Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Going into Year #2 for the cakes



The Eugene Field House cake as it sits next to the building on 2/6/2016 (on Mardi Gras)

Hello, its been a while since I've written on here. It will almost be two years by the end of February (2016) since the first cakes have been put out. I can't believe it has been that long....then again, it seems like a long time ago at the same time when I was driving through those areas and towns just to get a snapshot with the cake with Ozzie on top. I'm glad people still read this blog, and I highly appreciate those who have taken the time to read the pages.

So I thought I'd share what's new and current in the new year. 2016 has flown by just like that. So far, nothing has really changed in the last few months, as far as cakes. There are still, as of this writing, an estimated 80+ cakes still at their original locations. There are about less than ten that have floated around notable St. Louis areas (I'll get on that later). I have visited some original cake locations from time to time, on my days off. Or if I just happen to be in that neighborhood, I might just go check on that cake to see if its there. I think its cool that these places continue to display their cake (for a list of whose still got theirs, see the 2016 Cake Status page). Last week I was in Belleville and the Emma Kunz and the St. Clair Museum cake still had theirs sitting in front. One of my cake-loving friends said the Eckerts one was there last weekend. Somebody posted to the Facebook Cakelovers group page that the Hardin cake was still out there despite of the recent flood. Some others have posted here and there, so its always nice to see that people still care about the cakes.
The United Hebrew Congregation cake, now behind the building in a circle drive, January 2016

I have sorta lost interest, for various reasons...mostly because there's really no hoopla anymore and most cakers decided to move on and let 2014 be a memory. But there's always that curiosity about what's next. I'll go ahead and say that there is a short documentary being put together about the stl250 cakes. It is not yet finished, and it is still in the process of being edited. I'll go ahead and share some background: About a year ago, Francine Case (StLouis250CakeLovers) decided to put together a short doc about the caking experience. It was her vision to put together stories of both cakers and artists on video, as well as the people behind stl250. She put together a small team, including myself, and she got some Communications students from Webster University to take part in the video portion of it. We pooled ideas together and tried to get many people involved. Some have rejected (mostly cakers), and many were eager to share their story. I was interviewed as well. Once it is finished and published on Youtube, I will share this on the blog with more stories behind it.

And lastly, if you saw any familiar cakes at places - it was no coincidence. The StLouis250CakeLovers, which I am part of, have displayed some cakes in the areas of Dogtown, Cherokee and Old North St. Louis. Rich Brooks also temporarily moved his Soulard Restoration Group cake to Joanie's Pizza (take out place). Brooks has said that people still take pictures with his cakes in front of Soulard Art Market all the time. So at least the caking spirit lives on in a way.

A rare photo of the Warren County Courthouse and Citygarden cakes together outside of Urban Eats