oddly enough


oddly enough

Iowa State Fair plans butter sculpture of Lincoln

DES MOINES, Iowa

A butter sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln will share the dairy-centric spotlight this year with the world-famous butter cow at the Iowa State Fair.

Organizers announced Monday that a sculpture of Lincoln, along with a replica of the Lincoln Highway Bridge in central Iowa, will be on display in a 40-degree cooler when the fair opens in August.

It will take sculptor Sarah Pratt three weeks and 1,000 pounds of regular salted butter to create the pieces.

She says she’s unsure how she’ll depict Lincoln.

The companion sculptures, which change every year, are marking anniversaries.

It’s been 150 years since Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. The historic Lincoln Highway, which stretches from New York to San Francisco, is 100 years old.

The fair runs Aug. 8 to 18.

19-foot python breaks into Australian charity store

CAIRNS, Australia

Australian police were mystified by a chaotic crime scene including a hole in the ceiling and a smelly pool of vomitlike liquid — until they found the culprit was a 19-foot-long python.

The massive snake weighing in at 37 pounds was captured a day after a suspected burglary was reported at a charity store in Queensland in northeastern Australia.

“Its head was the size of a small dog,” Police Sgt. Don Auld said last week.

Before they found the python, investigators’ working theory was that a human burglar with an appetite for destruction — and a serious illness — had gone on a rampage inside the St. Vincent de Paul store in the small town of Ingham.

“We thought a person had fallen through the ceiling because the roof panel was cut in half,” Auld said. “When they’ve hit the floor, they’ve vomited and then staggered and fallen over. That’s what we thought anyway.”

Police now suspect the python entered the store through the roof, which was damaged in a cyclone two years ago.

The animal then plummeted through the ceiling, knocking over dishes, clothes and other items, before relieving itself on the floor.

It somehow managed to hide from officials until staff spotted it lying alongside a wall the next day.

A local snake catcher was called in to capture the reptile, which has been relocated to nearby wetlands.

Associated Press

By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use.

» Accept
» Learn More