Caitlin Clark is a name as synonymous with Iowa as cornfields and pork chops, but let’s add another iconic element to that list—butter. That’s right, the basketball sensation who once lit up high school courts at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines and later torched the NCAA record books with the Iowa Hawkeyes, now finds her legacy smeared across the Iowa State Fair in the most Iowa way possible: as a life-sized sculpture made entirely of butter.
For those keeping score, Clark has moved on from college ball, where she led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back NCAA championship games and became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer—men’s and women’s. She’s now flexing her skills as an All-Star with the Indiana Fever in the WNBA. But back in her home state, where the love for Clark runs thicker than a buttered corn on the cob, fans are determined to keep her legacy alive—and spreading.
Butter Believe It: The Iowa State Fair’s Oily Tribute
When you walk into the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, you might expect the usual sights: oversized vegetables, prize-winning livestock, and maybe even a funnel cake or two. What you might not expect, unless you’re in the know, is to be greeted by a gloriously creamy likeness of Caitlin Clark, immortalized in what is arguably the world’s smoothest medium.
Yes, folks, the state fair has outdone itself yet again. For the second year in a row, fairgoers are treated to a butter sculpture of Clark, with this year’s buttery rendition reportedly more detailed—down to the last buttered shoelace. And let’s be honest, what better way to honor a player known for her silky-smooth jump shot than with an equally smooth block of churned dairy?
More than Just a Dairy Queen
For the uninitiated, this isn’t just about slathering a basketball star with a bit of creamy homage. No, this is Iowa’s way of saying, “We’re going to remember you in the tastiest way possible.” While Clark’s rookie year with the Fever has taken her to new heights, and possibly new snack bars, back home in Iowa, her legend continues to grow—almost as fast as her cholesterol levels might if she took a bite of her buttery doppelgänger.
The butter sculpture isn’t just a quirky tribute; it’s a testament to what Clark means to Iowans. After all, she’s not just a two-time National Player of the Year or the leader who ended a 30-year Final Four drought—she’s their homegrown hero. And what better way to welcome back a legend than by literally molding her out of the most quintessentially Iowan substance there is?
So next time you think of Caitlin Clark, don’t just picture her draining threes or dishing out no-look assists. Picture her as Iowa’s very own Dairy Queen, standing proudly—and perhaps a bit melty—under the hot Iowa sun. Because whether she’s breaking records or melting hearts, one thing’s for sure: Caitlin Clark’s legacy in Iowa is, quite literally, smooth as butter.
