Toronto artist remembers roadkill at CNE

TORONTO – Somewhere in the midst of the CNE fairgrounds, you’ll find a sculpture named Conrad Raccoon.

It’s buttery-smooth — and dedicated to Toronto’s beloved July road-kill.

Earlier this summer, Torontonians discovered his demise on a downtown street and created the shrine to the animal in the time it took for municipal animal control workers to show up and dispose of the remains.

And every year, the Canadian National Exhibition invites local artists to create butter sculptures in a refrigerated, glass-enclosed space as visitors watch.

This year, there’s a buttery duplication of a dead Conrad, lying flat on his back in the middle of makeshift shrine, complete with butter roses and a framed butter portrait of the waving, grinning raccoon in happier times.

The sculpture appears to be the work of Olenka Kleban, a sculptor who posted photos of the raccoon butter creation to her Instagram account.