DES MOINES, Iowa — It's a spot everyone comes back to, year after year, at the Iowa State Fair.
The famous butter cow is a must-see when coming to the Iowa State Fair, and it takes a lot of work for these amazing sculptures come to life.
"Holy Cow," is a common reaction fair goers had when seeing the butter cow for the first time.
"I've never been to the Iowa State Fair, so I was told you have to see the Butter Cow, and I was like, 'What is that?' And then I walked in here and I was like 'Oh, I get it now, it's very impressive, so I get why people talk about it,'" Katya Cerny said, an Iowa State Fair attendee.
The Pratt family is the magic behind it all.
"I love being a butter sculptor, I love carrying on the traditions. I started when I was a teenager with Norma 'Duffy' Lion, and so it was a delight to me to have my teenagers , almost not teenagers anymore, sculpting alongside me. It is just a joy to see the fairgoers filing past and enjoying it," said butter cow sculptor Sarah Pratt.
The entire sculpture is 600 pounds of recycled butter, and it has taken three long weeks to create the butter cow.
"It is really incalculable, because we've been doing this so long, so many days and such long hours, we forget what day it is and how many hours we worked today and yesterday," Pratt said.
The butter that the cow is made out of has been being used since 2005, and seeing this cow is a tradition for some Iowans.
"So, the butter cow and I, we go way back, and I remember the Elvis sculpture," said fairgoer Tom Anderson.
From first time fairgoers to Iowa State Fair veterans, everyone has the same reaction.
"It's massive, I didn't expect it to be like a life-size cow," Grace Daly said, and Iowa State Fair goer.
Some other sculptures featured alongside the butter cow are Caitlin Clark, Jack Trice and Kurt Warner.
Local 5 and CW Iowa 23 are bringing exciting 2023 Iowa State Fair experiences to you, from live newscasts to an interactive Local 5 Weather Lab experience. Come see us in front of the Administration Building (Grand Concourse) each day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.