Cow Days started as a promotional program in 1930's to attract customers to town. Dixon's local merchants banded together to raffle a cow. It drew people into town to promote their businesses. The event eventually fell to the wayside, however, in the 1980's the Dixon Chamber saw the opportunity to improve traffic to the city and revived the festival. The concept of Cow Days was reborn as a 2-day festival featuring arts & crafts booths, street dances, stage entertainment, parades, beauty pageants, food stands, and good, clean family fun. The festival is highlighted by a free drawing for a live healthy adult cow donated by local businesses.