What Happens To The Butter Sculpture When The NYS Fair Ends?
So, how was your Labor Day weekend? Hopefully, you got to relax, hang with family and/or friends, and enjoy whatever you like to do best.
For some of my co-workers, the Labor Day weekend meant taking a road trip up I-81 to Syracuse to visit the New York State Fair. Last year, the fair had to be canceled due to the pandemic. This year, the fair was extended to run for 18 days versus the normal 12 or 13 day runs in the past.
Those in charge will be discussing the length of the fair for next year, possibly cutting back on the number of days. Possibly it was too long a time period. Attendance seemed to be down this year. The co-workers I spoke to, commented on light crowds when they were there, but actually enjoyed a lighter crowd of people. I'd have to agree if I were there this year, which I wasn't.
Both my co-workers took in the sights, fried food and marveled at this year's butter sculpture. This year's New York State Fair Butter Sculpture theme was about back to school. I wasn't as interested in what it was, as much as I was interested in what exactly happens to all that butter once the New York State Fair ends.
Well, I found my answer via a press release from the American Dairy Association North East. It states that the ADA along with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms, the butter sculpture will be taken apart and recycled. That's a good thing since it's about 800 pounds of butter. Can you imagine just melting that and pouring it down a drain? Nope.
According to the ADA press release, after the butter sculpture has been dismantled, it will be transported away and "turned into renewable energy to provide power to the local community which includes the dairy farm and nearby homes, as well as for liquid fertilizer for crops." That's a great way to recycle rather than go to waste.
via American Dairy Association North East
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