COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the first time since 2019, the butter cow display is back at the Ohio State Fair and bigger (or more buttery) than ever.
This year’s theme from the American Dairy Association Mideast pays homage to the fair’s agricultural heritage.
“The Ohio State Fair began more than 170 years ago and since then, the fair has grown, welcoming hundreds of thousands of guests each year to enjoy a variety of food, attractions, rides and concerts. But the roots of the fair remain grounded in agriculture, highlighting farm families and their contributions to our communities.”
This year’s display features 10 life-sized butter sculptures including the traditional cow and calf, other farm animals of a pig, a lamb and a chicken and people proudly showing off their prized livestock.
The American Dairy Association Mideast said the display was created by expert sculptors over hundreds of hours in a 46-degree cooler.
Typically, the display is made from around 2,000 pounds of butter, but this year’s record-breaking display is made of 2,530 pounds, making it the biggest display in the fair’s history.
The display is expected to attract more than 50,000 fairgoers to the Diary Products Building, the American Dairy Association Mideast said.
Fairgoers can also learn about Ohio’s dairy farmers and enjoy foods including ice cream, milkshakes, cheese sandwiches and milk.
The Ohio State Fair opens on Wednesday and runs through August 7.
