News Release

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

CONTACT: Lisa Behnke, Communications Manager, lbehnke@wdexpo.com
                   Jenna Langrehr, Communications Specialist, jlangrehr@wdexpo.com
PHONE:      608-224-6455

Introducing Miss Madison

MADISON, WIS. – The 50th World Dairy Expo® kicked off on Tuesday, October 4, at 8:00 a.m., with an Opening Ceremony and a surprise reveal at the Alliant Energy Center. The ceremony served as a platform to welcome the first of Expo attendees to Madison and to unveil a 50th Anniversary gift from WDE.

The gift, a 6,900-pound cow carved from Dakota Mahogany stone, has a permanent home outside the northeast corner of New Holland Pavilion 1. Named Miss Madison, the cow stood covered throughout the ceremony before being welcomed to the grounds in Madison by a crowd of onlookers.

“In celebration of World Dairy Expo’s Golden Anniversary, we are pleased to share a new gift – a gift we hope will become an Expo icon for the next fifty years and beyond,” WDE President Al Deming told those in attendance.

World Dairy Expo commissioned Quarra Stone Company, a local Madison business, to construct Miss Madison from a 47,000-pound block of stone. The gift is reminiscent of the first World Dairy Expo in 1967 when the iconic globe was gifted to the Alliant Energy Center.

“This masterpiece – a compilation of the seven breeds exhibited at World Dairy Expo – represents Expo’s storied past and exciting future,” remarked Deming.

Prior to the unveiling, the ceremony included comments from WDE General Manager, Scott Bentley, Dane County Executive, Joe Parisi, Wisconsin DATCP Secretary, Ben Brancel and WDE Board of Directors President, Al Deming.   

Recognized as the meeting place for the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo attracts more than 70,000 attendees from over 90 countries to Madison, Wis. each year. The annual event will take place October 4–8, 2016, with the theme of “Celebrate 50!” to commemorate its golden anniversary. Visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@WDExpo or #Celebrate50) for more information. 

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Note to Editors:  High-resolution photo is available upon request from kschmitt@wdexpo.com