For the first time in fifteen years, color is featured in the butter sculpture at the New York State Fair.
This year’s butter sculpture highlights female athletes and shows how today’s athletes refuel with chocolate milk, according to the American Dairy Association North East.
Sponsored by Wegmans, the 54th Annual Butter Sculpture at the State Fair is centered around the theme “Refuel Her Greatness – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.”
The sculpture shows a progression of female athletes ranging in age and sport. There’s a child skier, high school gymnast, college lacrosse player and adult runner featured in butter form.
‘A chocolate milk bottle serves as the centerpiece, reinforcing the role chocolate milk plays in helping female athletes recover, refuel, and rebuild for what comes next,” said ADA North East.
New York State Dairy Ambassador Gabriella Taylor shared her thoughts on Title IX as this year’s theme and her connection to the dairy industry.
“Who would have thought that when Title IX was passed back in 1972, that we would be standing here 50 years later acknowledging the strides that women have made in sports,” said Taylor. “As a dairy farmer, I am proud to represent New York’s 3,500 dairy farmers as we celebrate how many athletes refuel their bodies with chocolate milk.”
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The 2022 State Fair marks the first time since 2006 that color is featured in the butter sculpture.
Artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania constructed the sculpture over a 10-day period using over 800 pounds of butter from O-AT-KA Milk Products in Western New York.
The sculpture will be deconstructed after the fair with the help of Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, and transported to Noblehurst Farms in Linwood, New York.
There, it will be recycled in a methane digester to create renewable energy, according to the ADA.
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball encouraged fairgoers to check out the other offerings in the Dairy Products Building as well, like 25-cent cold milk, ice cream and cheese.
For more on all things dairy and Great New York State Fair, head to this website.
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