Lindenwood University

Home of the cake eating Lions.

Lindenwood University is a four-year liberal arts college and was founded in 1827. Today it offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Lindenwood also has 13 off-site locations, including on-line courses, to make it convenient to attend this college even if you don’t live close by.
I’ve never been to Lindenwood before and was afraid we were going to get lost trying to find the cake. However, it was pretty easy navigating around campus. Signs are all over telling you how to get to a certain building. I thought it looked like a really nice campus.

When we found the cake, Andrew asked why there were knights and dragons all over it. I said that it was most likely the school’s mascot. Little did I know I was wrong. The mascot for Lindenwood is the Lion.
Maybe one day Colin or Andrew will become a Lindenwood Lion.

Cake artist - John Troy

Guest blogger - Diane

Fifty-five down one hundred ninety-five to go.

Lone Elk Park

Cake powder.

Lone Elk County Park was originally part of the Tyson Valley Powder Plant, as in gun powder, during World War II. After the war it became a county park with herds of elk and bison. The land was reacquired by the government during the Korean War, and the wildlife herds were destroyed for safety reasons, all but one lone bull elk survived. In 1964 St. Louis County acquired the land for Tyson County Park, which became Lone Elk County Park in 1966. The park opened in 1971 and in 1973 and six bison were acquired from the St. Louis Zoo.

Drive around the park in your car and you will see herds of elks, bison, wild turkeys and other animals. Park your car and head down to the lake to see the ducks or turtles all lined up on logs catching some sun rays.

The cake looks as if the animals wanted a piece of cake because the paint was chipping off around it. The holes were on the flat areas of the cake so I think it may have been from a couple of hail storms we've had since the cake were put out.


Cake artist -  Alissa Shoults

Fifty-four down one hundred fifty-four to go.

Endangered Wolf Center

A howlin’ good cake.

Andrew and Pop Pop

 The Endangered Wolf Center was founded in 1971 by Marlin Perkins, his wife Carol, and a group of individuals. Marlin Perkins was a zoologist on a show called, “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” in the 1960s and 70s. The show opened kid’s eyes to animals in the native habitats. The Endangered Wolf Center was founded in order to address the risk of extinction of wolves. For more than 40 years, the Endangered Wolf Center has managed breeding programs, educational programs and methods to introduce wolves back into their native habitats. Every Mexican gray wolf in the wild can trace its roots back to one place, the Endangered Wolf Center here in St. Louis, MO.

When we went to visit the Endangered Wolf Center, we didn’t realize it wasn’t open to the public at the time. It was closed because the Center is actually owned by Washington University and all kinds of research were being done at the time. Also I was told they were expecting a few baby wolves to be born very soon and they wanted to protect them from visitors. We were able to view the cake though. We asked if we can at least see the cake and they said yes and let us right in. Andrew came with me to see the cake and he was afraid we were going to see a wolf. I tried to tell him we weren’t in danger but since we heard a wolf howl twice while looking at the cake, that didn’t help any.

The Center is supposed to open back up to the public in June so maybe we can go back and see some wolves.

Cake artist - Maura Pusateri

Guest blogger - Diane

Fifty-three down one hundred ninety-seven to go.

Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos

Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos

 

The Black Madonna is a painting or sculptor of the Virgin Mary with darker skin hues. The darker color is attributed to centuries of exposure to candle smoke.

 

Bronislaus Luszcz, from the Polish Franciscan missionary,  built a shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Polish Virgin Mary. He began by building a series of elaborate rock grottoes to Mary, Jesus, and various saints. His only tools were an axe and sledgehammer.

 

St. Francis of Assisi

The rock he used was Missouri tiff rock, which was  hauled in by dump truck from the mines in Potosi.  You can see other materials such as sea shells and costume jewelry that were contributed by visitors or sent from foreign missions.

 

There are statues within the grottoes that were sculpted by Charles Bendel.

 

After Bronislaus Luszcz died, there was no one else to carry on this work of art so the Grottos remain as he left them.

 

Open air chapel

The property has an open air chapel where you can light a candle, kneel and say a prayer but there is no Pastor, as the last one has retired.

There is a gift shop and charitable donations are greatly appreciated.

 
Cake artist - Craig Downs

 

Fifty-two down one hundred ninety-eight to go.

Shaw Nature Reserve

Cake figurines.

Shaw Nature Reserve was founded by the Missouri Botanical Garden when city pollution threatened the plant collections. Only the orchids were moved as the city clean up the air before it was necessary to move the other collections.

 




 

There are 13 miles of hiking trails and plants that are common to Missouri, the Ozarks and the eastern part of the US.

The cake had lots of figures of animals on it. Each time Andrew and Colin walked around the cake they saw different animals.

 

Cake artist - Elaine Taylor

 

Fifty-one down one hundred ninety-nine to go.

Purina Farms

“We’ll make great cakes... pets”…products, that is!

It’s no surprise that this cake was decorated with cats and dogs. If you have a cat or dog I’m sure you are familiar with Purina products for your pet. Purina’s headquarters are located here in St. Louis. It was founded in 1894 by William H. Danforth and for six consecutive years, Purina was recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as the “Best Place to Work”.
Purina Farms is located on more than 300 acres and offers opportunities to meet and learn about barnyard animals and everyday pets. They have a dog show, a 20 foot multi-level, Victorian style cat house, an opportunity to milk a cow, pet baby animals, and of course there’s a fun play area for the kids that include tunnels and rope swings.

We went during the annual Springtime Village event. It was a very nice day and everyone decided to go there that day too. We wanted to see the dog show but it was so crowded, there wasn’t an empty seat. So, while everyone was watching the dog show we went to go see the animals. The boys went through the cat house, saw cows, petted pigs, baby goats, ducks, and bunnies. Of course they had to swing around on the rope swing and run through tunnels in the play area.

Cake artist - Purina Farms

Guest blogger - Diane

Fifty down two hundred to go.

Six Flags

Cake served with a little disappointment.

My kids got all excited as we were driving by Six Flags and got off the exit to go look at the cake there. It reminded me of the times my family and I went when I was younger and we got all excited see the Colossus from the highway. I however, am not a ride person, but it was still exciting to go to Six Flags! I remember the first time my mom and dad took us to six flags. I was maybe 6 and we rode Thunder River. My mom and I got stuck under the waterfall and were soaking wet!

Just by hearing the name Six Flags, so many notorious rides pop into my head, The Screaming Eagle, The Ninja, The Log Flume, Tidal Wave, and of course my all-time favorite, the bumper cars. So when I went to see the cake at Six Flags I was expecting to see a cake decorated with some of the rides that everyone is familiar with that makes Six Flags so popular. Instead, I found a cake with animals all over it. I was a bit disappointed in it. It seemed like it belonged at the St. Louis Zoo, not Six Flags. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice cake, I was just expecting something different. However, I did hear that some of the artists that decorated these cakes weren’t told where their cakes would go and were told to just do a generic design. Even still, I think this one should have had more of a Six Flags feeling than a zoo feeling.

Cake artist - Don Strohmeyer

Guest blogger - Diane

Forty-seven down 203 to go.

Bakers dozen Part VIII

Thirteenth Stop

Ted Drews

 

Ice cream and cake

At Ted Drewes

 

Ted Drewes was our 13th and final stop on our Baker’s Dozen tour. What a good way to end, ice cream on a nice, sunny afternoon.

Or what I really mean is frozen custard. Frozen custard differs from ice cream in that frozen custard has egg yolks mixed in. Also the amount of air that is in the custard is a lot less than ice cream, which gives it a smooth texture. Frozen custard was originated in Coney Island, NY in 1919.

 

Ted Drewes started his famous frozen custard stand in Florida in 1929. He then opened up shop here in St. Louis the following year on Natural Bridge Road. Then the following year after that, he opened his South Grand location. The Chippewa location didn’t open until 1941. Today only the South Grand and Chippewa locations remain.

 

So thick you can turn
them upside down

Ted Drewes also sells Christmas trees at the Chippewa location during the holiday season.

 

Guest blogger - Diane

 

Cake artist - Mary Hessler

 

Forty-six down 204 to go.

Bakers dozen Part VII

Tenth Stop

Schlafly Bottle Works

 

The Schlafly Bottleworks opened in a former Shop 'n Save supermarket building. The menu offers produce from local farmers and businesses.

They offer free a tours where you will learn about the history of Schlafly beer and enjoy beer tasting. They brew 20 styles of beer.

 

The color of the cake was spot on with matching the Schlafly building.

 

Cake artist - Ryan D. Frank

 

Forty-five down 205 to go.

Eleventh stop

Shrewsbury Metrolink

Shrewsbury Metro Link Station is the last stop for the blue line. It is a fact that the St. Louis Metro and the Arts go hand in hand.

Guest blogger - Rich

Cake artist - Metro

Forty-four down 206 to go.

Twelveth Stop

Kenrick-Glennon Seminary

The seminary is as a host location for the Cakeway to the West in honor of the City of St. Louis' 250th birthday.

Guest blogger - Rich

Cake artist - Bruce Howard

Forty-five down 205 to go.

 

Bakers dozen Part VI

Eighth stop

Dogtown

 

This area is an Irish enclave in St Louis.  When people think of the word Irish they may think of pubs and parades, which this area has some fine ones.

 

Many also think of monks and crosses also which can be found in this area.  Many think the area received its nickname during the 1904 World’s Fair but the name derives from the mining that went on there in the 1800’s.

 

Guest blogger Rich

 

Cake artist - Jess Goldthorpe

 

Forty-two down 208 to go.

 

Ninth Stop

Turtle Park

 

With a snake and a cake!

Turtle Park was stop 9 on our Baker’s Dozen tour. To be honest with you, I have heard of Turtle Park but had no idea where it was or what it was. Little

did I know I’ve passed it quite a few times going to the zoo. It’s located directly across Highway 40 from the zoo.

 

Turtle Park is just that, a park full of turtles, concrete turtles. There is a red-eared slider turtle, a soft-shelled turtle, a map turtle, lots of box turtles, and a giant snake. These turtles are made for kids to climb and play on.

 

My kids had fun climbing and sliding down the huge concrete turtles.

 

St. Louis artist Robert Cassilly is the creator and sculptor of the giant turtles. He is also the creator of the City Museum.

 

Guest blogger - Diane

 

Cake artist - Liza Fishbone

 

Forty-three down 207 to go.

Bakers dozen Part V

Seventh Stop

Shakespeare in Forest Park

 

Cakespeare Festival

In Forest Park.

 

This cake was stop 7 on our Baker’s Dozen tour. This cake wasn’t on our initial list but I saw it while we were going to our next stop. I stopped to look at the cake while my family drove ahead. I called them and said, “I found another cake!”, but they didn’t see it, so they kept driving. This cake was accidentally put at the St. Louis Public Library at first, but now it’s at its correct location.

 

The Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park held its first annual free festival in 2001. Since then, the festival has grown from a two-week celebration to a two-month celebration. The first play performed was Romeo and Juliet. This year Henry IV and Henry V are being performed starting May 17. Visit their website for show dates and times.

 

Guest blogger - Diane

 

Here's another view of the same cake.

 

Do you think because you are virtuous, that there shall be no more cakes and ale?

Twelfth Night Act 2. Scene 3, line 114

 

William Shakespeare is considered by many to be the greatest playwright of all time, although many facts about his life remain shrouded in mystery.

He lived during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I and he coined close to five thousand new words and phrases that we still use today. The Shakespeare Festival is a celebration of all things Shakespearean.

 

Guest blogger - Rich

 

Cake artist - unknown at this time

 

Forty-one down 209 to go.

Bakers dozen Part IV

Fifth stop

Rigazzi's

 

Rigazzi’s is a restaurant in the famous Hill district of St Louis.

 

If there is any dish that screams St Louis besides the ice cream cone it is toasted ravioli and the oldest family run restaurant on the Hill is the place to go and enjoy this St Louis staple.

 

Guest blogger - Rich

 

Cake artist - Deann Rubin

 

Thirty-nine down 211 to go.

 

 

Sixth stop

The Hill

 

The Hill in St. Louis is the city's traditional Italian American neighborhood.

 

One city block of the neighborhood is famous for hosting the boyhood homes of Baseball Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola.  

 

About half of the 1950 U.S. soccer team that upset England in the World Cup is also from the area.

 

Colorful fire hydrants and fine restaurants also can be found on The Hill.

 

Guest blogger - Rich

 

Cake artist - Rich Brooks

 

Forty down 210 to go.

 

 

 

Bakers dozen Part III

Fourth stop

Tower Grove Park

 

Most of the land of Tower Grove Park was donated by Henry Shaw in 1868. There are lots of luscious trees and bushes that attracts migrating birds who

fly in the Mississippi Flyway zone.

 

The cake is very representative of the park.



Victorian designed pavilions

There are also tennis courts, ball fields and paths for walkers, joggers, and cyclists.  Lots of festivals are scheduled during the summer and from May through October a farmers' market is held.


Statues that include William
Shakespeare and
Christopher Columbus

Cake artist - Mark Swain

Thirty-eight down 212 to go.

Bakers dozen Part II

Third stop

Jay’s International Market

 

Just like it sounds, at Jays International Market on South Grand Blvd, there are different kinds of food from all over the world.

 

From stacks of sacks of rice, to jar after jar of pickled anything; from fresh produce to dried anything, sweet, sour hot or salty, you’ll get lost!

 

My favorite is the vast assortment of hot sauce! But while there I didn’t pass on the chance to pick up a couple of sweet things for the kids.

 

This time around we made sure to get some chocolate and strawberry pocky, a brick of halvah, a jar of lupini beans, and a bottle of Calypso Sauce made with Scotch Bonnet peppers.

 

By far, this was my favorite stop so far!

 

Thanks to the Guest blogger my son-in-law, Rob!

 

Cake artist - Vince Sciaroni

Thirty-seven down 213 to go.

Bakers dozen

Part I

Because I really don't know the St. Louis area all that much I asked my son, Matthew, to map cakes in the area in which he lives. After he looked over the cake listing he came up with a list of 11 cakes. So I took this list to Diane, my daughter, and she added another cake to the list, so now we have 12. We mapped out the route from cake to cake. Sometimes the directions weren't the way Matthew would've gone but we got to them one by one. 

First stop
Carondelet Park

It's the 3rd largest park in the city of St. Louis.

The cake was across from the boathouse. We didn't see any boats but we did see people fishing.

Other activities to do in the park are tennis courts, ball fields, playgrounds and picnic areas. 

It was Colin and Andrew's favorite. They said it looked like a birthday cake. It had drips of brightly colored paint and tiny beads on top to look like sprinkles.

Cake artist - Mark Swain

Thirty-five down 215 to go.



Second stop
The Bevo Mill

August A. Busch, Sr. built this Dutch mill. It sits half way between the Brewery and his home on Grant's Farm.

 

The exterior of the building is adorned with colored stones of all shapes and textures that were selected by Mr. Busch from Grant’s Farm. Mr. Busch used the Mill Room as his private dining room and the rest of the restaurant was opened to the public.

 

At one time the blades were wooden and propelled by wind. They were replaced by aluminum blades and are now electronically operated.

 

Cake artist - Gonz Jove

 

Thirty-six down 214 to go.

 

 

Downtown Cl-ake-ton, MO

Historic(ake) Hanley House

The Hanley House is the oldest dwelling in Clayton and was built by Martin Hanley in the 19th century.

The 2 story home with 8 rooms was typical on many Missouri farms back in the day.

When the city of Clayton took ownership of the house, they restored not only the exterior but the interior as well and its original contents.

Cake artist - Andy Cross

Patrotic(ake)

When the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County split up, the county needed a place to establish the County Seat of Government.

It accepted land donated from Martin Hanley and Ralph Clayton and the St. Louis County Courthouse was built.

Cake artist - Rich Brooks



Athletic(ake)

Francis Field was developed for the 1904 World's Fair. Events such as track and filed, tug-a-war and archery gave out gold medals to the top contestants.

It is named after David Francis, past St. Louis Mayor and Missouri Governor, who was president of the fair.

Tug-a-War

Currently the field is being used for Washington University's track and field, football and soccer teams.

Cake artist - April Morrision

Recre-ake-tion

 As I stood in front of the cake, at Shaw Park, I was a bit puzzled as I couldn't figure out what was climbing up the cake. I looked around and then looked up. I was looking at the diving platform and then realized it was on the cake. Its reflection is down in the pool on the cake as it would on a hot summer day.

The park offers year round fun as depicted on the cake; swimming, tennis, ice skating, hockey and more.

The park was named after Charles A. Shaw, Clayton's 6th Mayor.

Cake artist - Rich Brooks






Cake-oration

In 2009 Centene Corporation built its headquarters in Clayton, It manages the government services of Medicaid and related health plan services.

On the font of the cake are the states where they have offices. Can you name the states?

Cake artist - Rich Brooks

31-35 down 215 to go.