Let The Sculpting Begin! 800 Pounds Of Butter Arrives At New York State Fair

The butter has arrived at the New York State Fair. More than 800 pounds of it.

It's all to create the annual Butter Sculpture, one of Central New York’s best-kept secrets and most beloved attractions at the fair each year.

Sculpting Butter for 20+ Years

Sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton, who have been carving the sculpture since 2003, have begun work on the 56th edition, using unsellable butter from Batavia, New York.

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American Dairy Association North East works with the sculptors to put it to good use by creating a beautiful piece of art.

Recycled Butter

Even after the Fair, the butter doesn’t go to waste. Instead, it will be sent to Noblehurst Farms, a dairy farm in Pavilion, New York, where it will be recycled into renewable energy.

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The Annual Butter Sculpture will be unveiled on Tuesday, August 20, the day before the New York State Fair officially opens. You can watch the official unveiling on Facebook or see it on display in the Dairy Products Building for the duration of the 13-day Fair that opens Wednesday, August 21.

Butter Sculptures Through the Years

Take a walk down memory lane, and look back at the butter sculptures over the years at the New York State Fair.

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The annual tradition began in 1969 when William Clements transformed a pile of butter into a cow jumping over the moon. The creators may have changed over the years but the butter sculpture remains.