COLUMBUS – It’s only a ton of butter now, but in a little more than two week, it will be an Ohio State Fair icon that will attract about a half million people.
The 2015 Ohio State Fair runs from Wednesday, July 29 through Sunday, August 9.
One ton of butter has arrived at the Ohio Expo Center and sculpting of the 2015 butter cow and calf, as well as their companion sculptures, will begin Monday, according to a release from the American Dairy Association Mideast, the organization that hosts the fair’s Dairy Products Building (Open daily 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.).
The sculptors start by building wooden and steel frames to support the weight of the butter.
From 55-pound blocks, sculptors slice the butter into manageable loaves and layer it to cover the frames. They finish their sculptures by molding and smoothing the butter in a 46-degree cooler.
Although the cow and calf are traditional, the additional sculptures, which are intended to reflect ideals and cultural trends, and have included the likes of former Ohio State University football coach “Woody” Hayes over the past 45 years, are kept strictly secret until the unveiling, scheduled for July 28.
Last year’s sculpture (above) was a collection of Ohio-related symbols, such as Native American artifacts and the state animal, while the 2013 sculpture depicted the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir.
The butter display at the Ohio State Fair attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year, the association said.