TILLYfest: Here’s why a celebrity cow in Woodland is the focal point of this museum’s fundraising event

A celebrity cow will serve as the namesake for the return of TILLYfest along Woodland’s Main Street this Saturday.In case you’re wondering who’s Tilly, here’s a quick introduction.”Nearly 100 years ago, Tilly set the world record for lifetime milk production by a U.S. registered Holstein cow,” explained Marta Jacobs, TILLYfest committee member. “She really put Woodland on the map when this was an economic center more so than Sacramento.”In her heyday, Tilly was crowned “Queen of Holsteins” and became world-famous as she traveled by train parlor car to participate in parades and serve as an ambassador for her breed, according to Jacobs.Exactly 100 years after her birth, Connie, a distant descendant of Tilly, would be born and go on to break Tilly’s world record, according to tillyfest.org.Connie’s world record for lifetime milk production stands at 486,300 pounds.”But TILLYfest is about more than a cow. It’s celebrating the life and times of Yolo County. There will be old tractors, fun for the kids, old fire engines, so kids can get a sense of agriculture in Yolo County,” said Dino Gay, a TILLYfest organizer. There will also be multiple live bands performing throughout the day and evening on Saturday, including inside nearby establishments.”We want to use this event as a fundraiser to one day build an historical museum here in downtown Woodland,” said Gay.”It’s a story that isn’t just about Woodland. It’s the Gold Rush, how dairy farming started in Woodland, and then Tilly came along and made Woodland famous,” added Jacobs.For more information about Saturday’s schedule of events, visit tillyfest.org.