ChessieWriter

I go to Wilkes-Barre frequently nowadays–it’s well known that I’ve become a huge fan of its Court House Deer. But I recently learned that there’s another famous animal statue in Wilkes-Barre.

She’s from Wisconsin, which makes sense since she’s a dairy cow (and they’re known for their cheese). She’s huge, way, WAY bigger than the life-size Court House Deer—20 feet long and 18 feet wide—and is made of steel and plastic (per a newspaper article about her).

She lives in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, standing on the side of Route 309 near the intersection of Carey Avenue in a small grassy field surrounded by a neat white fence with parking spaces for her admirers along the front of the fence.

She’s known as The Big Cow or Three-O-Nina, the name given to her in a contest that was run a few months after her arrival in 1967.

When she made her arrival on an open flatbed trailer, she understandably drew a lot of attention, with drivers slowing down to stare at the huge cow as they passed by.

Three-O-Nina was bought by Margaret Gorman, owner of Gorman’s Dairy, as a display for in front of the dairy and its ice cream bar. The dairy was opened in 1948 by Edward Gorman, and after his death in 1964 his wife took over running the business.

In January 1967, with the encouragement of her dairy manager, Joseph Krugel, Sr, she decided to buy the cow. Gorman’s Dairy closed in 1979.

When you look at Three-O-Nina from the road, the buildings to the left of her were those of Gorman’s Dairy. In 2015, two sons of Joseph Krugel’s, Joe Jr. and Kevin, were interviewed about the Big Cow. They were the then owners/operators of Krugel’s Georgetown Deli & Beer (since closed), located in the old Gorman’s Dairy buildings. According to the article, it was they who had made the improvements to Three-O-Nina’ surroundings.

Gorman’s Dairy is gone, as is Krugel’s deli. But the old buildings are still there, and luckily for us, so is Three-O-Nina. She may have a bit of rust and could use a coat of paint, but all in all she looks pretty darn good for a 56-year-old cow.