Notice a lot of cows around Acton lately? The painted cows in front of Donelan Fresh Market in Gould’s Plaza on Great Road in Acton have returned. Plus, a short-out to the large cow that appears annually on Route 2 and School Street Fields to mark the 2024 Acton Lions Club Fair (June 13 to 16). And a theatrical performance featuring cows!
What are the painted cows about? A CowParade New England plaque says it is a fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund. How does that work? The back story was shared by Larry Gordon, owner of Gould’s Plaza and Colonial Chevrolet of Acton. According to Gordon, one of the art cows was purchased to support the wife of an employee at Colonial Chevrolet who was undergoing cancer treatment. The donation was a way to give to the Jimmy Fund and to give back to the community.
Initially Gordon purchased one art cow for the CowParade donation but Donelan’s Plaza is large so we decided to buy and donate several more art cows because “we didn’t want the cow to be lonely.” Gordon remarked that “the Art cows are all hand painted. I think they look so cool out there and sometimes I drive by and see moms and kids together walking around and playing with the cows. Gordon purchased Donelan’s Plaza, also known as Gould’s Plaza, from Gould’s, who built and owned the plaza and operated Gould’s clothing store for sixty years.
CowParade New England was presented by Herb Chambers in recognition of the 75th Anniversary of the Jimmy Fund and ran for eight years all around Greater Boston, ending in 2023. It supported the Dana Farber Cancer Center. The event featured seventy-five life-sized cows that were on display from June to September. Several of these CowParade New England art cows are now on display at Donelan’s Plaza. The larger CowParade initiative has been deemed the world’s largest and most successful public art event (CowParade.com) staged in more than forty cities worldwide.
The colorful CowParade statues at Gould’s Plaza complement the Acton Public Art initiative, led by Economic Development Director Julie Pierce and the Town of Acton Economic and Community Development Office, to support local artists and use public art to support local businesses and community. CBS Boston News and the Acton Exchange have previously reported on the initiative.
KJ Herther is an Acton Exchange contributor who works part-time for the Acton Economic and Community Development Office