The Unveiling that Wasn't

Kim Wolterman

At the October meeting of the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury/Rock Hill Chamber of Commerce meeting, I was asked to talk about my experience of finding all 250+ cakes placed by the STL250 organization. Joining me on the program was Erin Budde, formerly the Executive Director of STL250. After our presentations there was to be an unveiling of a rogue cake, meaning one that is not officially sanctioned by the organization. The cake was commissioned by the Webster Groves Historical Society to be placed in front of the historic Hawken House, built in 1857 and certainly much older than many official cake locations.

I arrived early to the meeting as I was bringing the computer and projector for the presentations. I like to have extra time because technology is not always my friend. When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the artist, Henryk Ptasiewicz but no cake. I have met him at a caker's picnic, so I went over to talk to him. He told me that he simply had run out of time and the cake was not complete. The unveiling had been all over social media, and a local reporter was coming to cover the story. We immediately got on Twitter and Facebook to let folks know that the cake was not in place.

Erin Budde

Despite that setback, the meeting went well. I ran a slide show of all of my cake photos (well, two of each cake anyway) in the background during the preliminary meet and greet and lunch. Erin was first on the program, and her talk was quite interesting as she filled us in on some of the behind the scenes activities that led to the formation of the volunteer STL250 group back in 2009. The very first cake to be placed was St. Louis City Hall in February of 2014.

For my portion of the program I talked about what the cake hunt had meant to me, the things I learned about the metropolitan area, and the wonderful people I have become acquainted with along the way, including the 1,800 plus member Facebook group. To bring things back to the audience, as business owners in the area, I discussed the benefits of this caking adventure such as high visibility for the businesses and organizations lucky enough to have a cake. It also helped other businesses in the area as the cakers stopped for meals, drinks and shopping along the way. I really enjoyed the opportunity to share my experience of learning more about the history of the area.

As it ended up, the Hawken House cake had a very quiet unveiling on the following Wednesday, and I took photos of it on Thursday morning. If I didn't know the cake was made out of wood and not fiberglass like the official cakes, I would have no idea that it was a rogue cake. It is that good!

Hawken House cake

World War One 100th Anniversary

The centennial of World War One will be commemorated in 2014, although the United States did not enter the war until 1917. Did you know that two million Americans volunteered for the Army, and nearly three million were drafted? For the first time over 30,000 women served in the ranks. Of these service men and women, more than 116,000 died and in excess of 200,000 were injured.

Undoubtedly there will be many events taking place throughout the United States to educate people about the significance of this war, dubbed "The Great War". We are getting things started early in my town of Webster Groves. The local historical society is presenting an exhibit entitled, LIFE ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR I. It opens on Sunday April 27th at the historic Hawken House, 1155 South Rock Hill Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119. For more information, visit the Webster Groves Historical Society website.

Webster Groves Soldiers

I have been helping in a small way by gathering up some information about a few of the local men and women who served in the war, and what was going on in Webster Groves to support the war effort. It was interesting to read newspaper articles from that time period, which offered suggestions on how the local people could provide assistance.

Following the end of the war in November of 1918, the citizens of Webster Groves were quick to rally and take up a collection to erect a WWI memorial in the town. A letter soliciting donations was sent to every home in the Webster Groves School District (which was smart because the school district includes more than just the community of Webster Groves). The campaign must have been successful, because by May of 1919 the memorial was dedicated. One side of the memorial honors the eleven soldiers from Webster Groves who died in the war.

World War I Memorial

I am eager to see all of the other items in the exhibit this weekend. If you are free on Sunday, stop on by!