Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Big Cow

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Big Cow. . , Our Big Cow was originally displayed at the Danbury Fair, one of the largest agriculture fairs in the country for many years., Thank you to our Big Cow sponsor, Wade's Dairy., The Big Cow has also become a Time Capsule to be opened in 2072!, In 1869 the Danbury Fair became an yearly event in a small tent borrowed from the Barnum and Bailey Circus, held by the Danbury Farmers and Manufacturers Society. The fair grew each year and attracted huge crowds from New England and beyond., The Fair was.suspended only twice in its long history, first in 1918, due to the Spanish Influenza epidemic and then from 1942-1945, during World War II. In 1945, the principal owner of the fair John W. Leahy made many improvements to the grounds adding paved driveways, fences, lighting, repairing buildings and updating the midway., Over the years, the fair included a host of attractions, that changed over time to meet popular trends, from an oyster exhibit offered by the shellfish commission in the late 19th century to stock car races in the mid-20th century. In October of 1981, the Danbury Fair , the oldest operating agricultural fair in America , lasted for 10 days, attracted almost 250,000 people, and then closed it's gates for good.