OSKALOOSA —
At this year’s Southern Iowa Fair, one new attraction is Cow Town USA.
Cactus, the show’s leader, described Cow Town USA as a show “where the kids get to have a kind of hands-on history.”
At the beginning of the show, Cactus talks about and describes milking a cow before giving the children in attendance a chance to milk a cow.
“They [kids] all get to go up and milk the cow themselves,” Cactus said.
After the milking demonstration, kids at the show see the process milk goes through after coming from the cow.
“After they milk the cow, they can see the process of the milk,” Cactus said.
One thing this includes is the churning of ice cream and butter. One thing kids learn is that milk isn’t used for just dairy products. Cactus also does a demonstration on soap making.
“We take a little bit of milk and make some soap,” he said.
The show doesn’t just focus on the process the milk goes through. Kids are also shown “old time chores” such as using an old-time wash machine. After all the chores are done, the kids learn exactly how people entertained themselves during that era.
“We tell them there was no television or Internet [during that time],” Cactus says. He continued, “We have all the kids sit around a little campfire and play music and make their own music with me.”
One thing Cactus noted is that all of the animals in the show are rescue animals.
“Elsie, the star of our show only has three working teats. So the farmer probably thought she wasn’t going to produce enough milk. It might have happened when she was young,” Cactus said. “My boss got her from the farmer in an auction some place and now she’s in show biz.”
You can catch Cactus and the Cow Town USA Show at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. during the fair.
Local News
Related Photos
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Cactus shows kids at the show the proper way to milk “Elise,” the cow. Herald photo by Charlie Comfort
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