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Iowa State Fair plans butter sculpture of Lincoln

Ag/Outdoor

July 16th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A butter sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln will share the dairy-centric spotlight this year with the world-famous butter cow at the Iowa State Fair. Organizers announced Monday that a sculpture of Lincoln, along with a replica of the Lincoln Highway Bridge in central Iowa, will be on display in a 40-degree cooler when the fair opens in August.

It will take sculptor Sarah Pratt three weeks and 1,000 pounds of regular salted butter to create the pieces. She says she’s unsure how she’ll depict Lincoln. The companion sculptures, which change every year, are marking anniversaries. It’s been 150 years since Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. The historic Lincoln Highway, which stretches from New York to San Francisco, is 100 years old.

The fair runs Aug. 8 to Aug. 18.