

# Event Details

- **Event Name**: The Frosted Republic – How Illinois Taught America to Celebrate in Cake
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 25 Apr, 2026 at 02:00 pm (-05:00)
- **Event Description**: Cake is more than dessert; it’s a reflection of who we are and how we celebrate. The Frosted Republic traces Illinois’ surprising role in shaping America’s sweet traditions—from Wilton’s early classrooms in Roseland, to Duncan Hines’ Chicago food guides, to Sara Lee’s Downers Grove bakery that made celebration accessible to every freezer aisle. Together, these stories reveal how Illinois became a quiet engine of cultural joy, teaching the nation to express love, resilience, and creativity through buttercream, boxed mixes, and pound cakes.

In this Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Presentation, Chef Lori Parrett leads audiences through this history as both pastry chef and storyteller, blending archival research, lived experience, and visual demonstration. Using slides, vintage imagery, and a few edible artifacts, she invites participants to see cake decorating as both craft and cultural record—evidence of migration, ingenuity, and the art of making do. Warm, interactive, and grounded in Illinois history, "The Frosted Republic" reminds audiences that every piped rose and every slice shared tells a story about who we are and how we celebrate together.

Chef Lori Parrett is an award-winning Chicago baker, retailer, and educator who turns frosting into history lessons and economic independence. As the founder of Cakewalk Chicago, she built an economic hub disguised as a cake decorating supply store—an innovation lab on the South Side that equips home bakers and food entrepreneurs with the tools, training, and strategy to turn skill into income.

A certified Wilton Method Instructor and contributor to the iconic Wilton Yearbook, Lori connects the art of cake decorating to broader conversations about American identity, economic resilience, and cultural tradition. 

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, a gateway site for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, was the 1840s home of Abraham Lincoln’s father and stepmother, Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln. It is located eight miles south of Charleston and 14 miles southeast of Mattoon, Illinois.

This event is produced by Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site and the Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation. For more information about this or other events at the site, call 217-345-1845, email info@lincolnlogcabin.org, or visit www.lincolnlogcabin.org.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/lerna/the-frosted-republic-how-illinois-taught-america-to-celebrate-in-cake/200029538022017
- **Event Categories**: food-drinks, art, business, workshops
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 29

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket URL**: http://facebook.com/200029538022017?utm_source=AllEvents.in&utm_medium=event-discovery-platform&utm_campaign=lerna-events

## Event venue details

- **city**: Lerna
- **state**: IL
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site
- **lat**: 39.37986154878
- **long**: -88.203468806199
- **full address**: Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, 402 S Lincoln Highway Rd,Lerna,IL,United States

## Event Organizer details

- **affiliate_id**: 2
- **organizer**: Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site (https://allevents.in/org/lincoln-log-cabin-state-historic-site/12438122)

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: banner
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/0b56fafebb1c7ff662beb356d2395dc6fa319ded3fdeb2828cff2068ed93ad1a-rimg-w1200-h675-dc344767-gmir?v=1774147424
- **Alt text**: thumbnail
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/5fff660c7f33ba15b03feeb8c36642a1fa6ed2ee2da55148b5ae10cf3d905cb8-rimg-w300-h300-dc344766-gmir?v=1774147424

## FAQs

- **Q**: When is the event happening?
  - **A:** Sat, 25 Apr, 2026 at 02:00 pm (-05:00)
- **Q**: Where is the event happening?
  - **A:** Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, 402 S Lincoln Highway Rd,Lerna,IL,United States
- **Q**: Who is organizing the event?
  - **A:** Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site
- **Q**: What type of event is this?
  - **A:** food-drinks, art, business, workshops
- **Q**: Where can I find ticket details about The Frosted Republic – How Illinois Taught America to Celebrate in Cake ?
  - **A:** You can find ticket details about this event on AllEvents.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
[
    {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Event",
        "name": "The Frosted Republic – How Illinois Taught America to Celebrate in Cake",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/0b56fafebb1c7ff662beb356d2395dc6fa319ded3fdeb2828cff2068ed93ad1a-rimg-w1200-h675-dc344767-gmir?v=1774147424",
        "startDate": "2026-04-25T14:00:00-05:00",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/lerna/the-frosted-republic-how-illinois-taught-america-to-celebrate-in-cake/200029538022017",
        "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site",
            "address": {
                "@type": "PostalAddress",
                "streetAddress": "402 S Lincoln Highway Rd,Lerna,IL,United States",
                "addressLocality": "Lerna",
                "addressRegion": "IL",
                "addressCountry": "US"
            },
            "geo": {
                "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
                "latitude": "39.37986154878",
                "longitude": "-88.203468806199"
            }
        },
        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "Cake is more than dessert; it’s a reflection of who we are and how we celebrate. The Frosted Republic traces Illinois’ surprising role in shaping America’s sweet traditions—from Wilton’s early classrooms in Roseland, to Duncan Hines’ Chicago food guides, to Sara Lee’s Downers Grove bakery that made",
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/lincoln-log-cabin-state-historic-site/12438122",
                "description": "Welcome to the official page of Lincoln Log Cabin SHS, the 1840s farm of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and stepmother of our 16th president Abe!"
            }
        ]
    }
]
```