Dairy goodness at State Fair

SPRINGFIELD – All of your favorite dairy products are featured in one convenient location on the state fairgrounds.

The dairy building includes displays from Prairie Farms and Deans along with the famous butter cow. This year’s butter sculpture was created by Sara Pratt and her husband, Andy.

“They made a beautiful Jersey cow and it weighs more than 600 but less than 650 pounds,” explained dairy building superintendent Marla Behrends. “It took the two of them 68 hours to put it together.”

According to Behrends, the butter cow looks closely resembles an animal a Jersey dairyman would want. Local dairy producer Gordon Ropp called it the best cow ever which Behrends considers an official “stamp of approval.”

Popular attractions in the dairy building include cheese from Wisconsin, window displays and old milk delivery vehicles. The Mexican cheeses also seem to be a big hit.

“Deans received the silver platter superintendent’s award for their historical pictures and the judges thought their display was very eye appealing,” Behrends adds.

The building is a fun place to bring kids for games such as football, basketball, a bean bag toss and trivia. Many grandparents even remember strolling through the dairy building as kids and getting a free cup of milk years ago.

“That’s a tradition here at the Illinois State Fair and we have a lot of fun with the families.”