State Fair to kick off Thursday as officials unveil 2024 butter cow

[August 08, 2024]  By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
[e-mail]

SPRINGFIELD – Clad in a butter-colored shirt, Gov. JB Pritzker joined wife MK, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Miss Illinois County Fair Natalie Evans and others to unveil the 2024 Illinois State Fair Butter Cow on Wednesday, kicking off the 11-day fair.

The theme of this year’s fair is “It’s Showtime,” reflected in the butter cow sculpture, which depicts a child magician pulling a seven-scoop ice cream cone from a magic hat next to the cow.

The sculpture is made of 800 pounds of unsalted butter, which is recycled each year to form the cow, rather than discarded. The sculptor this year was once again Iowan Sarah Pratt.

“This year’s theme: ‘It’s Showtime,’ honors the state fair as a place for Illinoisans to come together and see the best that our state has to offer entertainment and so much more,” Pritzker said.

Evans said she’d been attending the fair for several years showing Red Angus cattle.

“But this year I'm definitely the most excited to see all the ins and outs of the State Fair and everything,” Evans said.

The Illinois dignitaries unveiled the butter cow – the 103rd in the state’s history, according to Pritzker, in the Dairy Building on the fairgrounds.

Officials unveil the 2024 Illinois State Fair Butter Cow on Wednesday at the Dairy Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The theme for this year’s fair and cow is “It’s Showtime.” (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)

“Everything that I love is right in this building: the butter cow and ice cream,” Stratton said.

The fair opens Thursday and will run through Sunday, Aug. 18.

This year’s new attractions include a daily circus at Happy Hollow and a ninja obstacle course called the Neutron Ninja Warrior Experience outside the Colosseum. For families with young children, there will be a Fairytales on Ice show at the Orr Building the last weekend of the fair.

An old favorite is returning this year as well: A free tram service will run all eleven days of the fair to help guests get around.

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