If the theme is 'Rockin Rockford', maybe it should be something about Rockford. Whatever it is I am looking forward to seeing what you do, all the best of luck.

Amie,

Good luck! Remember, you have to go WAY over the top in terms of detail and scale. Lights and fireworks also seem to be a recurring theme.

I like the idea of Wrigley Field...but maybe King Kong on the Sears Tower (yes, I KNOW it is the wrong city and building), maybe holding Duff like the cake Duff did for the young kid, would be, as he says...

AWESOME.

OK, time to rethink my sentence structure...

E

Okay, I was just reading several articles about this event online (from Rockford newspapers) and it sounds like it maybe a Rockford theme is what they are going for. Several of them said how Duff was going to support Rockford.....hmmmm, what is Rockford known for?

Wow! You are all so terrific! I live about an hour and a half away from Rockford so there will be driving involved with this cake. However, I am still so excited!

You all have such fantastic ideas! My hubby is a JOHN DEERE lover and I had considered doing a BIG JD tractor. Any thoughts??

I also thought about doing the Discovery Center museum that the contest is being held in or the Restaurant that the rest of the event will be held at. It sits on the river.

I also like the idea of the museums in Chicago or the bitg fire but I don't know enough about it to really think of much detail. I guess I didn't pay much attention in history!

Keep the ideas coming please! Thanks to ALL of you!

What if you did the blues brothers making a cake themselves with headphones on. You could have a jam box on th shelf in the bakery maybe some flour on their suitsYou could do another type of them on that cake.maybe the corn. I would play on the rockin' part and not play so much on what Duff has done, he is the best and it might be hard to somewhat replicate anything he has done. I think that your own creativity will get you further in the contest.

WOW!................WOW!!
I am so happy and excited for you!

USE ALL MAN TOOLS or BUILDING MATERIAL AS MANY AS YOU CAN! That's all I can give you as an idea!

All the best! Can't wait to see your cake.

Nitu

Since it is in Chicago, I would do the Buckingham fountain, look up the photos on the web, I think that would be pretty extreme yet relate to Chicago. Do not do the obvious, like the Sears Tower, or A Lincoln, or JH building. BUT that is just my opinion. I think the downtown skyline would be a lil too much, there are many buildings involved. The stadiums are played ALOT on his show, so he may want to look for something totally different. I wish you the best and good luck, Sincerely, Veronica

PS You can always go political, or do something related food wise, they have the Taste of Chicago, u can do Eli's Cheesecake, Connie's Pizza, Maxwell Street, etc soooooooo many endless possibilities, I was born and raised there.

Just to catch Duff's eye...no matter what you come up with, I think you need to make a little figure of Duff himself. Like one of him wearing a kilt, from his Ace of Cakes show.
That would be totally hilarious and he would love it.

Just an added idea.

Yeah I like the kilt idea! Cute! Just so everyone knows, this is NOT in Chicago it's in Rockford Illinois but definetely the midwest. Keep coming with the great ideas! Hearing all of your amazing ideas makes me have butterflies in my stomach just thinking of doing this! Thanks to all of you!

How about an oven that explodes while baking a cake!..lol

Do you remember the band Cheap Trick? They are originally from Rockford. Maybe you could do something with them and their song The Flame?

Well this bugged me enough that I went and read about Rockford on Wikipedia lol. Rockford is the home of Testor's Model Car Kits! Does Duff have a Charm City delivery vehicle you could break down into kit parts? Put it only half together and make a mess with glue, paint spills, brushes, and a million little parts. You could use the kit box (showing what it's SUPPOSED to look like ~ all nice and shiny) as your base. Be sure to incorporate one of those "easy-to-follow" assembly direction sheets too lol.

I'm so excited for you! Keep us posted! Pictures, every detail!!! I cant wait to see what you come up with!
Will this be taped for showing on the FN?

what about sears tower, duffs delivery truck outside and him walking in with a replica of the sears tower... I personally like the model car theme earlier. But to play on your JD tractor idea, you could have it harvesting some corn..

A replica of the buildings/places Illinois is famous for...
Sears Tower
Harpo
That sculpture in MILLENNIUM Park
The sculpure would be a good Idea!!!

The original founders of Improv sketch comedy -- SECOND CITY in Old Town Chicago -- were Jane Curtain, Dan Akroyd, Chevy Chase, The Belushi brothers and so many others got their start

I think this is a great idea!!! These people are superstars!!! You could do the belushi brothers on stage as the blues brothers!!!!

Well, I live in Rockford and wow, it's hard to think of something it's known for that's positive. LOL We have what's called the Rock River, and if Im not mistaken I believe that's how Rockford got it's name. *been a long time since I was in school learning that stuff* LOL
Also, there's this thing in Sinnisippi Park (BEAUTIFUL walking path along the rock river) called The Symbol. It's this hideous orange thing, but people notice it. I dont know if maybe you could somehow put that into your cake. And I think there might be a picture of it on the Rockford website (can't remember the addy, but u can google it). We did just build a bazillion dollar jail which im sure prolly wouldnt make a good cake. LOL Unfortunately, Rockford is not a real great place, and like I said, trying to find something positive about it to put into cake form has my brain hurting. It used to be a big manufacturing town, until everything got sent overseas... hmmmm.. Im gunna hafta brainstorm this a bit more. But I'll be at the Discovery Center, and will DEFINATELY be looking for your cake!!! Alot of the ideas on here are about Chicago, but I believe the theme is supposed to be more of Rockford, than Chicago (we're a good 2 hours from Chicago)
Anyone else going????

I would LOVE to come watch, even if I live in Detroit! It's probably impossible but how on earth does one get to watch something like that?

i too dont know anything about rockford. i did watch the rockford files years ago. ha anyway, i think whatever you come up with, it MUST include his laugh. he has the best laugh ive ever heard. at first i thought of duff on top the sears towers spinning around and laughing. but yall say the sears tower doesnt relate. whatever you do im sure it will be awesome. hope to see pics.

Oh this forum has left me missing home so much!! It makes me proud to be from good 'ol IL with all those great things about it (Thanks for the reminder Doug and everyone else)!! Now I live in Baltimore, home to Duff!! Two of my favorite things mixing together, IL & the master himself!!
Amie, can't wait to see your cake. I'm sure it's going to be great. My only recommendation is to stay away from Chicago themes and stick to Rockford. I lived 3 hrs. away & people would say I'm from Chicago...drove me nuts!! (Not that Chicago isn't fabulous!!) It's just that towns take pride in their own individuality. You'll do great!!!

What about your Waterfront Festival? Carnival rides, river, boats...etc.

OK people, this is my hometown so be nice! How about the Phantom Regiment??? They are from Rockford! If you are any kind of DCI nut (like me) you know they are consistently one of the top 5 DCI corps in the nation and they have very distinctive uniforms!

Ok, I'm SO excited for you!!! If anyone has any ideas on how to get tickets, let me know, I'm only about an hour and a half away!

First, since the theme is Rocking Rockford, Cheap Trick would be an AWESOME idea, because it would be rocking and Rockford. Three of their big hits would be: Surrender, I Want You To Want Me, and The Flame. They also did a cover of Aint That a Shame. But that might be a little too easy and someone else might have the same idea...

Next, I was digging around to find out about Rockford, and it's home to Burpee Museum, the home of Jane, the "world's best specimen of a juvenile T. rex"-- you could have a model of the museum with Jane coming out with a little Duff in her mouth!!!

Finally they have Anderson Japanese Gardens, which could lend itself to something really pretty/cool with gumpaste flowers and statues... Or a combination of all three!!! Cheap Trick running out of the Japanese gardens from Jane the T Rex, with Duff in her mouth!

Also, John Mellencamp is going to be in concert in the area around that time, if you want to go with a Mid-West theme, he's a huge Farm-Aid suppporter, that's where you could work in your John Deere.

Arlo Guthrie is going to be in concert that night, too. You could do a full "Alice's Restaraunt Masacre" theme... protesting the war, littering and jail... sorry, I'm getting a little too obscure now, aren't I?

I think you can get tickets at www.discoverycentermuseum.org He's going to be there first, then having a dinner later that evening. Tickets for both events are I believe $100.
I LOVE the Jane idea! That is a HUGE thing in Rockford.
And another thing I thought of, is Rockford is the home of the Sock Monkey. I remember one ace of cakes where the gang judged an extreme cakes contest, and the sock monkey cake won...
I can NOT wait to see your cake!!!!!
We need to find out who is all going and meet up somewhere!!

How about downtown Chicago with all the skylines and then have running river by putting one of those waterfall machines it. You could put lights through it and evrything. Good Luck.

OMG....how cool is that......and the ideas they are just as cool. Now I have mine. I would go to Rockford and take picture of MAIN buildings or downtown or an area that people would be familiar with. I would build the buildings and streets, BUT the streets would be one of those race tracks the kids pay with, on the cars ( I would look for cars that are open and you could place "people" in them) I would put yourself in one with a cake on the back and Duff in the other with a cake in the back, and his employees on the side lines cheering him on, and your family cheering you on. I don't know how comfortable you are with making figures, but I am sure that you would do well. I just looked at your photos and they were very nice cakes. Make sure that the race track functions and it had things that functioned, like street lights, Glass/see thru elevator on a building things like that, than when he comes by to judge the cake invite him to race and deliver a cake. I am sure that he would get a kick out of the race. I can just see him and Mary Alice racing, that is if you are not by your cake when he comes by. I would make the buildings a little tall/grand and detailed. Also, I am assuming that you are making the cake at home but do you have some "building" time when you get there? I am sure you will so you would be able to set up there so you have time to make all you ideas work. I hope that was of some help and good luck and most important HAVE FUN !!!!!!!

Vicky

I really like the idea of Cheap Trick "Rockin Rockford" or something to do w/the "Rockford Files" w/the Private Eye theme

Also you might could do a Rockford File w/the Halloween theme since rockford files is a private eye show and its so close to halloween.

Also if you did have the Rockford Files you could have the theme song and have it done somehow to start music when you opened a certain thing..like a greeting card does when you open it. Maybe having like Duff as the private eye and his van coming out of a garage and when the garage opens the theme song of Rockford files start playing. and maybe have other lil things that i cant think of.

Oh Man Oh Man!! I am SO excited for you! While reading some of the ideas I came up with expanding on the idea of making the city of Rockford. Then make Duff and his band REALLY big and Rocking the Place! Kind of King Kong big. Have a bunch of people (esp. ace of cakes crew) cheering them on below. Duff would have his bass guitar. Have the bands music playing. If you could get them to move somehow.......beyond me. Anyway I know you'll do great and I wish you the best of Luck!

Sorry! Still learning to post!