HARRISBURG – Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding on Thursday unveiled the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show butter sculpture.
Carved from a half-ton of butter, it depicts three of Pennsylvania’s beloved professional sports mascots: Philadelphia Flyers’ Gritty, Philadelphia Eagles’ Swoop and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steely McBeam celebrating with a spread of Pennsylvania dairy products.
The sculpture, a long-time Farm Show staple, encourages Pennsylvanians to be a fan of Pennsylvania dairy and give a cheer to the more than 6,200 dairy farmers in the commonwealth.
“Every year, the Farm Show brings crowds to Harrisburg to celebrate things they love,” said Fetterman.
“This year, we hope to connect even more Pennsylvanians to our state fair and to agriculture by representing the faces of those they already love, from the west and east of Pennsylvania.”
The sculpture, sponsored by American Dairy Association North East (ADANE), features Gritty, Swoop and Steely McBeam united at a tailgate celebration through dairy.
The sculptors began work in mid-December to craft the work of art from butter donated by Land O’ Lakes in Carlisle, Cumberland County.
“This year’s Farm Show theme is Imagine the Opportunities, and it’s meant to be taken to heart by both producers and consumers,” said Redding.
“Opportunity is waiting to be imagined in Pennsylvania agriculture, and producers can score big when they act on their dreams and innovate.
“Consumers who take every opportunity to support their neighboring farmers contribute to a winning economy for Pennsylvania.”
The butter sculpture is on display in the Farm Show’s Main Hall. Following the Farm Show, the butter will be moved to the Reinford Farm in Juniata County to be converted into renewable energy in the farm’s methane digester.
Dairy farmers Tim Kurtz, from Kurtland Farms in the east, and Marie Canon, from Canon Dairy Farm in the west, say, “The butter sculpture is a creative way to highlight the state’s dairy farm families, how hard they work and the nutritious product they produce for their communities.”
The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the nation’s largest indoor agricultural event, featuring 12,000 competitive exhibits, more than 5,200 of which are animal competitions, plus 300 commercial exhibitors.
The show runs Jan. 4 – 11, 2020. Admission is free and parking is $15 in Farm Show lots. The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center is easily accessible from Interstates 81 and 83.
