What to Know
- There will be no butter sculpture at the 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show.
- The Farm Show, an annual ode to Keystone State agriculture, is going virtual with coronavirus surging.
- "Everyone will miss viewing the butter sculpture in 2021 because it is a creative way to highlight the state’s hardworking dairy farmers," American Dairy Association North East CEO Rick Naczi said.
It looks like 2020 has melted another beloved tradition before it could even happen next year.
We won't get a chance to find out the answer of what the Pennsylvania Farm Show's iconic butter sculpture would have been in the age of coronavirus. On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced that there won't be a fatty, buttery ode to something at the virtual 2021 Farm Show., which runs from Jan. 9-16
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding put the blame of the record-breaking surge of COVID-19 in the Keystone State and noted the decision not to put a humungous yellowy ode to dairy behind glass was heartbreaking.
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"While we are heartbroken to have to cancel popular features of our annual Farm Show, we simply cannot afford to compromise the health and safety of our staff, the sculptors who would have to travel to Harrisburg, and those involved in recording and broadcasting virtual events," Redding said.
Maybe, they just thought that last year's 1,000-pound-or-so sculpture featuring Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty couldn't be topped.
The annual celebration of butter is sponsored by the American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) and spotlights Pennsylvania's dairy industry.
"Everyone will miss viewing the butter sculpture in 2021 because it is a creative way to highlight the state’s hardworking dairy farmers," ADANE CEO Rick Naczi said while noting they hope to bring back the butter sculpture in 2022.
