Homer Simpson would be in heaven! Iowa State Fair photos show life-size cow sculpted from BUTTER, an ugly cakes contest and LOTS of deep-fried treats
It’s the stuff Homer Simpson’s dreams are made of – life-sized sculptures made of butter and a plethora of fried treats.
The Iowa State Fair proved to be the place to score sweet treats this week, with the annual event showcasing an array of delectable options and welcoming visitors and politicians from across the country.
More than a million people are expected to attend the iconic 10-day event in Des Moines before it ends Monday, including 13 presidential candidates, including Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.
It is touted as the largest event in the state with more than 200 food stands and more than 60 different mobile food items on a stick, including corn dogs, Twinkies, and Oreo cookies.
With plenty of activities and attractions for guests to watch, one of the attractions was an ‘ugly pies’ contest where a series of monstrosities competed for the top prize. Photos show an unhappy-looking elephant seal, a guillotine scene, and an angry chocolate cake.
The annual image of a butter cow was created by Sarah Pratt
In an ‘ugly pies’ contest, a series of monstrosities competed for the grand prize
A cake tried to recreate a scene with a guillotine
This pie looked appetizing from above until someone cut a slice and revealed something ominous
Visitors were overwhelmed with choices to feast on as they made their way through the show grounds.
There are 64 new foods to try at the fair this year, but three finalists made it to the Best New Food award. The award was won by the “fried bacon brisket mac-n-cheese grilled cheese.”
One of the main attractions was a 600-pound cow made entirely of butter.
Butter cow sculptures were started with the Ohio State Fair in 1903. The first was displayed at the fair eight years later as a way to promote dairy products in one of the nation’s major agricultural states.
While fairgoers often swelter in the heat and humidity, the butter cow is kept pristine in a refrigerated glass enclosure.
This year’s artwork, created by Sarah Pratt and her two daughters, Hannah and Grace, was one of the highlights of this year’s show.
The cow stood next to life-size sculptures of Iowa star athletes Caitlin Clark, John Trice and Kurt Warner.
Pratt, of West Des Moines, has been molding the cow and other buttery creations since 2006.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds poses with the statue at the state fair in Des Moines on Thursday
Jack Trice, the first African American to play football for Iowa State, was also unveiled
Visitors are overwhelmed with choices to feast on as they make their way through the show grounds
One cake seemed quite angry when he tried to win the grand prize for being ‘ugly’
The Iowa State Fair attracts more than a million people each year
This year there were more than 60 foods on a stick
There was a strong political turnout at the Iowa State Fair this year as presidential candidates and officials jumped at the chance to meet with voters.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was among those who stopped to check out the butter cow, and he shared a photo on his Twitter alongside last year’s Iowa Dairy Princess winners.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley also stopped to marvel at the display and posted a photo of his behind-the-scenes tour with Pratt.
Radio host Larry Elder, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who struggled to outdo former President Donald Trump while the two candidates worked at the fairgrounds on the same day, were also shown photos with the display.
Trump, who leads DeSantis, his nearest rival, in the polls by double digits, made a grand entrance to the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, eclipsing DeSantis and other contenders for the Republican presidential nomination who attempted to counter the former president’s power.
He told DailyMail.com that Florida’s governor should drop out of the race.
“He didn’t have a lot of people show up,” Trump said of DeSantis. ‘That is not good. He’s doing very badly in the polls. Very, very bad. And I think he’ll be out of the race soon, I think.”
DeSantis and his wife Casey drove their three kids to the state fair, drove the bumper cars and visited the pig shack, but the Florida governor’s time on the ground was marred by protesters harassing him at his own events.
A group of five liberal protesters disrupted DeSantis’ first event — a “fair-side chat” with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds — before being evicted and banned from returning to the fairgrounds until September 2024.
Donald Trump waves one of his campaign signs to the crowd
The annual event welcomes visitors and politicians from all over the country
Donald Trump addresses supporters at Steers & Steins, a popular bar at the Iowa State Fair
DeSantis’ conversation continued after the protesters were knocked out. A small child fell asleep while the governor of Florida spoke. And while DeSantis was grilling at the Pork Producers Event, the audience turned away from him to watch Trump Force One fly overhead.
Meanwhile, the former president arrived in the greatness that only Trump can bring. Trump Force One flew low over the fairgrounds for the public to see. Secret Service wandered past a long line of people waiting to enter Steers & Steins to see the former president. Mobs followed him across the fairgrounds calling his name.
Speaking to supporters, Trump mocked the other contenders at the fair that day—in addition to DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy were campaigning in Iowa.
“The other candidates came here and had about six people,” he said.
He brought with him a host of prominent Florida Republicans who have supported him over DeSantis.
One of them, Rep. Matt Gaetz, told a crowd of supporters that burgers were grilled at the fair—rare, medium rare, and well done—but that “the best you can be is Ron DeSantis.”
Trump spent only about an hour on the ground in Iowa: He stopped at the Pig Tent, an animal shelter, then addressed a crowd at Steers & Steins, the popular fairground beer tent.