Wyoming house coated with 5 tons of cheese

POWELL, Wyo. -- Cosimo Cavallaro has a vision -- and it involves cheese. Tons and tons of cheese, in fact. Enough cheese to blanket a house.

The New York artist began spraying pepperjack cheese in the bedroom of a vacant home Tuesday. By the time he's done, 10,000 pounds of cheese will cover the home, inside and out.

Welcome to the Wyoming Cheese House, latest project for an artist who lays claim to having covered a hotel room and the model Twiggy in cheese. Now he's set his sights on a bigger target.

Cavallaro explains his interest in cheese this way: "It's milk. It's life."

Sharon Earhart, the executive director of the Powell Chamber of Commerce, sees the project as fun, a bit silly and reason enough for a parade. She's involved in "Cheesefest" scheduled Oct. 27, which will feature a parade and a cheese king and queen.

Other residents are, well, cheesed.

Jim Montoya, a neighbor, sees it as a nuisance that could attract not only mice and birds but also more people to what he says is a normally quiet neighborhood.

And Bob Mueller sees the project as a mistake that could make this northern Wyoming farming community of 5,373 a laughingstock.

Besides, he said, "I don't consider painting something with food art."