SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBMD) — The iconic Butter Cow sculpture was unveiled Wednesday, just a day before the 2022 Illinois State Fair opens its gates.
Each year, a sculptor uses 500 lbs of unsalted butter to create a life-size cow. The sculpting process usually takes about five days; this year, however, sculptor Sarah Pratt spent a full week in the freezer.
Keeping with the theme of “Grow with Us,” Pratt’s sculpture combines the interaction between the farmer, the land, and the animal. It features the iconic butter cow with a farmer kneeling beside her to tend to the land. He’s growing sunflowers, and she seems to have stolen one!
This cow is the 101st addition to the butter cow herd.
The Butter Cow can be viewed in the Dairy Building for the fair’s duration, as well as live via the Butter Cow webcam.
The Dairy Building also offers ice cream, cream puffs, and milk for sale, as well as free interactive exhibits and displays about Illinois’ dairy industry. The building showcases prize-winning milks, cheeses, ice creams, and other dairy products from across the state.
This story will be updated.