CHICAGO — In 1999, two statues from “Cows on Parade” were donated to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Chicago.
Now 21 years later, one of these bovine beauties has received a thoughtful gesture from a patient — its very own face mask.
Trystan Dickinson, 12, of Columbus, visited the hospital in late June. After seeing the statue, Trystan told his mom that the cow needed a mask, since everyone else at the hospital was wearing them as a precaution during COVID-19.
Trystan was in the hospital this past week for inpatient rehabilitation related to his cerebral palsy and scoliosis, his family said. During that time, he and his mom designed and created the mask.
On Thursday, the cow was finally able to don its mask. Trystan was discharged from the hospital on the same day.
The cow, of course, will continue to social distance — it’s contained by a velvet rope so it won’t be moo-ving anywhere.
“We’re glad even the cows are getting in on the message of protecting yourself and others by wearing a mask, and Shriners Hospitals commitment to keeping our patients, families, and staff safe,” Shriners Hospitals officials said in a press release.
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CowParade is a worldwide brand and corporation.
According to the organization’s website, CowParade statues, such as the one mentioned in the above story, are made of "made of flame-retardant fiberglass and have within them steel rebar for reinforcement" and "painted by local artists from the amateur to the unknown to the professional and famous."
The first official CowParade was held in Chicago in 1999. At the time, it was called "Cows on Parade." According to the Public Art in Chicago website, the event featured 300 cows and attracted 2 million visitors to the city. The cows were auctioned off and raised over $3.4 million for charity.
Since then, over 80 cities worldwide have held CowParade events, which begin with a public display of the cows throughout a host city for two to four months.
"Its streets, parks, and other public places become an outdoor museum for the cows," the CowParade site says. "All of the cows can be seen by the public, free of charge."
Two to three weeks after the end of the public display, there is a live auction on the cows.
According to the organization’s website, "CowParade events have raised over $20 million for non-profit organizations worldwide since 1999. The CowParade auctions are conducted like traditional art auctions with live bidding."
The website added that the average CowParade has 75 to 150 cows. One CowParade in New York City had 450.
"Incredibly, over 2500 hundred Cows have been created worldwide, but no two are alike," the site states.
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