A birthday for the history books

Sandy Hayslip, left, John Caton and Linda Caton get a good view of the cake that is a replica of the Clark County Historical Museum. It was created by Ian Titterton and his Clark College Culinary Arts staff and students. It took 40 hours to finish the cake. (ZACHARY KAUFMAN/The Columbian)

Susan Tissot, left, executive director of the Clark County Historical Museum, welcomes hundreds during the museum’s 45th birthday celebration on Sunday. Bill Hidden, right, acknowledged his grandfather, Foster Hidden, who donated the land for the 1909 building that was originally the city’s library. (ZACHARY KAUFMAN/The Columbian)

A commemorative poster by Paul Lanquist, depicting the museum’s 1909 Carnegie building, was unveiled at the celebration. (ZACHARY KAUFMAN/The Columbian)

Call it the cake of ages, casting glory on an icon.

Why not go for style, Susan Tissot and her staff decided in celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Clark County Historical Museum, which is housed in the 100-year-old Carnegie library building.

So, they commissioned a cake.

A cake worthy of presentation on TV's "Ace of Cakes" show, most would agree.

Enter Ian Titterton, director of the baking program at Clark College Culinary Arts. He, his staff and a crew of eight students labored 40 hours on the confection, including painstaking work with fondant icing.

A replica of the classic brick Carnegie building, the cake drew compliments from all comers.

The light poles were in place on the cake's grounds, with the 12 stairs to the front doors and the intricate cream-and-gold scroll work.

"One of the students actually cried when it was finished because she thought it was so beautiful," said the museum's Lisa Christopher. One student applied skills she learned in an engineering drawing class, Christopher added.

"It was a masterpiece," said Leigh Anne Carter of Clark County, who was at the celebration with her boys, Lawson, 8, and Lucas, 5. "It was a shame to see it cut. That's the most elaborate cake I've ever seen in my life, and a good copy of the building."

And that's not all.

The ice cream was commissioned from Ice Cream Renaissance, several blocks north on Main Street. Owners Brandon Angelo and Jason Seymour created Carnegie Caramel M&M(useum).

And the taste?

"She says it's yummy, look at her face," said Marisa Hsieh, nodding to her 7-year-old daughter, Sophia. The Hsieh family is new to Vancouver from Taiwan.

The ice cream is available at the ice cream shop for the rest of 2009.

And the birthday party included a suitable-for-framing poster of the building by artist Paul Lanquist of Ariel.

The crowd let out an "Oooohhh" when the poster was unveiled.

"We're repeating history," Tissot said upon opening the program. She said the museum was dedicated exactly 45 years ago to the day on the steps leading to the building.

She reminded the crowd the Carnegie Library was built in 1909, one of 2,509 Carnegie libraries built around the world, and one of 41 in Washington. Of those, 33 are still standing.

The museum building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"It truly is a jewel in this community's treasure box," Tissot said.

The Hidden family, famous for bricks, donated land for the library in 1909, said Bill Hidden. He said Vancouver at that time was all "south of 13th Street,' and many scoffed at the proposed library site saying, "'It's too far out of town.'"

But the library was built and "you see what we have today," Hidden said.

Hidden, who has served on the museum board, praised Tissot and her staff for a "marvelous job" of running the museum.

Vancouver City Councilman Larry Smith told the crowd it is important to know the history of your community to know the character of its people.

"This is a wonderful asset," Smith said. "I value it and so do the citizens of Vancouver."

Tissot invited the community into the museum and promised to raise the roof.

Good to her word, she took the roof off the cake and started cutting pieces for the crowd, which Christopher said reached 500.