COLUMBUS, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW) —The Ohio State Fair unveiled its 2024 butter cow display, a tribute to our nation’s elite athletes, on behalf of Ohio’s dairy farmers. The display, presented by the American Dairy Association Mideast, showcases the dedication and excellence of athletes, inspiring us all to chase our dreams and believe in our potential.
The iconic butter cow and calf, sporting butter medallions, stand proudly next to life-size butter sculptures of four elite athletes: a track and field para athlete at the starting line, a gymnast doing a handstand on the balance beam, a cyclist rounding a curve, and a high-jumper clearing the bar.
This year’s buttery masterpieces were crafted from 2,000 pounds of butter by a team of Ohio-based technical sculptors led by Paul Brooke of Cincinnati. His team, which includes Tammy Buerk of West Chester, Erin Birum of Columbus, dairy farmer Matt Davidson of Sidney, and Joe Metzler of Auburn, spent approximately 450 hours to complete the display, with 375 hours dedicated to sculpting inside the 46-degree cooler.
“Every year we try to do something different we’ve never done before, and this year it was conveying the true-to-life motion of each athlete in action,” said lead sculptor Paul Brooke. “We had to get very creative with the armatures to support the massive weight of the butter.”
The display celebrates the hard work and dedication that athletes demonstrate every day to rise to the highest levels of competition. That includes training hard each day, as well as eating a balanced diet, including dairy foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt that provide essential nutrients for strength, immunity, and overall well-being.
“An eight-ounce glass of milk – whether white, chocolate or lactose-free – provides eight grams of high-quality protein and promotes the three Rs of recovery, helping athletes rebuild, refuel and rehydrate after training,” said Jenny Crabtree, senior vice president of communications, American Dairy Association Mideast.
The butter cow display attracts more than 500,000 visitors at the Ohio State Fair, often gaining nationwide recognition and media attention. The Ohio State Fair is scheduled to run from July 24 through Aug. 4, 2024, at the Ohio Expo Center. For more information, visit www.drink-milk.com.
The butter display and the Dairy Products Building are sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, Ohio’s dairy farmer-funded marketing and promotion program. The butter was donated in part by Dairy Farmers of America, and the mural behind the butter display was painted by Ted Hendricks of Cincinnati.
