“We want cake! We want cake!” screamed the crowd of hundreds gathered at the State Fair Meadowlands for the unveiling of a giant-sized Ferris wheel cake by Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss, on July 2. It was in honor of the 25th anniversary of the fair, which concluded in East Rutherford earlier this month.
The cake had a mini-spinning Ferris wheel with cannolis in the seats, a functioning merry-go-round, depictions of the fair’s popular racing pigs, and fireworks that shot sparks onto the stage when ignited before the roaring crowd.
“I had so many great memories coming to this fair.” – Buddy Valastro
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The unveiling was taped for his show and the episode will air sometime in August or September.
“I had so many great memories coming to this fair…to do this tonight is so special to me,” Valastro told the crowd. He devoted an hour or more to greeting a VIP section and to signing autographs. People began gathering in the early afternoon from as far as Florida to wait six hours for Buddy to arrive and present the cake at 7 p.m.
Arriving on a forklift, surrounded by a heavy security detail that included members of the NJ State Police, the cake weighed 1,000 pounds and measured 10 x 4 feet with a 5-foot moving Ferris wheel. It was ushered in through the crowd before being placed on the stage amidst much fanfare.
The cake itself included miniature representations of fair attractions and food vendors, with doll-sized people depicted walking along side the spinning Ferris wheel.
The fair took place next to the New Meadowlands Stadium and wrapped up on July 11. It attracted approximately 400,000 people over 17 days and included over 50 food vendors and 150 rides.
Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.