GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Amongst the typical fare of funnel cakes, chicken tenders, pizza, barbecue, collection of Midway rides at Clay County Agricultural Fair, fair-goers can see an utterly unorthodox attraction if they visit Jim Victor and Marie Pelton’s Food Sculpture.

While others are deep frying sticks of butter or dipping shrimp into melted bowls of goodness, Victor and Pelton are transforming blocks of butter into works of art.

Their exhibit depicts a scene at the fair, including a judge, spectators and a girl with a contest pig she is attempting to control to display showmanship.

But one burning question remains: whether their collection of churned cream will survive or melt away from the hot sun.

Victor runs two air conditioners on full blast with one hand and keeps a thermostat handy in the other. He said temperatures need to remain between 50-60 degrees inside the small yellow trailer where they create their art to keep the sculptures at optimum condition.

“Sometimes it can be a little challenging because the weather is warm here,” he said.

Usually, the pair operates inside an air-conditioned building, so their temporary space at the County Fair provides yet another challenge for the sculptors. A typical sculpture consists of as many as 4,000 sticks of butter.

“The sun is hitting is us, which is causing us a little bit of a problem. When the sun goes down, it cools off and brings everything back to normal again. We’re getting by,” Victor said.

The fight will continue when the Florida sun wakes back in the morning, but likewise, the Philadelphia-based pair will fight back.

But he said Victor and Pelton are willing to go even further in their battle to beat the heat.

Victor said the food sculpture-loving pair seeks to add more sculptures to present at their exhibit during the fair’s final day.

“We keep adding stuff. Next Saturday (April 8), we (plan) to have another figure of a little child, another little pig and maybe even some other items as well,” he said.

The Sunshine State may have second thoughts, but the Philadelphia-based artists have several years of experience.

Victor has been creating butter sculptures since 1995, while Pelton has been going on strong since 2000.

Cheese and chocolate aren’t off the menu, either.

Victor and Pelton have also specialized in those two foods during their near half-century combined experience.

“To do this, you have to be skilled in sculpture. We have both studied and taught sculpture for years,” Victor said.

Visitors can access the small “studio” by following the main pathway behind the large grandstands of the Clay County Cattlemen’s Arena.

But get to the attraction soon because the sculptures might melt away sooner than you think.