Butter Cow sculptures at Ohio State Fair will honor nation's top athletes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - A tradition that has been part of the Ohio State Fair is back with a special theme that goes with the upcoming Olympics.
The American Dairy Association Mideast revealed the 2024 Butter Cow sculpture that has been a staple at the fair since the early 1900s. This year's sculpture depicts a snapshot of the nation's top athletes "moo-ving" to victory, according to the release.
In this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair, the iconic butter cow and calf proudly wear their butter medallions as they stand next to four elite athletes. 
The traditional butter cow and calf are sporting butter medallions in this year’s butter display at the Ohio State Fair. They proudly stand next to four elite athletes, including a track and field para athlete at the starting line, a gymnast doing a handstand on the balance beam, a cyclist rounding the curve and a high-jumper clearing the bar. 
In this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair, the iconic butter cow and calf proudly wear their butter medallions as they stand next to four elite athletes. 
A track and field para athlete sculpted in butter is in position at the starting line in this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair. 
Included in this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair is a life-size butter sculpture of an elite gymnast balancing on her hands on a balance beam. 
A high jumper clearing the bar is sculpted in butter in this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair. The sculpture is actually anchored to the ceiling of the butter cooler so it appears the athlete is jumping over the bar. 
A life-size butter sculpture of a cyclist is included in this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair. Sculptors built a hidden armature to convey the motion of the cyclist leaning to the side as he rounds a curve.
The display is made with about 2,000 pounds of butter, showcasing the iconic butter cow and calf with butter-sculpted medals. Along with the cow and calf, visitors can catch life size butter sculptures of a track and field para athlete, a gymnast doing a handstand on the balance beam, a high-jumper and a cyclist.
The butter display also shows the hard work and dedication of dairy farmers and athletes who are fueled by dairy foods including milk, yogurt, cheese and more.
When it comes to the process, it takes about 450 hours to complete the dairy sculpture inside a 46-degree cooler. The work was done by a group of technical sculptors led by Paul Brooke of Cincinnati.
Paul Brooke is the lead sculptor for the American Dairy Association Mideast’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair. Brooke, of Cincinnati, has been part of the creative work for more than 20 years. 
Erin Birum, of Columbus, smooths handfuls of butter as the sculpture of a track and field para athlete takes shape. A team of Ohio-based sculptors spent 375 hours in a 46-degree cooler to create this year’s butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair. 
Sculptors used approximately 2,000 pounds of butter to create the 2024 butter cow display. It took approximately 450 hours to complete the sculpture and 375 of those hours were dedicated to sculpting inside the 46-degree cooler.
Last year, the sculpture theme celebrated Ohio’s rich history of innovation, featuring notable inventors including Thomas Edison, Garrett Morgan, Josephine Cochrane and James Spangler.
The Butter Cow sculpture will be on display at the Dairy Products Building, where visitors can also enjoy a variety of Ohio-produced dairy foods from ice cream and milkshakes, to cheese sandwiches and milk.