No matter what other states do, you can always count on seeing a cow made out of butter at the Illinois State Fair.
Ohio’s fair had butter astronauts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, as well as the Buckeye State’s legacy as the cradle of astronauts. One year, Iowa had a butter Harry Potter.
But Illinois always has a cow. Always.
“Our tradition here: keep the focus on agriculture, which is what the fair was originally designed for,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture director John Sullivan. “If we can get dairy and cows involved into a sculpture like that, I think it’s a positive thing.”
Sculptor Sarah Pratt used about 800 pounds of butter to create the cow, which wears a construction hat and stands among traffic cones and the word FUTURE. It represents the current state fair’s theme, “Building Our Future.”
The fair begins Thursday and continues through Aug. 18.