This past June, the Coopersburg Borough welcomed a new addition to the community. The former cattle county is now living up to its name with the installment of a large cow statue that sits in the middle of the town square’s new amphitheater.

From 1900 to 1931, cattle auctions drew hundreds to thousands of people from all around to the Cooper estate at the southern end of the borough. Coopersburg’s new statue was constructed with the intent to pay tribute to the town’s past Memorial Day cattle auctions. The borough, who constructed the statue and amphitheater, leases the property from the Coopersburg firehouse for $1 a year. 

Although many residents say that the cow is nicely placed in the newly made amphitheater, some aren’t too happy about its orientation to the street. Instead of pointing towards the street, the statue faces away from it, so passing cars and civilians only see its backside. 

“I think the cow should be looking at main street. It’s the history of the borough; the cattle came through the street, not the amphitheater,” Coopersburg resident Jerry Snyder said. 

Despite the amount of negativity regarding the statue’s position, people still have positive remarks.

“I think it’s a great idea for another community space. However, I don’t know if this is the exact community space that people really wanted,” Southern Lehigh math teacher and Coopersburg resident Mr. Casey Cooperman said. “I would like to see them upgrade one of the playground areas behind the Turkey Hill.” 

Some local residents have additional unfavorable opinions regarding the amphitheater. 

“Calling it the amphitheater was ridiculous. I guess I agree with the benches, but I agree that the social club should’ve been allowed to have their patio and benches over there,” community member Lana Snyder said. “We haven’t seen any entertainment where the amphitheater is either.” 

The Coopersburg Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2010, states that the borough would eventually like to place cow statues at regular intervals on the town’s main streets. These statues would be painted with creative designs by local artists around the community, with the intent of slowing down traffic.

Traffic calming is a measure to improve safety for vehicles, and pedestrians. Instead of ongoing vehicles focusing on the negative aspects of other drivers, they would instead be focused on the cow statues painted with appeasing designs. These statues will serve as visual reminders of Coopersburg’s community values.

“I think it’s a good idea because it represents the history of Coopersburg,” freshman Sofia Nardozza said. “I want to see a cow with stripes and some polka dots.”