Wexagaw County Fair announces butter sculpture theme: the 1954 courthouse addition

UPPER DORR — The Wexagaw County Fair Board announced Tuesday that this summer's butter sculpture will depict the county courthouse's 1954 west addition, a single-story brick wing that currently houses the assessor's office, two restrooms, and a custodial supply closet.

"We wanted something that really represents the county," said fair board president Donna Klemp. "And what says Wexagaw County more than functional government architecture?"

The sculpture will be carved by Ludington artist Perry Voss, who has created the fair's butter centerpiece for the past six years. Previous subjects have included a Holstein, a corn silo, a rowboat, and — controversially — a non-specific root vegetable that sparked three letters to the editor.

Voss said he has already visited the courthouse twice to take measurements and photographs. "The challenge is going to be the downspout," he said. "But I think we can get the proportions right."

Details and display

The sculpture will use approximately four hundred pounds of donated butter and will be displayed in a refrigerated case near the 4-H barn. Fair organizers estimate it will take Voss between eighteen and twenty-two hours to complete.

County Administrator Gil Hendricks called the tribute "unexpected but appropriate." He noted that the addition was built to replace a temporary office trailer that had been in use since 1947.

"It's not the flashiest building," Hendricks said. "But it's been doing its job for seventy years. That counts for something."

The fair board also announced that this year's opening parade will feature the Tamarack Township snow-depth marker on a flatbed trailer, weather permitting.

The Wexagaw County Fair runs August 8 through 11. Admission is seven dollars. Children under six and adults over ninety-two enter free.

I asked Voss if he'd ever sculpted a building before. He said no, but he once did a very accurate mailbox. — J.P.