Imo's Pizza

The square beyond compare cake

At first the Imo's Pizza cake was at the original location. Then it was removed for reapirs and placed at another location. I had Colin and Andrew with me and they did not want to eat here. They don't like the thin crusted St. Louis style pizza that is topped with provel cheese and a zesty tomato sauce and then cut in to squares. "It's the provel cheese we don't like" they say.

They sure do know where there roots are..on the east coast.

Cake artist - Theresa Hopkins

Illinois Country Cakes

Stl250 wanted to include all 15 counties in the St. Louis region. So out to the Illinois country side we went. It was just Vicki, she took the photos, and me. I had a planned route and because the drive was a long haul, it didn't matter to me if we got them all or not.

Aerie's Riverview Winery
Cake with a view

We knew there was going to be some view at the top of this mountain to the Aerie's Riverview Winery. We drove on the road that felt like it was 90 degrees up to the top. At the very top is a zip line with nine lines totaling nearly two miles long. As we drove back down looking for the cake, there were these cute little cottages and villas on both sides of the road.

Finally we approached the winery and there was the cake. It was just a little too late in the season to view beautiful fall colors, but still the view of the Mississippi and the Great River Road was almost breath taking. I could imagine summer and early fall time visitors sitting on the outside deck sipping the local wine and taking in the view.

Cake artist - Rich Brooks



Calhoun County Community Foundation
Preservation cake

The Calhoun County Community Foundation works on projects to help preserves the county. While trying to find what types of projects they have done, I fould that in November 2015 there will be A Calhoun Community Foundation’s 2016 Calendar Exhibit which features a collection of photographs of scenic Calhoun County. I gues the proceeds go tothe foundation for their projects.

Cake artist - Lindsay Harmon

Jersey County Courthouse 

 The Jersey County Courthouse was built in 1894. It stands so tall Vicki had to go across the street to take its picture. The 124 foot tower  is topped by an octagonal cupola, terminal towers at the front corners, and a raised front porch. The building's limestone exterior used stone quarried at the nearby city of Grafton.

Cake artist - Theresa Hopkins












Southwestern High School
Home of the cake

Southwestern High School is representing Macoupin County. Macoupin County was formed out of Greene and Madison Counties and was named after Macoupin Creek. This region was inhabited by Illinoisan Indians when the first white settlers arrived.

Cake artist - Theresa Hopkins



Madison County Courthouse
Lake cake

Madison County was established in 1812 and named for President James Madison. The largest city in the county is Granite City.

Madison County sits along side of the Mississippi River and has one of the largest natural freshwater bodies in Illinois, Horseshoe Lake.

Cake artist - Nicole Cooper



Southern Illinois University @ Edwardsville
Top cake

Southern Illinois University @ Edwardsville as a foundation built on hands-on and life experiences that provide the students to thrive in the world.

U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges of 2015 lists SIUE among the best Regional Universities Midwest for the 11th consecutive year and among the top 15 public universities in that category. It also lists SIUE among the 2015 “Up and Coming” among Midwest regional
universities.

Cake artists - Autumn Huff, Heather Kniffel, & Carol Dappert

World's Largest Catsup Bottle
Roadside cake

The World's Largest Catsup Bottle, standing at 170 foot,  was built in 1949 for the G.S. Suppiger catsup bottling plant - bottlers of  Brooks Catsup and is a water tower. It was saved from demolition and restored to its original appearance.

The community holds a World's Largest Catsup Bottle Festival where some little tyke is named Little Princess Tomato.



Cake artist - Julie Krovicka

America's Center / Edward Jones Dome

Convention cake

The America’s Center Convention Complex is home to four distinct meeting facilities under one roof: Cervantes Convention Center, the Edward Jones Dome, the St. Louis Executive Conference Center and the Ferrara Theatre. In addition, the convention center features five exhibit halls, a ballroom and more than 80 meeting rooms.

Not only is it home of the St. Louis Rams football team, other yearly events are have been hosted here such as the boat show, wedding  show, car show and home improvement show.


Events cake

The Edward Jones Dome is a multi-purpose stadium and home of the St. Louis Rams. Besides football there are other sports played here. The Show Me Bowl championship games for the annual Missouri State High School Activities Association are played here each year. The Dome has hosted an NCAA Men's Basketball Regional four times. In 1999 Pope John Paul II held mass in the stadium with over 104,000 people in attendance for the service.

We attended the first game at the new stadium on November 12, 1995, against Carolina. It was just the construction of the stadium had delays forced the team to play at Busch Stadium for several games.

And in 1997 I saw two concerts here. One was front row seats, which I won the night
before,  to U2 and the Rolling Stones where the seats were at the very top.

Cake artists - Stacey Sandweg and Gary Lang (Both cakes)

Annie Malone

 Annie Malone

Once the  St. Louis Colored Orphan's Home back in 1888, Annie Malone Children and Family Center was named for philanthropist and business woman Annie T. Malone. She donated funds that allowed the home to build a permanent home at 2612 Malone Drive.


The home had 100 orphaned children housed and cared for by five matrons. The Tandy Park and Playground was located across the street.

Cake artist - Theresa Hopkins

Sumner High School

Sumner cake

 Sumner High School, also known as Charles H. Sumner High School, is a St. Louis public high school that was the first high school for African-American students west of the Mississippi River. It was established in 1875 only after extensive lobbying by some of St. Louis' African-American residents, Sumner has been at its current location since 1908.


Some notable alumni include:

• Arthur Ashe
• Chuck Berry
• Grace Bumbry
• Billy Davis, Jr.
• Dick Gregory
• Robert Guillaume
• Tina Turner

Cake artist - Theresa Hopkins

Columbia Bottoms

The Three R's Reading, wRiting, and River Cake

Columbia Bottoms is a wild life area on the Missouri side of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It is a vast and open space and is a great place to enjoy wild Missouri close to St Louis.

 

I enjoy it because most of the times that I go there the place is empty. The cake is at the front of the trail by the nature center. Take the ride to the end of the trail, there are many stops along the way to enjoy the natural beauty.

 

The day I went to look at the cake there was a school there exploring nature and eating lunch at the river lookout. What a great way to spend a day at school, I guess tomorrow they will crack the books. Pay attention kids there is a essay do by the end of the week. Compare and contrast the Big Muddy to the Father of Waters. 

 

Cake artist - Rich Brooks

St. Louis Public Library / Central Library

Century cake

The Central Library building at 13th and Olive was built in 1912 on a location formerly occupied by the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall and was designed by Cass Gilbert.

The St. Louis Public Library has sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location. Central Library under went a restoration and reopened in 2012. The administration offices, including mine are across the street. Moving these offices allowed more public space with the new renovation.

On the front side of the building is three floors. The rear of the building, the part I miss the most, was seven floors. Here is where the stack tower was. Eight floors and a city block long, it housed library collections and was not opened to the public. The back wall was top to bottom rectangular windows and the floors were glass, to get the most of day light coming through. Some of the glass flooring was preserved and repurposed as a wall in the new atrium.

Cake artist - Andy Cross

Sweetology

DIY cake

At Sweetology you can decorate your own cake and bring it home. They supply the cake, that comes in many sizes and shapes, the frosting or fondant to cover your cake and lots of different decorations such as sprinkles, decons and roses, all for a price of every little item and a studio fee. I guess it's set up like an art studio but using cake instead of canvas.


Cake artist -  Angela Perry

Opera Theatre Saint Louis

Opera cake

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis runs from late May to late June. Each season four operas, all sung in English, are presented.

Performances are accompanied by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and are presented in the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Webster University.

Cake artist -Scenic artists at Opera Theatre St. Louis

Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing

Railroad Crossing Cake

If you are walking along the Greenway by the river in St Louis you will come by the Mary Mechum Freedom Cake. If you are driving a car, the way to get to the cake is through an industrial terminal. I have to admit I was more impressed with the industrial part than the greenway part.

When I got to the area were the cake was there was a sign that said no motor vehicles. I was not sure if there was a cake down there but then I seen a car come down the path and the driver said my car could make it to the cake. I felt better about going down the path and when I got there some more cars were there. I have to say thanks to the person that said I could drive there. I am also glad I did not see any bicyclist going down the bike route. I am sure that they would get upset seeing me in a car going down their path.

The Mary Mechum crossing was an under ground railroad crossing which I celebrated by being stuck at the railroad crossing watching a slow moving coal train pass by and enjoying the wonderful melody of the crossing signal.

Cake artist - Rich Brooks

Webster University

Higher ed cake

In 1915 the Sisters of Loretto founded Webster College, It was originally named Loretto College and was one of the first Catholic women's colleges west of the Mississippi River.  It expanded the educational experience and became coeducational in 1962.

The first master's program provided evening classes for full-time teaching professionals a Master of Arts in Teaching. In 1967, the Sisters of Loretto transferred ownership of the school from the Catholic Church to a lay board of directors—the first in the nation to do so. This lay board remains in place today, operating Webster as a private, nonprofit, non-denominational university.

It was renamed Webster University in 1983, and offers online courses as well as in-class learning opportunities.

Cake artist - Megan Rieke

The College School

Experimental cake

The College School Mission is to "engages children, ages three to fourteen, in joyful, meaningful and creative learning through an adventurous, theme-based, experiential curriculum. Our diverse community works as a partnership, cultivating excellence in academics, character and collaboration, as we prepare students for life-long learning, service and citizenship."

Teachers are specialist in the fields of visual arts, performing arts, Spanish, technology, greenhouse science and physical education. The early childhood program incorporates the Reggio philosophy, drawn from the internationally renowned schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Cake artist - Mary Jo Wilmes

Lyon Park/ United States Arsenal

Ammunition cake

The park is named after the commander of the Union arsenal, General Nathaniel Lyon who fortified the St. Louis Arsenal. He was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict. 

The St. Louis Arsenal is a complex of military weapons and ammunition storage buildings owned by the United States Air Force. During the American Civil War, the St. Louis arsenal's contents were transferred to Illinois by Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon, an act that helped fuel tension between secessionists and those citizens loyal to the Federal government.

Cake artist -  Rich Brooks

General Daniel Bissell House

General cake

The General Daniel Bissell house was built between 1812-1820. It's an example of the federal style of architecture and was continuously occupied by the Bissell family for 150 years. Daniel Bissell, who called this property Franklinville Farm, was important in the early military history of the St. Louis area. He commanded this brigade throughout 1814 and won a tactical draw at the small action fought at Lyon's Creek or Cooks' Mills, Canada, on October 19, 1814.

In 1815 he came back to St. Louis and started building the house.

Cake artist - April Morrison

Fairground Park

First zoo cake

Fairground Park was originally a privately owned facility, first used by the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Association for the St. Louis Exposition in 1865. In the early 1800's it was replaced with the St. Louis Fair and Jockey Club. In 1901, it was purchased by the owners of the Delmar Racing Track.  During the Civil War the Fairgrounds were used as a Union encampment known as Benton Barracks. And in 1902 as preparations for the 1904 World's Fair began. In 1905 it was closed down after the abolition of horse racing in Missouri.

A few years later the 132-acre fairground was purchased for park use by St. Louis for $700,000. All of the structures from the fair and zoo buildings were removed except the bear pits of the old zoo and the amphitheater. In 1912, the amphitheater was removed and replaced by the city's first, and world's largest, municipal swimming pool.

Cake artist - Dan Jabor

Emmis Communications

Radio cake

Emmis Communications owns radio, city/regional magazine, online, and mobile operations throughout the United States. They sponsor the Moonlight Ramble, which takes place at midnight under a full moon in August.

It has four radio stations in St. Louis:

NOW 96.3 All the talk
KSHE-95
105.7 The Point Everything Alternative
FMNewsTalk 97.1

Cake artist - Joe Chesla

Eugene Field House

Toy cake

The Eugene Field House is the childhood home of the Children's poet, Eugene Field. His father, Roswell Martin Field, served as the attorney for the slaves Dred and Harriet Scott and their daughters, Eliza and Lizzy, when they brought action in federal court for their freedom.

While Eugene was a student at the University of Missouri, he was co-founder and literary editor of The Missourian, the campus newspaper. His first published children's poem, "Christmas Treasures" was written in St. Louis.

A plaque on the home was dedicated in 1902 with the help of author Mark Twain, who announced it as the birthplace of Eugene Field.

Cake artist - Corinne Didisheim

Ameren

 Two cakes are better than one!

Ameren was first known as the Union Electric Comapny. Providing steam heat for downtown it was and is the main source of electricity for the St. Louis region. Ameren Corporation was formed in 1997 by the merger of Missouri’s Union Electric Company with neighboring Central Illinois Public Service Company.  At first it was known as Ameren UE and now just Ameren.

In 1904 it powered The Palace of Electricity's electric lights at the 1904 World's Fair that was held in St. Louis.


Ameren was a sponsor for the STL250 organization, they wanted a cake for just their employees. It was decorated by the Ameren employees.


After an Ameren event for their employees, Ameren decided to let the second cake stay next to it's original cake.

Cake artist - Rudy Zaph

Fountain Park / Martin Luther King, Jr. Statute

Dream Cake

I went to Fountain Park to see the cake and the statue. I seen the fence around the statue and of course the first thought that went through my head was to keep people away from it, marking it up or stealing it.

After thinking about it and the state of the city, nation, world I came to the conclusion that it was not to keep people away, it was to keep the dream from getting out.

Cake artist -  Screwed Arts Collective

Nine Network

Nine Birthday Cakes

I remember watching Sesame Street with my kids and there would be a song about any number, we will use nine in this instance being that is the channel that KETC is on, and the song would start out NINE! NINE! NINE! Lets sing a song of NINE! How many is NINE? They someone would mention nine things like nine puppies or fish or cookies or crayons and everyone would count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. This would be done a few times and on the last one a baker would stand at the top of the stairs and say in important voice NINE CHOCOLATE CAKES and fall down the stairs. And that's our song of NINE!

I watched a few other shows on the PBS network. I guess my favorite was Fawlty Towers. That show was so nuts! I would get all wound up watching that show, I would have to calm down after watching it. Basil and Manuel what a pair. I guess the most famous thing on channel nine is Donneybrook I still check it out but I miss Martin Duggan, I seen him one time at The Library LTD looking for something to read..

Cake artist - Richard “Indy” Bowers

Mathew Dickey Boy's and Girl's Club

Youth club cake

What started as an idea to keep children playing baseball instead of hanging out on the street has become a St Louis institution that inspires youths to lead productive and healthy lives and instills the desire to excel in life's tasks and become future leaders.


It is a resource center for trouble youths and offers them a positive alternative to the drug and gang culture by fostering literacy and education. Matthew Dickey's programs have helped the St. Louis area and is a positive force in the community, how can it not be a postive force with a picture of Lew Rawls on the side of there van and the Jack Buck Walk of Fame.


Cake artist - Dail Chambers

Bellefontaine Cemetery

Final Resting Cake

The Bellefontaine Cemetery is a picturesque St. Louis Landmark. Cemeteries are somber places and appear to be the last place you would expect to see a birthday cake. If you were to find a cake at a cemetery you might expect it to look like Miss Haversham's wedding cake

....The most prominent object was a long table with a tablecloth spread on it, as if a feast had been in preparation when the house and the clocks all stopped together, An epergne or center-piece of some kind was in the middle of this cloth; it was so heavily overhung with cobwebs that its form was quite indistinguishable... and, as I looked along the yellow expanse out of which I remember its seeming to grow, like a black fungus, I saw speckled-legged spiders with blotchy bodies running home to it, and running out from it, as if some circumstance of the greatest public importance has just transpired in the spider community. I heard the mice too, rattling behind the panels, as if the same occurrence were important to their interests. But the black beetles took no notice of the agitation, and groped about the hearth in a ponderous elderly way, as if they were short-sighted and hard of hearing, and not on terms with one another. 'What do you think that is?' she asked me, again pointing with her stick; 'that, where the cobwebs are?''I can't guess what it is, ma'am.' 'It's a great cake. A bride-cake. Mine!' (Charles Dickens, Great Expectations).

Nothing like that on the cake here just green trees, blue sky, and pink flowers. No creepy crawlies on this cake just famous people from St Louis. Of course I was looking at the cake on a sunny morning, maybe if I was there in the dead of the night it might look different

Cake artist - Lindsey Sciaroni