Iowa sculptor will work on Illinois State Fair butter cow
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois State Fair has a new sculptor of its popular butter cow.
State fair organizers and the Midwest Dairy Association announced this week that Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines, Iowa, will take over this year for retiring sculptor Sharon BuMann. The butter cow has been an Illinois State Fair mainstay for 90 years. Illinois State Fair officials say it's one of the most photographed items on the fairgrounds.
Pratt has worked at the Iowa State Fair since 2006. She's sculpted cows, but she's also worked on likenesses of Abraham Lincoln and Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson. Dairy association officials say Pratt trained under famous butter sculptor Norma Lyon and "has become an accomplished artist in her own right."
The 2016 Butter Cow will be unveiled Aug. 11 at 3 p.m.