Way back in 1911, J.K. Daniels sculpted the Iowa State Fair’s first butter cow.
Since then, four sculptors have maintained the tradition. In 1996, Norma “Duffy” Lyon of Toledo, Iowa, added an additional sculpture to the butter tradition. Lyon, in honor of Iowa’s sesquicentennial, sculpted Grant Wood’s famous “American Gothic,” starting a new tradition of additional butter sculptures for the fair.
This leads us to 2023 — when the iconic Iowa State Fair butter cow shared the (refrigerated) platform with legendary Iowa athletes. Butter sculptor Sarah Pratt sculpted butter likenesses of Jack Trice, Kurt Warner and Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark, star of the University of Iowa basketball team, made a name for herself throughout the season for her sharp shooting, overall knowledge of the game and becoming the first player in Division 1 women’s basketball to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season. Late in the season, it was her on-the-court non-basketball moves that garnered a lot of attention.
However, it was Angel Reese’s response to Clark that became a national topic of conversation. Late in the championship game between LSU and Iowa, Reese pointed to her ring finger in Clark’s direction.
In the spirit of Reese’s nod to the national championship ring that was headed to her finger, young fairgoers Brayden and Bryce Spears were true to their family’s Louisiana roots and struck Reese’s pose in front of the butter Clark. “Yes, even 900 miles away are LSU and New Orleans Saints fans,” said their grandmother Geri Schexnayder, of Donaldsonville.
