SPRINGFIELD — The 2026 butter cow invites Illinois State Fairgoers to “Take a Spin on Route 66” in honor of the Mother Road’s centennial.
The grand marshal for the fair’s Twilight Parade this year is Route 66, and the fair’s theme is “Miles of Smiles” as a send-up to the Mother Road. This year’s cow is accompanied by a girl eating ice cream. A companion sculpture shows a dog and a scooter “heading out on a Route 66 adventure,” per Gov. JB Pritzker.
“It recognizes the 100th anniversary of that historic road that started right here in Illinois,” Pritzker said.
Route 66 was established in 1926, beginning in downtown Chicago and ending in Santa Monica, California. The Mother Road is also commemorated elsewhere on the fairgrounds via the “Route 66 Experience,” a self-guided educational exhibit located at Gate 2.
“Illinois is the birthplace of this iconic highway and ours is the only fairgrounds in the nation to sit on Route 66,” said Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Pritzker and Costello were joined by first lady MK Pritzker, fair manager Rebecca Clark, Kendra Anderson of Midwest Dairy, and Illinois State Fair Queen Krista Phillips of Effingham.
The butter cow will remain on display in the Dairy Building throughout the fair, which opens at 7 a.m. Thursday, with the annual Twilight Parade scheduled for 5:30 p.m. that day. The fair runs through Aug. 23 from 7 a.m. until midnight each day.
The sculpture is made of 800 pounds of unsalted butter spread across a wire frame. As was the case in previous years, much of the butter is “recycled,” meaning it is reused each year, rather than discarded. It was sculpted once again by Iowan Sarah Pratt.
Grandstand tickets are sold separately from Fair entry. This year’s lineup includes:
- 14: Bailey Zimmerman with Jake Worthington
- 15: Lainey Wilson with Tigirlily Gold
- 16: Matchbox Twenty with Grace Enger
- 17: 38 Special with Warrant
- 18: Ziggy Marley with Skip Marley
- 19: Wiz Khalifa with Big Boi
- 20: The Avett Brothers with Drive-By Truckers & Hunter Flynn
- 21: Ella Langley with ERNEST
- 22: The Chicks with Calder Allen
- 23: Shinedown with From Ashes to New
Entry is free for children aged 12 and under throughout the fair. Adults aged 13-59 pay $10 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $5 Sunday-Thursday. Entry is $3 for those aged 60 and over. Parking is $5.
Veterans and their immediate families get free entry on Aug. 16, seniors and Scouts can enter for free on Aug. 17, and first responders and healthcare workers can enter for free on Aug. 21, all with proper ID.
As for political events, Governor’s Day is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19, with Republican Day the following day.
You can follow the State Fair on Facebook, X and Instagram, or find more on the State Fair website, which is also home to a butter cow livestream.
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