Butter belongs on toast and in baked goods. With a little open-mindedness and a lot of hard work, butter can also transform into a much-revered farm animal for many Ohioans.
The 2026 butter cow theme at the Ohio State Fair has finally been revealed after much anticipation and excitement.
A large crowd gathered July 28 at the newly renovated Dairy Products Building to see this year's butter cow and calf, as well as the 2026 America 250 theme of other sculptures. The theme reflects the celebration of the country's semiquincentennial at one of America's great institutions: the state fair.
The calf rocks Uncle Sam's top hat and is joined by the butter cow, the American and Ohio flags, a bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty and a seal with a large "250"
engraved.
Sculptors complete display in less than a week
Paul Brooke, the lead sculptor, has been involved with the butter cow display for 27 years. Design planning and preparation begins in March or April.
However, the actual sculpting is done in six days – split between five people – for eight to 10 hours a day, Brooke said.
For the team, the most difficult objects to sculpt were the flags. Each flag weighs around 200 pounds.
"Butter flags are something we haven't tried before, and they're very heavy, and they're welded to this little spot on the floor," Brooke said.
Although Brooke enjoys each year's butter project, he said not having to construct human figures was a nice break.
"We didn't have to do any full-sized human figures, which is pretty hard to sculpt," Brooke said. "Any sculptor will tell you that the uniform is probably pretty hard to sculpt."
Gov. Mike DeWine hopes state fair unites Ohioans
Even the governor of Ohio had no idea what the theme of the butter cow display would be before the July 28 reveal.
"This thing is more secret than the Academy Awards," DeWine said.
The state fair and attractions like the butter cow are the "showcase for Ohio," he said.
"It's our opportunity to tell Ohioans and visitors and guests from other states just what a great state this is. We're Ohioans, and we don't brag much. We just get up in the morning, we go to work, we do our job. This is the chance where we can show people, show the world, really how wonderful Ohio is."
In light of recent crackdowns on immigration, including the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, which DeWine has spoken out against, the state fair is a place where every Ohioan belongs, DeWine said.
A short movie will be shown at the fair reflecting Ohio's history.
"It's our common story," DeWine said. "When you came to Ohio six months ago, or whether you're the seventh generation, it's still your story. It's the Ohio story."
Butter cow tradition dates back to 1903
This is not the butter cow's first rodeo – or fair.
The tradition began in the early 1900s, with the first-ever butter cow and calf sculptures debuting in 1903, when they were entered into a butter-sculpting contest sponsored by Ohio State University and the Dairy Processors of Ohio, according to the state fair website. Now, the American Dairy Association Mideast sponsors the creation and housing of the sculptures.
There was no theme to follow in that early competition, but the cow sculpted by A.T. Shelton & Company, distributors of Sunbury Co-Operative Creamery butter, became so popular that it eventually became a permanent attraction.
The Dairy Building was built in 1925, which became the permanent home for the beloved butter sculptures. Themed companion sculptures were added in the 1960s.
Five Ohio artists spent nearly 400 hours planning and sculpting this year's display using approximately 2,100 pounds of butter, according to a press release. After the fair, the butter is recycled and refined into an ingredient used in a variety of non-edible products.
Those hours spent freezing in a 45-degree cooler pay off. Approximately 500,000 people visit the Dairy Products Building to see the butter sculptures and enjoy dairy products annually, according to the state fair website.
Past themes include construction, athletes and more
In 2025, the butter sculpture theme was "Pardon Our Dust," a nod to the construction work that was underway to renovate the Dairy Products Building, part of a larger plan to update the fairgrounds. The cow and calf donned hard hats.
The nation's athletes were honored in 2024 with four life-size butter sculptures depicting different competitors, like a gymnast doing a handstand on a balance beam.
Previously featured butter sculpture themes include the 90th anniversary of the ice cream cone, a tribute to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Furby, a salute to chocolate milk and more, according to the state fair website.
Updated Dairy Products Building adds more space
The renovation of the Dairy Products Building on the fairgrounds is part of the Expo 2050 Master Plan, born out of Gov. DeWine's Expo 2050 Task Force formed in 2019 to recommend a long-term vision for the Ohio Expo Center.
A new addition was made to the Dairy Products Building that recessed preparation space and the butter cooler to better open up the building, according to the Ohio Expo Center website. Public restrooms were updated, as well as air conditioning.
"Workers here, who served the food, who served Swiss cheese, sandwiches, and the ice cream and the milkshakes, they needed more room," DeWine said. "So, we were able to provide that."
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Fair butter cow theme unveiled, honoring America 250
