The Butter Cow
The butter cow has been an Iowa State Fair staple since 1911. It can be found in the Agricultural Building. In 1960, butter sculptor Norma "Duffy" Lyon created her first bovine masterpiece. In the following 45 years, she sculpted all six breeds of dairy cows, as well as Garth Brooks, a butter version of Grant Wood's American Gothic, the Peanuts characters, Iowa native John Wayne, Elvis Presley, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, various animals and a butter rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. Her butter sculptures were featured in national magazines and radio programs, as well as on The Today Show and the Late Show with David Letterman. Following Lyon's retirement in 2005, longtime apprentice Sarah Pratt took over the sculpting duties.
| Year | Additional Butter Sculpture |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Grant Wood's famous "American Gothic" (honoring Iowa's Sesquicentennial) |
| 1997 | Elvis Presley |
| 1998 | An American eagle |
| 1999 | Duffy's own version of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" |
| 2000 | Christian Peterson sculpting "The Gentle Doctor" statue (Petersen was Duffy's mentor and teacher.) |
| 2001 | John Wayne |
| 2002 | Peanuts Gang |
| 2003 | Harley-Davidson motorcycle (in honor of the company's 100th anniversary) |
| 2004 | Birthday cake in honor of the Fair's Sesquicentennial and an Iowa barn |
| 2005 | Tiger Woods |
| 2006 | "Mr. State Fair" Bill Riley (in honor of his 60th Fair) and Superman (Norwalk, Iowa, native Brandon Routh) |
| 2007 | Harry Potter |
| 2008 | Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and a tribute to four Iowans who changed the face of the world’s agriculture: Etta May Budd, George Washington Carver, Henry Wallace and Norman Borlaug. |
| 2009 | Tribute to the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon |
| 2010 | 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ "Green Eggs and Ham" |
| 2011 | Replica of 1911 butter cow sculptures, including a calf, young boy and chicken. A sculpture of a young girl with a butterfly was added as a tribute to Norma "Duffy" Lyon. |
| 2012 | 75th anniversary of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs |
Read more about this topic: Iowa State Fair
Famous quotes containing the word butter:
“The matter of fees is important, far beyond the mere question of bread and butter involved. Properly attended to, fuller justice is done to both lawyer and client.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)