Westek, DPW, and Westfield Gas and Electric Workers begin installing the first layers of the cake. (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The Westfield 350th Anniversary cake has been installed on Park Square green in an effort by several local businesses to have a centerpiece for the city’s milestone birthday.
The process of baking a cake is typically quite simple. All you need are some eggs, flower, and perhaps some water and oil. It becomes a little more complicated when the cake is 15 feet tall, 25 feet wide, and the flour, eggs, water and oil are replaced with wood, PVC, wires, pipes, lights, and paint.
The design and construction of the cake was a collaboration of Westek, Kleer Lumber, Atlantic Plywood Corporation, the Lumber Center, Elm Electric, Betts Plumbing and Heating Supply, Westfield Gas and Electric, and the Westfield Department of Public Works.
The first two layers of the cake after they were installed Thursday. (Photo by Peter Currier)
The ‘recipe’ for the cake began forming in June, when Harry Rock, President of the Friends of the Westfield 350th approached Westek to begin designing the cake. Justin White, Project Manager from Westek, said that designing the cake from the 1969 version was difficult due to lack of reference.
“There are no plans left over from the 1969 cake,” said White as he began fitting the first layer over the fountain on the green, “No drawings, no plans, nothing.”
The pieces of the cake were constructed by Westek using their labor and some of their workers. On Thursday, Westek workers, DPW employees, and Westfield Gas and Electric workers spent several hours placing the first layer over the fountain on the green. The first two layers are cut into quarters, the third and fourth layers are cut into thirds, and the fifth layer is two halves.
Much of the time Westek spent putting the first layers in was dedicated to leveling them so they were not crooked. The ground around the fountain is not flat; there is a visible slope that the designers had to account for.
The interior of the cake. The electric cables were installed by Paul Asselin. The wooden struts were donated by the Lumber Center. (Photo by Peter Currier)
Inside the cake one would find cables and small wooden beams that hold the structure together. Those pieces of wood were donated by the Lumber Center. Harry Rock approached owner Mike Breton near the end of November to ask if he would donate the structural support. Breton agreed to donate a unit of 2x4x8 beams with a value of approximately $1,000.
The exterior of the cake is constructed with a combination of painted wood and white PVC materials. The PVC was donated by Kleer Lumber, and it makes up most of the white ‘frosting’ on the outside of the cake. The blue ribbons that cut across the cake are made of wood. They were painted by Westek’s Paul Lococo, according to company President Bruce Scheible. The flowers that can be seen around the cake were designed and painted by Scheible’s daughter, Allison. Allison also painted the top candle.
Westek, DPW, Elm Electic, and Westfield Gas and Electric workers begin lifting pieces of the cake into place. A lift was used as the cake was too tall for workers to lift the pieces at this point. (Photo by Peter Currier)
Every birthday cake needs candles, of course. The only catch is when one celebrates a 350th birthday, they need 350 candles. On top of that, the candles should be lit the entire time the cake is on display. Rather than light 350 small fires and hoping it doesn’t rain until May, a more sustainable source of light was sought. Designated with the task of designing the candles, Betts Plumbing and Heating Supply opted for an electrical approach over a flammable one.
Kim Betts, owner of the plumbing and heating supply company, chose to use black piping she had on hand as the candle sticks. Wires can run through them to the lights that will be mounted on top. This is not her company’s first foray into the business of oversized birthday celebrations either. In 1969, Betts Plumbing and Heating Supply contributed to the design of Westfield’s 300th birthday cake.
“We are donating 349 ‘candles’ to this cake,” said Betts, “in 1969 we donated 299.”
Bruce Scheible, President of Westek, with the cakes topper, which was largely painted by his daughter Allison. (Photo by Peter Currier)
The final candle is placed on the very top of the cake and was designed separately. Betts said that the only problem she ran into was the fact that the pipes she donated are seldom used, so they did not have enough on hand to donate 349 pieces. She had to borrow 25 from a supply house in Springfield. Each pipe is fitted with a light bulb that resembles the flame of a candle.
Of course, the cake needs power for the candles to be lit in the first place. Paul Asselin, the Senior Project Manager from Elm Electric volunteered his time to install the wiring within the cake. Harry Rock reached out to Asselin around early October.
“The wiring took about a week,” said Asselin, “everything is designed to be plugged in and ready once all the pieces are set.”
The cake after it has been fully installed. Harry Rock and the Friends of the Westfield 350th began the concept of the cake back in June. It will reside over the fountain on the green until June 1st, 2019. The candles will be turned on during a ceremony on New Years Day. (Photo by Peter Currier)
The interior of the cake contains wires and plugs that were designed to be plugged as a chain as each piece was added to the structure. At the top, a wire comes out of the candle to plug into exterior power. DPW and Westfield Gas and Electric workers strung a steel cable between two light posts and tied a long extension cord to it. The cord drops down into the cake where it provides power. The cake will finally receive power in a dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Mayor Brian Sullivan will be officially ‘lighting the candles’ at the ceremony.
“It had to be designed so that it could be taken apart and put back together,” said Asselin, “We wired each section separately. It’s plug and play.”
The 25’ wide and 15’ tall cake was fully installed and fenced in on Friday by Westek, DPW, Elm Electric and Westfield Gas and Electric workers. It will be on display until June 1st. The final weekend of the Westfield 350th celebration is that of May 19th.
Security cameras currently surrounding Park Square will keep an eye the cake.
