(WSYR-TV) — The butter sculpture unveiling marks the unofficial opening of the New York State Fair.
This is the Fair’s 54th butter sculpture.
The 800 lbs. sculpture begins with a theme, provided by the American Dairy Association. Sculptors Marie Pelton and Jim Victor then create a design for the sculpture, which the American Dairy Association must approve. If the design is approved, the sculptors begin creating the armatures of the sculpture, which holds up the butter. The armatures are then brought to Syracuse when the butter sculpting begins in earnest!
It takes Pelton and Victor around 10 days to create the sculpture. They’ve been the artists behind the creation since 2003.
The sculpture ends up using around 800 lbs. of butter.
This year’s theme was “Refuel Greatness” that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX. The sculpture highlights female athletes and shows them refueling with chocolate milk.
“The sculpted athletes range in age from a child skier, to a high school gymnast, to a college lacrosse player, to an adult runner. A chocolate milk bottle sits in the center reinforcing the role that chocolate milk plays in helping female athletes recover, refuel, and rebuild for what comes next,” says Diana Dibble, vice president for the American Dairy Association Northeast.
This is also the first time in 16 years that the butter sculpture features color!
You can see the sculpture below:
