said there might be a cow-naming contest when she is returned.
The cow also will undergo a study by the Louisiana State University agriculture department to see what a cow its size would eat and how much milk it would give if it were real, Barbe said.
All the original statistics on the cow's dimensions were lost in a fire, Barbe said, but a quick study of the cow before it was moved onto the trailer revealed that it is 12 feet high, 18 feet long and has 6-inch teats. He said Barbe's will weigh the Fiberglas beast after it gets to Barbe's offices in Westwego.
Laurent Barbe Jr., Victor Barbe's brother, traveled with the cow to Westwego.
"She's about ready to be loose in pasture over here, and she's waggin' her tail," he said, laughing. "She won't be afraid of heights tonight. She'll be resting on solid ground."
=============================================================
#ART:
At Christmas time, she wore a wreath around her neck. At
Carnival, she was draped in a Mardi Gras flag. She kept
silent watch over Interstate 10 and its thousands of
travelers for more than 25 years. Now, the revolving cow atop
the old Walker-Roemer Dairy in Metairie is coming down from
her perch for a facelift and an uncertain future.
GRAPHIC
_________________________
Illustration:
At top, the Walker-Roemer cow is lowered from her perch
overlooking Interstate 10 in Metairie Tuesday. Kendall
Frickey, a maintenance worker at Barbe's Dairy, directs
the operation. The cow wasn't beloved by all; part of
the refurbishing job will be the repair of more than 10
bullet holes in her Fiberglas hide. [COLOR]
2 STAFF PHOTOS BY RUSTY COSTANZA
Section: NATIONAL
Page: A1
Record Number: 9606260029
Copyright, 1996, The Times-Picayune Publishing Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used by NewsBank with Permission.
Page: A1
Record Number: 9606260029
Copyright, 1996, The Times-Picayune Publishing Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used by NewsBank with Permission.
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