In celebration of the holidays, Sarah "The Cheese Lady," a nationally recognized cheese sculptor, will be carving a 500-pound mammoth Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese into the ultimate - and edible - holiday cheese centerpiece at Sam's Club, 45 Marketplace Drive, Augusta, ME. Sarah will carve Majestic Mr. Moose, snowshoe bunny, chickadee, White Pine Willie, and other Maine icons celebrating the festive food-filled season. One might even see a carving of the Sam's Club store manager decking the halls.

The public is invited to view the live carving December 4, 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Onlookers can watch Sarah's progress, taste the cheese and purchase their own piece of the 500-pound mammoth cheese.

"This is a unique opportunity for people of all ages to see and taste a cheese of this mammoth size - 22 inches tall and 28 inches in diameter - offered during this special holiday event in Sam's Fresh departments. This is cheddar made the old-fashioned way; you can taste the difference for yourself," states Kaufmann.

The added perk of seeing the carving come to life is why so many flock to see Sarah "The Cheese Lady."

A mammoth cheese is defined as any artisan, handcrafted variety of cheese larger than 75 pounds. The mammoth cheddar cheese Sarah "The Cheese Lady" will be carving is made by Henning's, a 100-year-old family-run cheese manufacturer, in Kiel, WI.

"Folks are amazed at the sizes and can't believe the cheese is real," Kaufmann explains about the mammoths. "They stop dead in their tracks and love to have a taste just to ensure that it is indeed real cheese!"

"The Cheese Lady" has been sculpting cheese since 1981. For the past 12 years, she has been commissioned by Sam's Club locations across the nation to carve "big cheeses." She currently carves in her studios in Cincinnati and San Diego, as well as at various venues nationwide. Although yellow Cheddar is the most common, she uses a variety of cheeses large and small including Provolone, Asiago, White Cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere and more. She has carved cheeses as small as two ounces - the F-18 fighter jets she sculpted to land on a six-foot-long 640-pound USS Ronald Regan aircraft carrier - and as large as a 12,500-pound cheddar mammoth inscribed with a fierce dragon. Other notable creations include a 120-pound Mickey Mouse and several personalities (Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Mario Andretti and Wisconsin's own Bret Favre).