One of the New York State Fair’s most recognizable traditions is beginning to take shape behind closed doors, with 800 pounds of butter now inside the Dairy Products Building and sculptors working on this year’s still-secret design.
Sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton have returned to the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse to build the 58th annual butter sculpture, a project expected to take about 11 days before it is unveiled Tuesday, Aug. 25, one day before the fair opens.
The pair are creating the sculpture for the 24th consecutive year, working inside a refrigerated studio where the finished design will remain hidden until next week’s unveiling. The sculpture will then remain on display throughout the 13-day fair.
The butter comes from O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia and is out of specification for retail sale for a variety of reasons, according to the American Dairy Association North East. Rather than being discarded, the butter is used to create the annual sculpture.
The attraction has become a centerpiece of the Dairy Products Building and is designed each year around themes connected to New York’s dairy industry.
“The butter sculpture has become one of The New York State Fair’s most cherished traditions because it tells the story of our state’s dairy farm families in a way that’s both creative and memorable,” American Dairy Association North East CEO John Chrisman said.
The butter’s use doesn’t end when the fair closes.
After the fair, the sculpture will be transported back to Western New York and recycled at Noblehurst Farms in Pavilion. The farm uses an anaerobic digester to convert food waste into renewable energy, marking the 11th consecutive year the butter sculpture will be recycled there.
Noblehurst Farms processes more than 500 tons of food waste each month from supermarkets, universities and schools. According to the dairy association, the farm produces enough energy through the program to power its operations and more than 300 homes.
The 800 pounds of butter used in the sculpture is expected to generate enough energy to power a single home for about three days.
The 2026 sculpture will be unveiled to media and during a livestream on the American Dairy Association North East Facebook page Tuesday, Aug. 25. The Great New York State Fair opens Wednesday, Aug. 26.
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