Culver’s barn in Beaver Dam destroyed after storms

BEAVER DAM, Wis. (WMTV) - The iconic blue Culver’s barn in Beaver Dam was severely damaged after strong storms on Wednesday.

Michael Zimmerman, who has owned the barn since 1976, said it has been a Culver’s barn for more than a decade.

The bright blue barn features the message “Thank You, Farmers” and can be seen off of US-151.

Zimmerman said the barn was damaged after a tornado touched down in April in Beaver Dam. Strong winds on Wednesday toppled the rest of the barn to the ground.

Zimmerman said he was home at the time of the storm, and his neighbor told him that winds reaching more than 85 mph were reported in the area.

Zimmerman said the barn was supposed to get repainted next month.

“I hope that we can get back to the same place that we were,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said the barn is a landmark to him and to many.

Culver’s launched the Thank You Farmers Project in 2013 as a way to express thanks to area farmers, in part by launching a series of hand-painted blue barns across the Midwest.

Another Culver’s blue barn is located in Mineral Point. Outside of Wisconsin, there are two others in Greenfield, Indiana, and Argenta, Illinois.

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