An icon of Wisconsin’s rural landscape, the classic red barn, may be headed to Washington D.C. this summer.
Next to the barn, cows will be milked within view of the White House and the Washington Monument.
There will be pigs in a show ring, a ginseng garden, a miniature cranberry marsh, cheese-making demonstrations and polka bands.
The colorful display on the National Mall is coming from the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission and is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival in June.
Currently, the commission is trying to find a farmer or a company to pay for the barn’s construction. In return, it will be dismantled and delivered to the donor after the festival.
The barn will be slightly smaller than most modern barns, but its wooden frame and architecture will capture the spirit of the real thing.
“When people see that pretty red barn, they will think of Wisconsin,” said Dean Amhaus, Sesquicentennial Commission director.
It will cost about $40,000 to build the 42-foot by 60-foot barn only blocks from the White House.
Walters Buildings, of Milwaukee, has agreed to provide labor and materials at reduced cost.
Federal officials have approved the barn as part of the festival. It will be on display for about three weeks.
