Just in case you needed another reason to visit the Ohio State Fair this year, the Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio’s State Artifact — the Adena Effigy Pipe — will be a featured attraction! It is one of the giant butter sculptures that “depict the symbols and signs associated with Ohio.” In addition to the Adena Effigy Pipe, there is a flint spear point symbolizing Ohio’s gemstone — Flint Ridge Flint! (Assistant Curator Bill Pickard notes that it looks like a St. Albans Side Notched point, which is named for a town in West Virginia. It might have been more appropriate if they’d used a Ross County point as the model.) David Dyer and Erin Cashion, our curators of Natural History, will be pleased to see the Isotelus fossil, the cardinal, a white-tailed deer, a spotted salamander and a ladybug. It’s quite an honor to be chosen as the butter sculpture for the fair. Dispatch reporter Kathy Lynn Gray notes that recent honorees have included John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Jack Nicklaus and even Darth Vader. I think it’s great that the organizers of this year’s fair are taking this opportunity to honor Ohio’s rich history! Brad Lepper