Since the 1920s, the iconic Butter Cow Sculpture has been the unofficial mascot of the Illinois State Fair. Each year, a sculptor is selected to create the butter cow using hundreds of pounds of unsalted butter, which serves to highlight the importance of Illinois’ agriculture and history.

The first Butter Cow was sculped in 1922 by J.E. Wallace, which honored the image of a world record holding jersey cow named Raleigh’s Sibyl. Raleigh’s Sibyl was owned and cared for by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Raleigh’s Sibyl earned her record by producing 18,847 pounds of milk in one year.

Although the butter cow was not immediately an annual tradition, the Dairy Building, where the butter sculptures are displayed, held other sculptures during the state fair including a dairy maid churning butter and a farm boy feeding his calf.

By 1930, the butter cow became an annual image at the state fair, bringing in spectators from across the state. Today, the butter cow is unveiled every year on the opening day of the fair, which is Aug. 8 this year.

Stay tuned to learn about this year’s Illinois State Far Butter Cow Sculpture, sculptor and theme. Learn more about the 2024 Illinois State Fair here.