CSPAN2 — Iowa State Fair Butter Cow Sculptor
20260829 175700 UTC
155 transcript segments
Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced)
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[00:00:00] 1900S. BUT YEAH, I FEEL LIKE YOU CAN
[00:00:03] TELL HOW BUSY LIVESTOCK PAVILION OFTEN IS BECAUSE THERE ARE
[00:00:07] VENDORS BUILT IN TO THE OUTER RING OF IT SO YOU CAN GET YOUR
[00:00:09] SNACK BEFORE YOU GO INSIDE AND
[00:00:12] ENJOY HORSE SHOW COW, SHOW SHEEP SHOW.
[00:00:16] AND AGAIN, OVER THE TEN DAYS YOU EXPECT A MILLION VISITORS, MAYBE NOT A MILLION.
[00:00:20] I DON'T KNOW. THEY THEY PUBLISH THE NUMBER
[00:00:23] EVERY YEAR IN THE REGISTER.
[00:00:26] RIGHT NOW IT FEELS LIKE A LOT WHEN YOU WHEN YOU'RE OUT HERE A
[00:00:30] LOT OF PEOPLE I THINK I'D HANG OUT RIGHT HERE. I KNOW.
[00:00:33] NICE AND SHADY ON THE DAY WITH A BREEZE, TOO. JUST COMES RIGHT THROUGH.
[00:00:36] WE GOT OUR.
[00:00:40] THE TRIO OFF TO THE SHOW. THAT'S GREAT.
[00:00:47] OH. SHE SHEEP ARE MY FAVORITE.
[00:00:51] HANNAH HOWARD IS THE STATE
[00:00:53] CURATOR OF IOWA. THE STATE OF IOWA.
[00:00:56] AND SHE'S GIVEN US A HISTORICAL
[00:00:58] TOUR OF THE IOWA STATE FAIR.
[00:01:02] THANK YOU. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. THANKS FOR THE LEMONS. MAKE SURE WE CHEERS. THERE WE GO.
[00:01:04] THERE YOU GO.
[00:01:12] YES, WE CAN SEE THE UNDONE BUTTER.
[00:01:16] YEAH YEAH, WE HAVE A JERSEY.
[00:01:19] HOW? AND THIS. THIS THEME THIS YEAR IS MEET ME
[00:01:23] AT THE PEPSI BLOCK.
[00:01:26] SO WHICH STATES FAIR? AT THE STATE FAIR.
[00:01:28] WE HAVE A PEPSI BLOCK AND SO YOU
[00:01:32] CAN SEE THAT OUR PEPSI IS NOT DONE YET. BUT THE PEPSI COLA OUT HERE ON
[00:01:36] THE FAIRGROUNDS GOT A FACELIFT, GOT AN A BRAND NEW PAINT JOB.
[00:01:40] BUT FOR OUR FAMILY AND, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, THE PEPSI PARK IS
[00:01:43] A SYMBOL OF A PLACE TO MEET
[00:01:46] BECAUSE TALL IT'S RECOGNIZABLE,
[00:01:48] IT'S BRIGHTLY COLORED AND, IT'S CENTRALLY LOCATED.
[00:01:51] SO PEOPLE HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THE SCULPTOR?
[00:01:54] THE BUTTER COW? I STARTED SCULPTING AS THE LEAD SCULPTOR IN 2006.
[00:01:59] THIS IS MY 20TH YEAR AS A LEAD SCULPTOR, AND I STARTED AS AN
[00:02:03] APPRENTICE AT THE AGE OF 14, IN 1991, AS AN APPRENTICE AS AN
[00:02:07] APPRENTICE. AND WHAT WERE YOU ALLOWED TO DO AS AN APPRENTICE?
[00:02:11] OH I SAW THE APPRENTICE.
[00:02:12] I THINK BUCKET IS BASICALLY STOP AND BUTTER.
[00:02:16] I POLISHED AND I LIKE THERE'S
[00:02:19] THESE LITTLE GREEN FLAGS. THERE USED TO BE GREEN, GREEN,
[00:02:23] ASTROTURF IN HERE. SO MY JOB IS TO GET THOSE OUT AND THEN CATCH UP.
[00:02:28] IS EDIBLE BUTTER. THIS BUTTER IS 20 YEARS OLD.
[00:02:32] THAT'S WHY THIS WHITE BUTTER IS 20 YEARS OLD, BUT IT WAS WHEN IT
[00:02:36] WAS NEW FOOD, RIGHT? BUTTER. YEAH.
[00:02:40] THE YELLOW BUTTER IS THE NEWER
[00:02:42] BUTTER ALSO IN VARYING AGES.
[00:02:47] SO SOME OF IT'S A COUPLE OF YEARS OLD, SOME IT IS JUST FROM THIS SUMMER I WENT TO THE ACROSS
[00:02:51] IOWA AND GET A CHANCE TO SCULPT
[00:02:53] BUTTER AND THEN BUTTER GETS ADDED IN.
[00:02:56] SO THAT'S ONE WAY WE HAVE NEW BUTTER EACH YEAR AND THAT'S IT DOESN'T GET THROWN AWAY.
[00:03:00] HOW MANY POUNDS OF BUTTER WE THROW IN THE IN THE ENTIRE
[00:03:05] SCULPTURE ABOUT 1300 POUNDS OF BUTTER. 1300 POUNDS OF BUTTER.
[00:03:07] IS IT IOWA BUTTER?
[00:03:11] IT IS FROM FROM MIDWEST DAIRY
[00:03:15] ASSOCIATION AND IT COMES FROM
[00:03:18] AMBI IS THAT DONATED THE IDEA THE BUTTER COW COME FROM.
[00:03:22] WELL, THERE WAS A SCULPTOR.
[00:03:24] HER NAME WAS CAROLYN BROOKS
[00:03:26] STARTED SCULPTING BUTTER IN 1867
[00:03:29] AND SHE BROUGHT BUTTER SCULPTING TO A NATIONAL AND WORLD LEVEL AS
[00:03:35] A AS AN ART FORM. BUTTER SCULPTING HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR CENTURIES BEFORE THAT.
[00:03:39] BUT AT THE TURN OF THE NINTH TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, BUTTER
[00:03:43] WENT FROM BEING MADE ON FARMS TO
[00:03:45] BEING INDUSTRIALLY OR LIKE MADE
[00:03:49] IN CREAMERIES. SO CAROLYN MADE IT AN ART FORM
[00:03:53] THAT WAS NOTABLE ACROSS THE
[00:03:55] COUNTRY AND THEN FAIRS TOOK THAT
[00:03:57] AND STARTED WORKING WITH CREAMERIES TO MAKE IT A NEW
[00:04:04] ADVERTISE. WELL SARAH PRATT WE'RE TALKING TO YOU A WEEK BEFORE THE FAIR
[00:04:07] OPENS AND LC IS NOT FINISHED HERE IS YOU?
[00:04:11] WELL, HER NAME IS PEPPER. PEPPER. SORRY.
[00:04:15] THAT'S OKAY. SO HOW WOULD YOU KNOW HER NAME
[00:04:18] IS PEPPER AND SHE'S NOT FINISHED.
[00:04:20] WE ARE HERE TODAY TO AT HER TAIL FOR ONE.
[00:04:23] AND TO GET SOME MORE BUTTER ON HER.
[00:04:25] AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON GETTING THE REST OF THE DISPLAY.
[00:04:29] THEN WE'LL SCULPT LIVE FOR PEOPLE THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS OF THE FAIR.
[00:04:32] SO WE'LL IN HERE DAY ONE AND
[00:04:34] TWO, I AM CALLING DETAILS ON MY.
[00:04:40] COLEMAN HAIR. I FEEL GOOD, SO I DON'T THERE'S HOT OUT THERE. THE BEST JOB ON THE FAIRGROUND. YOU MENTIONED I MET YOUR
[00:04:44] DAUGHTER, SARAH'S FRIEND. YEAH. GRACE PRATT. SHE HAS A TWIN SISTER. HANNAH.
[00:04:47] THEY ARE MY APPRENTICES. BEEN WORKING SINCE THEY WERE 14.
[00:04:51] NOW THEY HAVE FINISHED THEIR DEGREES IN THE ARTS AND JUST
[00:04:55] THIS PAST SPRING AND THEIR
[00:04:57] BROTHER DEAN ALSO IS A BRAND NEW APPRENTICE.
[00:05:00] HE JUST TURNED 14, SO HE'S JOINING THE FAMILY.
[00:05:04] AND, OF COURSE MY HUSBAND AND MY DAD. AND JUST IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR.
[00:05:09] GRACE, WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON TODAY WITH THE TODAY?
[00:05:13] I WILL BE PRIMARILY WORKING IN THE OTHER WINDOW. ACTUALLY. WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO
[00:05:18] FINALIZE THEIR POSES OVER THERE IN THE CORNER. YEAH, OKAY.
[00:05:21] THE WAIVERS. WHAT'S THE TOUGHEST PART FOR YOU? TOUGHEST PART FOR ME IS WORKING
[00:05:26] WITH YOUR MOTHER. WORKING WITH MY MOM IS GREAT.
[00:05:29] SHE'S VERY UNDERSTANDING OF MY SCHEDULE.
[00:05:34] SO THE TOUGHEST PART, USUALLY
[00:05:36] LIKE I LOVE DOING FACES FACES,
[00:05:39] IS WHEN, LIKE MY MY JOY IN OUR
[00:05:44] FIELD AND. SO I DOING THEM.
[00:05:48] IT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE, THOUGH, TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE
[00:05:52] PROPORTIONS LOOK RIGHT AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ONE.
[00:05:54] I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, SO 11
[00:05:57] THESE GUYS ALL HAVE VERY DEFINED
[00:06:01] FACES. I SAW THIS WITH THE FACES FOR THE MOST PART. THERE'S STILL LIKE SOME THEY ALL
[00:06:05] NEED MORE DETAILS IN THE EARS AND THEY NEED NOSTRILS.
[00:06:08] BUT FOR MOST PART, YEAH, THEY'RE
[00:06:11] PRETTY SHAVED OUT.
[00:06:13] WHAT DO YOU ABOUT THE TRADITION
[00:06:15] OF THE THE BUTTER IN THE BUTTER COW.
[00:06:19] OH I, I CAN'T IMAGINE BEING A PART OF IT.
[00:06:22] IT'S SUCH A JOY AND YOU KNOW, IT'S.
[00:06:26] YEAH, I CAN'T IMAGINE NOT BEING A PART OF IT.
[00:06:29] IT'S BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE SINCE BEFORE I WAS BORN.
[00:06:32] SO LIKE, TO EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT
[00:06:36] BEING HERE OVER THE SUMMER AND IN THE SCHOOL OR AND STICKING MY
[00:06:39] HANDS INTO BIG BUCKETS OF BUTTER IT'S LIKE, WHAT ELSE WOULD I BE DOING?
[00:06:45] I SO GRACE HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE CHILDREN, RIGHT?
[00:06:49] WELL GRACE YES, GRACE HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE FACES.
[00:06:51] HANNAH HER DEGREE IS IN COSTUME SO WE PUT HER TO WORK A
[00:06:55] CHARACTER IN THE COSTUMES. SO SHE WAS HERE ON FRIDAY
[00:06:58] PUTTING EACH OF THE COSTUME ON IN BUTTER.
[00:07:02] SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY
[00:07:05] TEAM EFFORT AND WHAT THEY WHAT THEIR STRENGTHS ARE.
[00:07:08] PEOPLE STAND IN LINE FOR LONG TIME TO SEE THE BUTTER DOWN.
[00:07:12] YES THEY DO YEAH. DO YOU IS THAT A POINT OF PRIDE
[00:07:16] YOU I LOVE I, I DON'T KNOW.
[00:07:18] PRIDE IS THE RIGHT WORD BUT IT
[00:07:20] IS I, IT IS HOW A SWELLING OF
[00:07:26] THE IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S A CARRYING OF A TRADITION. AND I FEEL HONORED TO PART OF
[00:07:30] THAT AND.
[00:07:32] I LOVE THEIR FACES.
[00:07:34] AND SO THIS YEAR WITH THE MEET ME AT THE PEPSI BLOCK, ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE MEETING AND THEN
[00:07:38] YOU'LL SEE THERE'S PEOPLE THAT
[00:07:40] ARE WAVING OUT TO THE CROWD, BECKONING THEM. AND SO I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A
[00:07:44] SYMBOL OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER, ALL WALKS OF LIFE ALL
[00:07:47] OVER THE AND THE NATION AND
[00:07:50] REALLY THAT BRINGING IT BRINGING IT TOGETHER, BRINGING IT HOME
[00:07:54] AND BEING A SYMBOL OF TOGETHERNESS. PEPPER'S FACE LOOKS DONE.
[00:07:58] YEAH, HER LEGS LOOK DONE. YEAH.
[00:08:01] AND WHAT BESIDES OPENING HERE, WHAT NEEDS TO BE FINISHED?
[00:08:06] WELL YOU'LL NOTICE HER TAIL IS JUST KIND OF A GLASS OF BUTTER, RIGHT?
[00:08:10] YES, YES, YES, IT IS. AND THERE IS A FAMILY THAT WILL BE COMING SHORTLY.
[00:08:13] THEY DONATED TO THE BLUE RIBBON
[00:08:15] FOUNDATION, WHICH IS WORKING TO RESTORE THE FAIRGROUNDS AND.
[00:08:19] SO THEY WON AT THE AUCTION THE
[00:08:21] RIGHT TO COME AND HELP MAKE THE TAIL SO THEIR FAMILY WILL COME
[00:08:25] IN AND WE'LL CUT STRIPS TO DECORATE THE TAIL. SO THE PRIMARY THING THAT WE'LL
[00:08:29] BE ADDING TO THE COW, WHERE DO
[00:08:31] YOU KEEP BUTTER COW DURING THE YEAR?
[00:08:35] DOES IT DOES IT GET MELTED DOWN OR DOES IT BECOME A GLOB AGAIN?
[00:08:40] YEAH, EVERY YEAR. YEP. NEW BUTTER. NOW, EVERY YEAR THE BUTTER GETS
[00:08:43] OFF IT AND PUT BACK INTO THESE FIVE GALLON BUCKETS.
[00:08:46] YOU OVER HERE BEHIND ME AND
[00:08:48] STORED IN A COLD STORAGE JUMPER
[00:08:51] THAT OVER THE WINTER. DID YOU GROW UP GOING TO STATE FAIR? YES.
[00:08:55] YOU'RE IN IOWA. ARE YOU FROM? IOWA? I AM. AND BOTH MY PARENTS DID TO. YEAH.