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" The Iowa State Fair is one of the most popular in the country, with over a million visitors stopping by the 11-day event. Taking place annually since 1854, the Iowa State Fair is home to deliciously indulgent eats, live music, amusement park rides, and, of course, butter sculptures. This year&amp;#039;s festivities kick off on August 11, and the highlight of the event is guaranteed to be the famous Butter Cow, a fair staple since 1911. This year, the sculptor behind the world-famous cow is Sarah Pratt, who has been putting the animal together for the past 10 years.  Every year, she sculpts the cow in a refrigerator turned down to 40 degrees, working up to eight hours a day for four weeks straight, according to The De Moines Register. Despite its name, the cow isn&amp;#039;t actually made of just butter; it&amp;#039;s built on a frame made from steel mesh, wire, wood, and metal.  The sturdy frame is then surrounded by 600 pounds of butter, which can be up to 10 years old (Sarah&amp;#039;s current batch is from 2005), making it easier to mold. &amp;quot;Every year I work it, it becomes creamier and easier to sculpt,&amp;quot; the &amp;quot;Butter Cow queen,&amp;quot; as Sarah is often called, told reporters.  The resulting cow ends up looking like this:  The massive structure stands five-and-a-half-feet tall and eight-feet long, and weighs just 400 pounds. Joining the Butter Cow this year is a tribute to Star Trek, which took Sarah 32 hours to complete. Get a sneak peek below:        When the fair comes to an end, Sarah and her team deconstruct all of their work, and put the butter back in the storage bins, ready to go for next year.  (h/t De Moines Register) Follow Country Living on Pinterest.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/news/a39461/butter-cow-iowa-state-fair/>