Columbus, Ohio –  No one was more disappointed when the 2020 Ohio State Fair was canceled than members of the Butter Cow Brigade, the legion of fans who flock to the Dairy Products Building each year to see what the American Dairy Association (ADA) Mideast staff and their crew of artists and sculptors created to celebrate Ohio’s dairy industry.

According to Jenny Crabtree, senior vice president of communications for ADA Mideast, the butter cow has been part of the Ohio State Fair experience for more than a century. 

The role of the butter cow at the Ohio State Fair began as part of a competition coordinated by The Ohio State University with dairy processors around the state. In 1920, the butter cow found a permanent home in the Dairy Products Building, along with the champion cheese display, ice cream and milkshakes. And while the butter calf was added early on, it wasn’t until the 1960s when the sculptors began creating themed displays celebrating Ohio’s rich heritage, celebrities and historical events.

Crabtree said over the years, butter display themes have honored unique sources of Ohio pride, such as sports championships from the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Also recognized have been locally produced cinematic icons including A Christmas Story, and historic achievements by famous Ohioans, like Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 moon landing. News about the latest butter cow creations has made the news streams across the country and around the world.

Crabtree said the ADA Mideast team realized that these unprecedented times are changing how fans celebrate this year, but the butter cow tradition lives on with the millions who have experienced this unique attraction.

With that in mind, the ADA Mideast team wanted to continue to celebrate Ohio’s dairy farmers and the butter cow tradition even in the absence of a physical presence at its traditional venue. With the cancellation of the opening day event this year, Crabtree and her colleagues decided to give butter cow fans a chance to continue the celebration by creating a butter cow of their own.

She said the DIY Butter Cow Challenge will give families the chance to test their artistic skills by creating a butter cow of their own, using the step-by-step process shown in a video created by Paul Brooke. Brooke is a Cincinnati-based toy sculptor who has headed up the creation of the display for 20 years.

Supplies include a 12 by 6 inch wooden board for a base, at least two pounds of butter, latex gloves and wire to create the frame, along with crafting tools to fine tune the butter cow.

Crabtree said the challenge opened on July 28, what would have been the opening day of the fair, and runs through Aug. 9. During that time, budding butter sculptors are encouraged to submit a photo of their butter cow sculpture on ADA Mideast’s Facebook page or share the image with the hashtag #BuildYourButterCow on ADA Mideast’s Twitter or Instagram. The winning DIY sculpture will be announced on Aug. 10 and will receive a YETI cooler as a prize.

The ADA Mideast team is looking forward to the submissions because the goal of challenge is not only to celebrate the butter cow, but the creativity that goes into the display each year. The theme for the Butter Cow display is probably one of the most visited displays at the fair and one of the most closely guarded secrets of the year.

Crabtree said the displays are brought to life each year by a talented team of Ohio-based sculptors who spend more than 400 hours finely crafting every detail of the display before it is unveiled on the opening day of the fair. The actual display uses over a ton of butter to craft the cow calf and other details of the display. Dan Ross handled the sculpting for about 30 years, followed by Bob Kling. Kling added Brooke and Alex Balz to the crew and when Kling retired, Brooke and Balz took over the sculpting, along with Tammy Burke, Erin Swearingen and Matt Davidson. Davidson is an Ohio dairy farmer and is responsible for creating a realistic cow and calf for the display.

She added that over the years, the displays have evolved to include a variety of Ohio symbols and celebrities as companions to the cow and calf figures. Prior to applying the butter, the sculptors build the intricate wire frames to support the figures. They have also implemented several unique design features such as colored lights and tinted butter.

“It is something I am truly proud to be a part of and have been lucky enough to enjoy each year for a long time,” Brooke said. “It will be fun to share that feeling of accomplishment with everyone, and I can’t wait to see how many mini butter cows come together.”

Once the butter cow has been photographed and a picture submitted to the challenge, the butter can be recycled into a tasty infused butter spread from a recipe from ADA Mideast’s recipe collection.

Not only does the ADA Mideast team want to see a herd of butter cows, but they also want to see pictures and favorite memories from fans on social media. To share a photo or memory use the hashtag #OHButterCowHistory and submit to ADA Mideast’s social media platforms.

“We want to see everyone’s favorite memories from the Dairy Products Building to reminisce about how this tradition has brought friends, families and neighbors together for generations,” Crabtree said.

ADA Mideast’s staff is also sharing some of their favorite memories of the butter cow through a historic video posted on the website at www.Drink-Milk.com.

The butter display and the Dairy Products Building are made possible each year by ADA Mideast, Ohio’s dairy farmer-funded marketing and promotion program. It also includes information to educate  fairgoers about how Ohio’s dairy farmers care for their cows, their land and their communities. For more information, visit www.Drink-Milk.com.