Voters are telling a buttery Michael Jackson to "beat it."
Results from an online poll show 100,000 people voted and 65 percent said "no" to a Michael Jackson butter sculpture being part of the Iowa State Fair.
"While we know some people will be disappointed, we believe the vote was the only way to let fairgoers voice their opinion in a meaningful way," Gary Slater, manager of the Iowa State Fair said in a written statement. "With the Fair just over three weeks away, we are pleased to now move on with final preparations."
On June 30, the Iowa State Fair announced the "world-famous Iowa State Fair butter cow will share the spotlight…with a salute to the late Michael Jackson. Butter sculptor Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines plans to honor Jackson’s extensive contributions to the music and dance industries through a butter sculpture of the pop icon."
The next day, Fair officials issued another statement, saying Jackson’s butter likeness would be "small" and part of a larger tribute to honor Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk on July 20, 1969. Jackson gained fame with a dancing moonwalk of his own in 1983.
On July 8, Lori Chappel, a spokeswoman for the Fair, admitted the idea of creating a Michael jackson butter sculpture had created a lot of "churn." That’s the day Fair officials announced an online poll to decide whether the dairy tribute to the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" would go on.
"We have heard many opinions, both positive and negative," Chappel said back on July 8. "For us, it’s a testament to how important the Fair is to Iowans and how much they appreciate the butter cow and the sculpture."