The iconic birthday cake commemorating Westfield’s 350th birthday will be dismantled after Labor Day. (File Photo)
WESTFIELD – It’s almost time to blow out the candles on the city’s birthday cake.
The 2,000-pound cake’s 350 candles have been burning on Park Square Green in celebration of the city’s 350th birthday for the better part of a year, but it will soon be dismantled and move on to another community.
Westfield 350 President Harry Rock said the wooden cake, constructed by Westek Architectural Woodworking of Westfield, will be removed over several days beginning Sept. 3 and will be reconstructed in Hatfield in celebration of that town’s 350th birthday.
Rock said the cake was the symbol of Westfield’s celebration and he hopes people who have not yet captured this moment in time will do so before Labor Day.
“When I was asked to take on this celebration, there were three things people kept talking about from the 300th birthday in 1969: The Parade, the mummers and the cake,” said Rock. “For me, the cake was the defining symbol of Westfield’s 350th.”
Rock said he has watched as school groups, teams and others have taken photos in front of the now iconic cake in the heart of downtown. He has seen numerous posts in his social media newsfeed with side-by-side photos of people in front of the 1969 cake and the 2019 cake. He hopes more people will do this in the coming weeks.
“Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” he said. “I want kids who are young today to be able to have their picture as a souvenir and if the 400th birthday includes a cake, they can take another photo. Don’t hesitate though – it’s coming down in four weeks!”
Rock said this is an opportunity to capture the spirit of the celebration.
“It’s about civic pride,” he said. “The cake is the physical symbol of everything that makes Westfield great.”
The 25-foot wide, 16 1.2-foot tall cake was constructed by Westek using materials provided, in part, by Betts Plumbing and was wired by Elm Electric. Rock said Westek was the baker and the other donors provided the ingredients.
Rock said Hatfield may replace the hand-painted carnations with something that fits that community and the city will retain the topper, which he plans to donate to the Westfield Athenaeum. Rock hopes after Hatfield’s celebration, another community will use the cake.
“It is well-constructed,” he said. “It’s built for a long life.”
