Easter butter lamb gets 'pardon' at Buffalo market
By Associated Press
Apr 17, 2014 7:39 AM CDT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — There's at least one butter lamb in Buffalo that won't be going under the knife this Easter.

Butter sculptures in the shape of a lamb are a traditional part of Easter meals among Buffalo's large Polish-American population. Butter lambs are sold this time of year at western New York delis, Polish markets and supermarkets.

On Wednesday, an elected official went to Buffalo's Broadway Market to "pardon" a butter lamb, much in the way U.S. presidents issue pardons for a turkey before Thanksgiving.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz pardoned a butter lamb from its traditional duties on tables throughout the Buffalo area for the duration of Easter.

Polish immigrants brought the butter lamb tradition with them when they came to America and settled in large numbers in upstate New York cities such as Buffalo and Schenectady (skeh-NEHK'-ta-dee).