Legen-Dairy Buckeye Team Celebrated In Butter

Ohio butter sculptors churn creamy champions at the state fair

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The American Dairy Association Mideast`s annual butter cow and calf sculptures share the spotlight with The Ohio State Buckeyes football team.This year`s butter sculpture at the Ohio State Fair pays tribute to the team`s 2015 victory in the first-ever College Football Playoff. Fairgoers can view the display in the Dairy Products Building from July 28 to August 9.
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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Always a highly anticipated Ohio State Fair favorite, the annual butter sculpture display was unveiled today by the American Dairy Association Mideast and is sure to spread Buckeye spirit. This year, the butter display commemorates the Ohio State Buckeye’s national championship victory in the first-ever College Football Playoff.

The 2015 display features the butter cow and calf standing next to life-size sculptures of Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer and mascot Brutus Buckeye, along with larger-than-life carvings of the coveted national championship trophy and two Ohio State football helmets. The buttery Buckeye display gives fairgoers a chance to once again celebrate Ohio State’s historic win, when the team defeated the Oregon Ducks, 42-20, on Jan. 12, 2015.

Fairgoers will also have the opportunity to name this year’s butter cow and calf via Twitter by following @OHDairyFarmers and using the hashtag #ButterCowNameGame.  The person who submits the most inventive name will be awarded a Go Pro HERO LCD camera at the conclusion of the fair.

Made from 2,000 pounds of butter, donated in part by Dairy Farmers of America, the display was completed in 500 hours, which includes approximately 400 hours of sculpting inside a 46-degree cooler.

The sculptors begin by building wooden and steel frames to support the weight of the butter. From 55-pound blocks, the butter is sliced into manageable loaves and layered on the frames. After many hours of molding and smoothing the butter, each sculpture begins to take shape. Fine details are added last.

The 2015 display was crafted by a group of four Ohio-based technical sculptors including lead sculptors Paul Brooke and Alex Balz of Cincinnati, Tammy Buerk of West Chester and Erin Swearingen of Columbus. Matt Davidson, a dairy farmer from Sidney who has a degree in fine arts, assisted the team. The mural in the display features the Ohio State athletic logo with the iconic Block O and was painted by Ted Hendricks of Cincinnati.

The butter display is a long-standing tradition of Ohio’s more than 2,700 dairy farmers. Each year, the theme of the butter display is always the best kept secret leading up to the fair.

The American Dairy Association Mideast selects an icon or theme to feature in butter that is non-political, non-controversial and reflects optimism and broad audience-appeal.  The butter display annually attracts more than 500,000 visitors at the Ohio State Fair and often gains media attention nationwide.

The butter display is in the Dairy Products Building at the Ohio Expo Center, home of the Ohio State Fair. While there, fair visitors can also learn about how Ohio’s dairy farmers care for their cows, their land and their communities. The Dairy Products Building is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and offers a variety of Ohio-produced dairy foods including ice cream, milkshakes, cheese sandwiches and milk. The fair will run from Wednesday, July 29 through Sunday, Aug. 9.

The butter sculpture display and the Dairy Products Building are sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, Ohio’s dairy-farmer funded marketing and promotion program. For more information, visit www.drink-milk.com and www.ohiodairyfarmers.com

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The American Dairy Association Mideast`s annual butter cow and calf sculptures share the spotlight with The Ohio State Buckeyes football team.This year`s butter sculpture at the Ohio State Fair pays tribute to the team`s 2015 victory in the first-ever College Football Playoff. Fairgoers can view the display in the Dairy Products Building from July 28 to August 9.

A buttery Brutus Buckeye and national championship trophy join annual favorites the butter cow and calf at the 2015 Ohio State Fair. This year`s theme, sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, honors the Ohio State Buckeyes` 2015 football national championship victory. The display includes two Ohio State football helmets and a life-size replica of head football coach Urban Meyer. Fairgoers can view the butter display at the fair from July 29 to August 9.

A butter Brutus Buckeye and the annual Ohio State Fair butter cow share the cooler in this year`s butter sculpture display at the Ohio State Fair. The American Dairy Association Mideast pays tribute to the College Football Playoff champions with life-sized sculptures of Brutus, the championship trophy, two Buckeye helmets and a life-size replica of Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer. Fairgoers can view the display in the Dairy Products Building from July 29 to August 9.

A life-sized butter replica of Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer stands tall in the 2015 Butter Cow display case at the Ohio State Fair. The American Dairy Association Mideast celebrates the 2015 College Football Playoff champions in this year`s annual butter sculpture display. In addition to Meyer, a life-sized Brutus Buckeye, two Ohio State football helmets and the national championship trophy join the annual butter cow and calf in the cooler at the Dairy Products Building.

The Ohio State Fair annual butter calf stands next to a larger-than-life replica of an Ohio State Buckeye football helmet. The American Dairy Association Mideast pays tribute to the hometown champions in this year`s butter display case at the Ohio State Fair. The display includes butter sculptures of the championship trophy, two Ohio State football helmets, mascot Brutus Buckeye and head football coach Urban Meyer.

Sculptor Paul Brooke, from Cincinnati, puts the finishing touches on Ohio State mascot Brutus Buckeye, featured at the 2015 Ohio State Fair. The sculptors begin by building wooden and steel frames to support the weight of the butter. From 55-pound blocks, the butter is sliced into loaves and layered on the frames. This year`s display honors the Ohio State Buckeyes and their 2015 College Football Championship victory. Brutus joins the butter cow and calf, along with coach Urban Meyer, two Ohio State Football helmets and the national championship trophy. Fairgoers can view the American Dairy Association Mideast`s display in the Dairy Products Building from July 29-Aug. 9.

Sculptor, Paul Brooke from Cincinnati, adds the fine details to Ohio State mascot Brutus Buckeye, displayed in butter at the 2015 Ohio State Fair. The American Dairy Association Mideast honors the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and their 2015 national championship victory in this year`s butter sculpture display. Brutus joins annual favorites the butter cow and calf, along with butter replicas of two Ohio State Football helmets, the national championship trophy and a life-sized replica of head football coach Coach Urban Meyer. Fairgoers can view the butter display in the Dairy Products Building from July 29 to August 9.

The 2015 Ohio State Fair butter sculpture display, sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, honors The Ohio State Buckeyes and their national championship victory in the first-ever College Football Playoff. The display includes a life-size sculpture of head football coach Urban Meyer, mascot Brutus Buckeye, and larger-than-life replicas of the championship trophy and two Ohio State Football buckeye helmets.

Sculptor Paul Brooke, from Cincinnati, carefully constructs the 2015 Ohio State Fair butter sculpture display. Brutus and the icons in the butter cow display case, begin as wooden and steel frames. The sculptors then slice 55-pound blocks of butter into loaves and layer them on the frames. This year`s display was made with 2,000 pounds of butter and required around 500 hours of labor. Fairgoers can view the American Dairy Association Mideast`s display from July 29-August 9.

Sculptor Alex Balz, from Cincinnati, carves the fine details into the annual Ohio State Fair butter cow. The American Dairy Association Mideast celebrates the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and their 2015 national championship victory with sculptures of mascot Brutus, head football coach Urban Meyer, and other Ohio State football icons in the annual butter display. This year`s sculpture required 2,000 pounds of butter and took 500 hours to complete. Fairgoers can view the display in the Dairy Products Building form July 29 to August 9.


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