St. Edward’s University is planning to kick off the university’s 125th birthday with a party Friday featuring a bounty of cake.

The 125th birthday party, which starts at 4 p.m., is scheduled to include a cake off, a giant cake shaped like Main Building and a cake sculpture featuring 125 years of St. Edward’s history. The birthday party will also feature free food, a concert by Mates of State and hot air balloon rides.

“I’ve never been in [a hot air balloon] and I’m so excited to get on one,” junior Rocio Avila said. “I’ll be one of the first ones in line.”

Students, faculty, staff and alumni can pick up tickets for the birthday party in the Ragsdale lobby from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Oct. 22, the day of the party. Members of the St. Edward’s community also can pick up tickets at the registration tent during the birthday party starting at 4:30 p.m.

Cake off

The university has scheduled its first ever cake off as part of its 125th birthday celebration.

During the cake off, groups of three to five students representing different student organizations will have one hour to decorate a cake.

“Our group really loves cakes and competition, so it just seemed fitting,” junior Goldie Da Costa said, referring to the Social Justice and Service Outreach’s cake decorating team, the Justice League.

Student organizations participating in the cake off have to choose names for their representative teams.

The Marie Antoinette’s, one of Basil Moreau Hall’s cake decorating teams, chose their name so that they could say “let them eat cake” during the competition, according to freshman Allison Chadwick.

Coca Cola and Bon Appétit are sponsoring the event, and members of Bon Appétit staff will judge the competition. Bon Appétit will judge on creativity, school spirit and technique.

The top three teams will win money for their student organization. The first place team will receive $300, the second place team will win $200 and the third place team will win $100.

“We need the money to compete in track meets in and around Austin,” junior Candice Rogers, a member of the track club, said in an email.

As of Oct. 18, seven teams had signed up to compete in the cake off.

Cake

In case students’ cake cravings are not satisfied by the cake off, the university plans on providing an additional cake shaped like Main Building.

“The cake off and the huge cake sounded pretty interesting,” sophomore Max Kunik said.

The cake, made by Simon Lee Bakery, will be a 6.5 foot-long and 4.5 foot-wide three-dimensional representation of Main Building consisting of three flavors: white butter cream with cream cheese icing, Belgian chocolate with mousse icing and red velvet with cream cheese icing.

The university chose to have the cake made in the image of Main Building because it is the oldest and most iconic building on campus, according to a press release by the St. Edward’s University marketing department.

“Today, Main Building remains a source of pride for the St. Edward’s community,” the press release said.

Cake Sculpture

The marketing department commissioned a cake sculpture as part of St. Edward’s 125th anniversary celebration.

The cake sculpture features approximately 100 images of people from the past 125 years of the St. Edward’s community and plays recordings of stories of St. Edward’s students, faculty and staff throughout the years.

Students from the St. Edward’s University art in public spaces class created the 7.5-foot sculpture.

“Students worked on concepts for turning the simple form of a cake into a unique sculptural work that would represent both the history and future legacy of St. Edward’s,” Public Relations Associate Marcie Lasseigne said in a press release.

The sculpture will be located in Ragsdale lobby until Friday when it will be moved so that it can be a part of the 125th birthday party.