Harmilda, a lifesize fiberglass Holstein, has a powerful friend in the Illinois governor.
Illinois Department of Transportation officials said the 25-year-old statue on an island along Harvard's main drag is a hazard and must be moved to make way for downtown road improvements.That angered some of Harvard's 6,000 residents, who said the cow associated with the annual Harvard Milk Days Festival represents all that's good about their northern Illinois town.
Now, Gov. Jim Edgar agrees with townspeople and has decided the cow will stay.
"He's been to Harvard and he's well aware of the importance of that cow to the community," Edgar's press secretary, Mike Lawrence, said Friday.
Kirk Brown, state secretary of transportation, said the cow can stay, but might have to be moved a bit.