A Sweet Memory

Do you remember about 34 years ago, Sandwich celebrated its 350th birthday?

My thoughts bring me back to a 350-foot long birthday cake baked at MacNeil’s Bakery, as a fundraiser for the celebration. The cake was baked and iced by the bakery staff, and then taken to the freezers at the H. T. Wing School.

On August 8, 1987, the morning of the celebration, a team of 20 volunteers started transporting the cake pieces, including a 4-tier centerpiece cake, to the Sandwich High School soccer field. It was then assembled using tables from the cafeteria.

There was an official from the Guinness Book of Records present, who measured the cake – officially 351 feet, 2¾ inches. We held the world record for the longest cake until Disney created a longer cake later that year.

Residents check out the 350-foot long cake that MacNeil’s Bakery created for the town’s 350th birthday celebration.

The cake was sold for $50 per foot and the donors’ names were written in icing on their portion of the cake. The cake raised over $10,000 to help finance the 10-day celebration.

After the 350 candles were lit, and “Happy Birthday” was sung, the cake was cut for all to enjoy. People that had bought a foot had it boxed to take home. There was plenty to go around!

To create this masterpiece it took:

250 pounds of flour

13½ pounds of powdered milk

1⅞ pounds of salt

9½ pounds of baking powder

75 pounds of high-ratio shortening

157½ pounds of cake flour

120 pounds of water

97½ pounds of eggs

30 ounces of vanilla

450 pounds of icing

I remember it very well with much thanks and appreciation for the efforts of all the staff and volunteers to make this such a special birthday for all!

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Barbara Bangs MacNeil is a member of the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives, a dedicated, all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to supporting and promoting the archives’ collections and the rich, diverse history of the town of Sandwich.