Kansas State Fair butter sculpture depicts Amelia Earhart. Meet the woman creating it

Sarah Pratt got into butter sculpting by accident.

In 1991, she started working with Norma "Duffy" Lyon in Iowa helping out on her dairy farm. Pratt wanted to work with the dairy cows, but soon figured out that wasn't going to work. She was new to the farm, and herding cattle was a tall task for a 14-year-old, no matter how much willpower filled her boots.

Her apprenticeship with the cattle quickly morphed into a job helping out with the butter operation that the farming family had been known for. At that time, Pratt said she had no idea her experience would fuel a passion for supporting agriculture, and specifically dairy farmers.

"Now, I'm so thankful," Pratt said.

A hard-working farming family leaves a lasting impression

Pratt, the Kansas State Fair butter sculptor, has been shaping solidified cream since the 1990s as a teenager. She's been the head sculptor at fairs since 2006, following in the footsteps of a family who made the activity a state fair tradition across multiple states.

In the 1980s, the Lyon family brought butter sculptures to Kansas and other state fairs. Pratt grew up in the same town that Norma "Duffy" Lyon raised her family. During her apprenticeship on the dairy farm, she learned the craft.

When Duffy retired, Pratt took over the butter sculptures at the Iowa State Fair. She was 26, with 2-year-old twin girls.

“I really thought that I had hung up my hat on butter sculpting, but when (Duffy) retired, she really encouraged me to take over,” Pratt said.

And 17 years later, her family has fully embraced the art.

Inspiration behind the 2023 Kansas State Fair Amelia Earhart butter sculpture

Pratt is a special education teacher and lives in the Cumming, Iowa, area. She traveled more than five and a half hours to create this year's sculpture.

Her son, Dean, helped research famous Kansans for a list of people she might want to sculpt. Naturally, Amelia Earhart was at the top of the list.

At first, the task of sculpting an airplane felt like too big of an aspiration.

“I said, ‘Dean, how am I supposed to sculpt an airplane in this cooler?' ” Pratt said.

But eventually, she came up with a way to do it.

The Pratt family did extensive research about Earhart over the past year in preparation. Pratt said she learned that while Earhart was known for her independence and free-bird spirit, she was also a collaborator and had other jobs beyond aviation.

Earheart worked in a settlement house helping immigrant families. She also quit flying for a while to become a teacher.

“Being a teacher myself, I can relate to that part of her,” Pratt said. “I try to do that when I’m researching — I try and find a way to connect with what I’m sculpting.”

In Pratt's research, she discovered that Earhart got her pilot's license 100 years ago this year. In 1923, the origin story of an ambitious woman with fortitude began. It felt right to celebrate that this year, she said.

Where to see the Kansas State Fair butter sculpture

Pratt said she anticipates completing the butter sculpture of Earhart on Sept. 10. Until then, visitors can see her process in the Pride of Kansas building at the Kansas State fairgrounds, where upon completion, it will remain on display throughout the remainder of the fair.

Pratt may have gotten into the butter sculpting profession by accident, but it’s no accident she’s still here.

Her passion for agriculture, farming and dairy has kept her coming back.

“I like getting people excited about dairy,” Pratt said. “Norma (Lyon) and her family raised dairy cows, and so growing up with them I saw how hard they worked as dairy farmers. Plus, I eat a lot of dairy.”

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on X @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Here's how to see the 2023 Kansas State Fair butter sculpture