In celebration of the city of St. Louis's 250th birthday this year (2014), there was a special cake. Times that by 250, that is!
Called 'Cakeway to the West', 250+ cakes have been placed all over the St. Louis area, including the Metro East. Places that have cakes include historical landmarks, parks, museums, popular restaurants, as well as government places. These are just a few examples as the places represented St. Louis in a memorable way.
This was my second attempt to get the Urban League cake, as the last time I was in Midtown/Grand area was over a month ago. That's when I got all the cakes in Fox Theatre, Powell Hall, SLU, etc. But I was a half hour late in getting this indoor cake, which left me a bit bummed. This time around I got it around 4:30, a half hour before they closed. I'm glad I wasn't alone in this though, as I've heard several other people try to get this one as well.
The Urban League location at Grandel Square
The front desk
What is the Urban League, you ask? It is an organization that was inter racially founded in 1917 after the deadly East St. Louis riots. It can be compared well to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). I asked the receptionist her definition of the Urban League. She said it is similar to the NAACP but it is to engage minorities into a wildly array of programs. The Urban League of St. Louis currently serves 80,000 residents with meeting basic needs and educational quality, among other things.
Musicians featured on this side are Henry Townsend (top), Robert McFerrin, Sr. (bottom left) and Willie Mae Ford Smith (center)
A close look at Clark Terry and Ike & Tina Turner
Close look at Helen Traubel and Johnnie Johnston
Helen Traubel
John Hartford (top), Grace Burns (bottom left) and Miles Davis (bottom right)
One of two cakes in Florissant, this one connects more to the historical, downtown part of it. Florissant translates to 'valley of the flowers'. It is one of the largest suburban areas in St. Louis, and it is the 12th largest city in Missouri (as of the 2010 census). Believed to be founded the same time as St. Louis, Florissant is also considered one of the oldest settlements in Missouri. So its no surprise, I guess, that the Old Saint Ferdinand Shrine is also celebrating a grand milestone birthday this year as well.
Facts about the Old Saint Ferdinand Shrine:
Consists of
four buildings that are in their original locations: the 1819 Convent,
the 1821 Church, 1840 Rectory and the 1888 Schoolhouse.
It has been preserved by the Friends of Old St. Ferdinand since 1958. The buildings were transferred to them in 1979 from Cardinal John Carberry.
The 1821 church is the oldest Catholic church west of the Mississippi.
The
cornerstone was a gift from Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne, who is
credited for stabilizing the area, as well as starting the first school
in Florissant. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988, several
decades after her death.
Tours are regularly given here, and the buildings also host special events including weddings.
There is a lot to tell about the formation of the buildings. Check out their official website for more detailed information.
As you can see on the cake, St. Ferdinand is celebrating its 225th anniversary in 2014!:
My final Illinois cake. Or so I think...that is, assuming that the remaining four cakes are in Missouri. As I write this, on July 15, 2014, there's 4 more cakes that are left to be put out. It's hard to imagine I covered the Illinois side of the 'Cakeway to the West'! I still got a ways to go, as I'm 7/10ths of the way done. I still haven't yet tackled the western Missouri side yet!
Again, by assumption, this was the last Illinois cake put out. This one happens to be in Macoupin County as it was believed that the stl250 team were searching for a location to put one in the big county. I'm not sure why they put it at Southwestern High School, but I can't say it's a bad idea either. I saw on some thread online that they were going to put it somewhere in Carlinville (the county seat), like at some courthouse or government building. I haven't been to Macoupin all that much, but there are several towns, and apparently stuff that is too good to miss.
When I was young, my church group camped at Beaver Dam Park. I'll never forget the time we went paddle boating in the lake and it rained! In fact, it rained so bad we had to go home. I know a lot of people from the southern Macoupin towns, such as Brighton, Bunker Hill and Staunton. I work with a lot of people from Staunton, since...well, there's nothing up there. A lot of people I know from Brighton were in the radio program with me at Lewis & Clark Community College. And yes, they all graduated from Southwestern.
So I was questioning about the whole cake placement thing at Southwestern. I'd say its unique for one reason: it's only a mile from the Jersey County border! Since the town calls itself Piasa, obviously after the Piasa Bird outside Alton, it makes sense to name their mascot The Piasa Birds. I never would have thought they would name their domain address after that too (?). This would make any Missourian's cake-hunting trip quite worth it as they can start in Alton, go the river road to Hardin, then take Route 16 to Jerseyville and end up here. Then go back down to Alton where they started. Just a tip :)
As a friend of mine from Brighton once said, "You can't say Brighton without 'right on'!"
Here are the cake sides, which fully represent Macoupin County and its towns:
I stopped by here on the Fourth of July, as I was headed to Fair St. Louis. Regretfully I didn't go in (hey, it was closed that day!). However, I do hope to make it back sometime soon. The place is not hard to find if you get off the Memorial Ave. exit off of I-55/70 as there are signs that point how to get here.
In college (at SIUE), I was a History minor. I took a couple black history in America courses, and in one of them we talked a lot about Katherine Dunham. Dunham, by the way, is the namesake of SIUE's Dunham Hall, which hosts the music, theatre and communications departments. In my opinion, history hasn't been that kind as she has gone underlooked. Dunham should be known for the way she revolutionized the dance culture, and how she went out of her way and opened doors for several people. Ever heard of Eartha Kitt and Alvin Ailey? Without Dunham, they probably would not have gained notice in the entertainment world.
For the record, Dunham was not really from East St. Louis, or from the St. Louis area. In fact, she didn't come here until her 50s! She was originally from the Chicago area, but she did move around. She did open up the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York City and operated it for several years. While in East St. Louis, she collaborated with people from numerous professions to create a liberal arts program at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (or SIUE).
What? There's bars on the door?
An episode of KETC Channel 9's 'Living St. Louis' devoted to Katherine Dunham
So I found this one to be a bit confusing. Not to find, but because of its location (its upstairs in the building the cake is in front of). The building looked like a tavern, since it had 'Whiskey and Small Batch' on the signs. I didn't know what TOKY was all about. Maybe it was a store? Nope, as it turns out, it played a huge part in the celebration of St. Louis's 250th anniversary. They decorated the famous 'STL250' logo!
TOKY is a brand design company that has designed famous logos and different advertisements that we've all seen - some on a day-by-day basis. Think Panera Bread. Think Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Also, some of places that have cakes (Bellefontaine Cemetary and World Chess Hall of Fame) are clients of theirs. It's not just in St. Louis their work is exposed. We're talking all over the country (ex. Woody Guthrie Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma).
Front entrance
Plaque next to door about Ford Building
Some facts about TOKY:
For 17 years, they claim to have been in good standing with their clients.
Consists of a 25-person staff.
Clients include Ronnoco Coffee, Facebook and National Geographic
Currently housed in the Ford Building (built in 1913), which at one time housed the B.F. Goodrich Tire Co., and General Motor Car. Co., the St. Louis Hupmobile dealer.
One of the most interesting parts of cake-hunting is standing in spots that were grand (or in a better sense of terminology, popular, alive, etc.). There I was at the Boys & Girls Club, off of Grand Avenue, just outside the busy part of the city. But then I thought, well...this was once a busy part of the city too! I was setting foot on what used to be Sportsman's Park 60 years ago.
As much as I hate to say it but it is often easy to forget that St. Louis had 2 Major League baseball teams at one time. First, you have of course...the Cardinals. Then you also have the St. Louis Browns, which played in the city for more than 50 years. Hard to believe if you think about that deeply enough! During the first half of the 20th century, St. Louis was still in the Top 10 largest cities in America, so it wasn't unusual for a large city like ours to have two teams. (Today, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City are the 3 biggest US cities and each have 2 MLB teams)
Another thing worth mentioning that is easy to forget: the Browns and the Cardinals played against each other in the 1944 World Series. Even more interesting enough, this was the only WS that was played entirely in one stadium, which was Sportsman's Park. You gotta remember though: in 1944 America was fighting in World War II, so some baseball players were not able to play. Some sports critics even called this World Series a 'fluke'. It had its moments though.
So what happened? Like why aren't the Browns with us no more? Well, technically the Browns do exist...but in a different city. They are now the Baltimore Orioles. Short version of the story: the Browns, in reality, were an underperforming team, only going as far as the 1944 American League pennant. Attendance was rapidly going down in the early 1950s, while the booming Cardinals were on fire. 1953 would be the last season the Browns would play in St. Louis, but there have been talks for the longest time to put the team in Baltimore. To this day, the Orioles have pretty much distanced themselves from their past incarnation.
The St. Louis Browns have quite an interesting history. For a detailed version of it, check out their Wikipedia page.
Sportsman's Park had been the home of both St. Louis teams for a long time. The Browns were the tenants, starting in 1902 up to their demise, while the Cardinals moved here in 1920. The Cards would play here in 1966, until their big move to Busch Memorial Stadium that year. It was on May 8, 1966 that a helicopter did a ceremonial move of the home plate from the old to the new stadium. The grandstand would be torn down later that year.
The Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club is now the home of the former ballpark. The ball field still exists; however, it is used for different purposes for all kinds of sports. You'll see a great tribute to both places in the cake pictures below:
An episode of KETC Channel 9's 'Living St. Louis' devoted to Sportsman's Park
The cake was at one time an 'indoor cake', but I believe because of high demand from cake-hunters that this was moved outside. The reason may have been because of the school being closed during the summer (when obviously not in session). Placed in the middle of the staircase, the cake was a bit hard for me to get my typical center shot, but this was better than nothing. Still, this was a thrill to stand in such an institution, which has some rich history.
Sumner High School was established in 1875, as the first high school for African-Americans west of the Mississippi River. It was one of two schools (other being Vashon) that was racially segregated in St. Louis. In 1928, Sumner moved to its current location. Today, classes are still in session...and last year's (2012-13) enrollment was 576 students. The school was named after abolitionist Charles Sumner.
The school boasts several famous alumni (see below).
Notable alumni listed on the cake:
On Bottom: William 'Pop'
Beckett, Lester Bowie, Alvin Cash, William Clay, Billy Davis, Jr.,
Robert Guillaume, Luther Bogan, Robert McFerrin (Sr.), Marshall Rogers,
R. Robinson, Jr., Wendell Pruitt, Oliver Lake, Julius Hunter, Lucye
Belue, Baikida Carroll and Harry Rogers
