Illinois State Fair's 2026 Butter Cow honors Route 66's 100th anniversary

Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune on Aug 13, 2026

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — One day before the Illinois State Fair was scheduled to get underway, Gov. JB Pritzker and other state officials on Wednesday unveiled the 2026 Butter Cow sculpture, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and highlighting the historic Mother Road.

This year’s Butter Cow, sculpted out of hundreds of pounds of butter, sits in a chilled display case in the Dairy Building alongside a companion sculpture of a woman and her dog heading out on a Route 66 adventure — a tribute to a road that stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, and went through Springfield.

This is the 106th butter cow being unveiled, a tradition in Illinois that goes back to the early 1920s. Its unveiling on the Illinois State Fairgrounds is often a state fair highlight. The sculpture will be on display in the Dairy Building throughout the 11 days of the state fair.

“The unveiling is a perfect way to lead us into this state fair. But it’s also a symbol of so much about Illinois’ agricultural economy,” Pritzker said at the Dairy Building, flanked by his wife, first lady MK Pritzker, and others.

“Ours is the only fairgrounds in the nation to sit on the historic Mother Road, and in tribute to her 100th anniversary, we have woven Route 66 themes into this year’s Illinois State Fair, including the iconic Butter Cow,” Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said before the unveiling.

The Illinois State Fair Butter Cow sculptor was Sarah Pratt, who said she hopes fairgoers enjoy the “whimsy of the display, share memories of their own Route 66 adventures, and remember the important role dairy has played in so many of those journeys.”

Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985.

As with the sculpture every year, 13 hearts have been hidden throughout the butter display to represent the 13 essential nutrients found naturally in dairy, state officials said.

The fair opens Thursday and runs through Aug. 23 with food and drinks, booths and tents, carnival rides, livestock showings and live music. Among the musical acts scheduled to perform are Lainey Wilson on Saturday, 38 Special on Monday, Wiz Khalifa on Wednesday and The Chicks on Aug. 22.

Politics will also play a role at the fair. Next week will feature the two annual political days for elected officials around the state, including Governor’s Day, which is the day for Pritzker and other Democrats, and Republican Day.