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Butter Sculpture Celebrates 10th Anniversary At Pa. Farm Show
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JAYNE SEBRIGHT
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
It was only fitting that the first
butter sculpture unveiled in 1991
featured one of Pennsylvania’s
earliest pioneers, Ben Franklin.
Franklin used his ingenuity and
imagination to invent many mod
em conveniences that we now take
for granted. The Pennsylvania
Farm Show and regional dairy
promotion groups used that same
ingenuity to create a unique way to
pay tribute to Pennsylvania’s
largest agriculture industry while
drawing thousands of visitors,
along with the media, to the Farm
Show each year.
The 2000 Farm Show marks the
tenth anniversary of the butter
sculpture. It has been a highlight
for the thousands who attend each
year.
The first butter sculpture was
unveiled in conjunction with the
75th anniversary of the Pennsylva
nia Farm Show.
According to William L. Piper,
Deputy Director of the Farm Show
since 1983, the butter sculpture
was placed in the McClay Street
lobby to draw people through the
Main Exhibit Building.
“We needed something in that
lobby as a focal point because of
other changes we made that year,
including moving the food into a
new food court area. We wanted to
get people to come through the
main floor and equipment vendors
to see the butter sculpture.”
Using outside vendors to pro
vide the refrigeration equipment
and building materials. Farm
Show employees designed and
constructed the octagon-shaped
case that still houses the butter
sculpture today.
“We are pretty proud of that
case and the sculptures it has fea
tured over the years. It’s been quite
successful.”
The butter sculpture has always
been a joint venture between the
Pennsylvania Department of Agri
culture and Pennsylvania’s dairy
farmers. While the Farm Show
contributes the case, dairy farmer
funded promotion groups sponsor
the artist who creates the sculpture
and work with local media to gen
erate coverage.
Currently groups sponsoring
the sculpture include the American
Dairy Association/Dairy Council
Middle Atlantic (ADA/DC Middle
Atlantic), die Pennsylvania Dairy
Promotion Program (PDPP), and
the American Dairy Association &
Dairy Council Mid East (ADADC
Mid East).
In the beginning, area butter
manufacturers rotated the respon
sibility of donating the butter.
However, Land O’Lakes manufac
turing plant in Carlisle has donated
the butter for the last seven years.
A McClay Street lobby houses photos of past PA Farm
Show butter sculptures. Those who see this year’s sculp
ture can compare the other nine shown In the display win
dow.
lanuary
Their contribution has totaled to
more than 4,000 pounds over the
years. Leftover butter is donated to
charity each year.
According to Cindy Weimer,
industry relations manager for
ADADC Mid East, the promotion
groups first got together in early
1990 to plan the butter sculpture.
“Both the New York and Ohio
State Fairs had butter sculptures.
and we thought it should be a part
of the Pennsylvania Farm Show—
something that would be a high
light for many years to come.”
Both Governor Bob Casey and
Secretary of Agriculture Boyd
Wolf unveiled the first butler
sculpture ten years ago, which
drew media from all over Pennsyl
vania. The press conference held
the Thursday before each Farm
Show still draws significant num
bers. Last year the butter sculpture
garnered coverage from eleven
television stations, including a sta
tion in Miami, FI., and another in
Houston, Tx.
This year’s sculpture pays tri
bute to the 115 county fairs found
scattered throughout Pennsylvani
a. The sculpture created by five
year veteran Ed Shank features a
carousel with two children riding
horses, centered between a key
stone and the shape of
Pennsylvania.
According to Shank, the sculp
ture is both gratifying and difficult
to create. “When I first started
working on the butter sculpture
back in 1996, many of my col
leagues thought the idea seemed a
little corny. But after they saw it,
they realized how much harder it is
to create a sculpture out of butter
than out of marbel or clay.”
Shank has had to hone his butter
sculpting skills over the years.
“Butler doesn’t remain consistent
It starts out really hard and then
softens in your hands. Once an
area gets too soft, you have to
move to another area on the sculp
ture. It’s really difficult for an
artist to stop and come back to an
area later.”
Still the fame that Shank has
received from the butter sculpture
is phenomenal. “I can go just about
anywhere in Pennsylvania, and
people know the butter sculpture.
More people seem to recognize my
creations done in butter than any of
the bronze or marbels I’ve
sculpted.”
Shank’s favorite butter sculp
ture to create was “Miss Common
weath,” who was featured last
year. “I had to research the artist
who sculpted the original Miss
Commonweath and actually went
on top of the Capitol building to
see the sculpture.”
Still Shank admits that the
sculpture for which he has
received the most compliments
was the Amish boy pulling a calf.
Sculpting butter is more difficult than other mediums, according to five-year veter
an butler sculptor Ed Shank from Middletown. Shank puts his finishing touches on
this year’s sculpture of a carousel.
unveiled in 1997. “Last year I was
amazed when a couple from Erie
came up to me and told me they
took a six hour trip each year just to
sec the Farm Show butter
sculpture.”
Ova: the years, the butter sculp
ture has featured various images
resonant with the agriculture
industry, the Commonweath, and
the nation. One of the most famous
sculptures came in 1995. To mark
the 50th anniversary of D-Day. the
Farm Show unveiled a “Salute to
World War II” carved in butter.
1991 featured thcn-
Pennsylvania Dairy Princess
Robin Wilbur with then-4-Her and
current Clinton County Dairy Prin
cess Lauren Daubert An old fash
ioned ice cream vendor handed an
ice cream cone to a child in 1993’s
sculpture, while 1994’s sculpture
featured two football players
poised in a tackle position, tying in
with Penn State’s recent football
success.
The 1996 sculpture featured
President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
whose farm can still be toured in
Gettysburg. During that year, area
dairy princesses handed out “I
Like Dee ’N Ice Cream” buttons to
Farm Show visitors. In 1998, a
“Salute to School Lunch” sculp
ture featured a cafeteria employee
saving lunch to children.
While the butter sculpture was
in the MoClay Street lobby, dairy
promoters did various things to
educate Farm Show visitors about
the butter industry. In 1993, visi
tors could pick up handouts that
featured facts about die butter
sculpture and the industry.
For several years, video moni
tors were mounted above the
sculpture to showcase the butter
making process. Area dairy prin
cesses also staffed the exhibit for
several years, talking to spectators
about the sculpture.
In 1997, the sculpture was
moved to the food court so that
mote people would see it But,
because of the congestion and
crowds, the video monitors and
education opportunities were eli
minated.
This year the sculpture will
return to McClay Street lobby.
Piper invites everyone to see this
year’s sculpture and view the
photos of past sculptures that can
be found in the large display win-
Mary land/V irginia
Cooperative Goes Online
In New Millennium
RESTON, Va. —Maryland
and Virginia Milk Producers
Cooperative launched a website
on January 1, starting the year
2000 with a click! Cooperative
members, dairy farmers and the
general public can learn more
about Maryland and Virginia, its
plants, products and services.
Milk market reports, press
releases, staff contacts, and links
to other great dairy websites —it’s
all online at www.mdvamilk.com.
“Since more and more dairy
farmers are using the internet, it is
not just useful, but essential to
have an informational, interactive,
easy-to-navigate website,” says
Stephanie Meyers, Maryland and
Virginia’s director of
communication and education.
“We are excited to provide this
service not only to more
effectively communicate with our
members, but to benefit the dairy
industry and the general public.”
From the homepage of
www.mdvamilk.com, visitors can
choose:
• About Us -An overview
of Maryland and
Virginia, its producers,
plants, products and
services.
• Markets - Archived
issues of weekly and
monthly market
newsletters about milk
prices and market
conditions, and links to
other dairy pricing
websites.
• News - Cooperative
dows to the left of the butter sculp
ture case.
“People can see what we’ve
done over the years. It’s been very
successful for both the Farm Show
and the dairy industry.”
press releases, a
trading post and
media information.
• Why Join? - Benefits
and services offered
to members,
including legislative
representation,
education,
communication and
field staff.
• Contact Us - E-mail
links to key
Maryland and
Virginia staff
members.
• Links - Other dairy
websites about
markets, milk quality,
publications,
legislation,
promotion.
A “Members Only” section is
also being developed for fall
2000, featuring milk quality test
results, blend prices, member
meeting dates and other
specialized information for
Maryland and Virginia members.
Maryland and Virginia Milk
Producers is a milk marketing and
processing cooperative which
markets milk for over 1,600 dairy
farmers in ten states from
Pennsylvania to Alabama.
Headquartered in Reston, Va.,
with a regional office in
Charlotte, N.C., the cooperative
includes a fluid milk processing
plant in Newport News, Va.; two
manufacturing plants in Laurel,
Md. and Strasburg, Va.; and an
equipment warehouse in
Frederick, Md.
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