Pennsylvania Farm Show unveils a 1,000-pound butter sculpture honoring America’s 250th birthday
The sculpture features Benjamin Franklin and the Founding Fathers at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
It’s January, and that means one of Pennsylvania’s grandest spectacles is back again: the annual Farm Show butter sculpture.
Every year, in Harrisburg, a new 1,000-pound sculpture is unveiled to the public at the Farm Show Complex, a 1-million-square-foot event space that hosts the long-running show. Some years, the sculpture features mascots, like Gritty. This year’s sculpture is titled, “A Toast to Our Nation’s 250th Anniversary: Inspired by Founders. Grown by Farmers” in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial.
“The butter sculpture is a people-pleasing favorite every year at the Pennsylvania Farm Show,” Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a news release. “In this America250 year, it takes on a deeper meaning reflecting how agriculture has been the roots of our nation’s growth and prosperity for 250 years, and how Pennsylvania farmers will continue to lead us forward.”
If you’ve been to the show, with its live calf births, livestock shows, concerts, and dizzying array of food options, then you know. If you haven’t been there, it’s time to call out sick and hit the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The show began on Friday and runs daily through Saturday. The butter sculpture, which has been part of the Farm Show for over half a century, is enclosed in a large, refrigerated case.
This year’s sculpture is a 1776 Philadelphia tableau, featuring Benjamin Franklin and the Founding Fathers at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, complete with a celebratory toast with milk. The Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross make an appearance, too.
Like most years, the butter sculpture was created by Conshohocken artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton. They’ve worked with chocolate, cheese, and ice over their careers, but butter’s brought them the most acclaim.
The butter is often donated by large national producers like Land O Lakes or Keller’s, and no, it can’t be melted and drizzled on popcorn.
“It’s waste butter we get from plants,” Pelton told The Inquirer in 2020. ”It’s stuff that’s been extruded or cleaned out, or stuff that’s been damaged, or generally can’t be sold to the public.”
According to the Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural expo in the nation, featuring nearly 5,000 animals, 12,000-plus competitive entries from more than 4,600 competitors, plus more than 250 commercial exhibits, and hundreds of educational and entertaining events. Admission is free. Parking is $15 per vehicle. Farming, according to the Department of Agriculture, provides 593,000 Pennsylvania jobs and contributes $132.5 billion to the state’s economy each year.