(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Recognizing Ohio’s importance in presidential elections past and present, the American Dairy Association pays tribute to the eight United States Presidents from Ohio at the Ohio State Fair, July 30-Aug. 10.

Ohio has been home to more U.S. Presidents than any other state, and is even sometimes referred to as the “Mother of Presidents.” “Ohio’s dairy industry is proud to honor our State’s past U.S. Presidents,” said Scott E. Higgins, CEO for the American Dairy Association Mideast. “This year’s display reminds fairgoers of Ohio’s significant role in American history and our impact now as a swing-state in presidential elections.”

The 2008 butter display features the likenesses of William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft and Warren G. Harding. The eight presidents are sculpted Mount Rushmore-style, turning this year’s ton of butter into “Mount Buckeye.” The presidents share the cooler with a life-size butter cow and calf, modeled after an ideal Holstein dairy cow.

The Dairy Products Building exhibit was sculpted by a group of four Cincinnati-based free-lance technical sculptors engaged primarily in the toy industry.

Crafted from approximately 2,480 pounds of unsalted butter donated in part by Dairy Farmers of America, the display was completed in 370 hours, in which approximately 210 of those hours were spent actually sculpting the butter.

The sculptors began by building wooden and steel frames to support the weight of the butter.

From 55-pound blocks, the butter is sliced into manageable loaves and is layered to cover the frames.

After many hours of molding and smoothing the butter in a 45-degree cooler, each figure begins to take shape. Intricate details, like eyes and hair, are then defined to give each figure its unique likeness.

The butter display at the Ohio State Fair attracts more than 500,000 visitors each August.

The display has reflected positive ideals and cultural trends in Ohio for over 40 years, with several exhibits gaining national media attention with themes that have universal appeal.

Past sculptures include the 2006 salute to the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, the 2004 tribute America’s favorite treat- ice cream, and several well-known Ohio personalities like Jack Hanna, Bobby Rahal, Jack Nicklaus, Dave Thomas and John Glenn.

Many more have paid tribute to innovation, entrepreneurship and commitment of the dairy industry.

The butter display can be found in the Dairy Products Building at the Ohio Expo Center, home of the Ohio State Fair.

The Dairy Products Building is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and offers a variety of Ohio-produced dairy products including ice cream, milkshakes, cheese sandwiches, milk and yogurt.

The butter sculpture display and the Dairy Products Building are sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, Ohio’s dairy-farmer funded marketing and promotion program.

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American Dairy Association Mideast is a farmer-funded organization responsible for increasing demand for dairy products on behalf of dairy farmers in Ohio and West Virginia. For more information, visit www.drink-milk.com or www.3aday.org.