BOWLING GREEN, Mo. – Happy Birthday, Champ Clark!

The public is invited to an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday March 17th, complete with ice cream and cake to celebrate the 170th anniversary of Champ Clark’s birthday. It’s also the 100th anniversary of publication of his autobiography, “My Quarter-Century of American Politics.”

There’ll be banners and even a large birthday cake in the yard of the Clark home, Honey Shuck,  which is on the National Register of Historic Places. (It’s named after the locust tree pods found in the yard, some of which are used as decorations near the fireplace). Honey Shuck, 207 East Champ Clark Drive, Bowling Green, Mo.

Clark came within an eyelash of winning the 1912 Democratic presidential nomination at a brokered convention that eventually chose Woodrow Wilson.

In addition to the voluminous standard displays, there will also be items connected with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. Clark, his wife, Genevieve, son Bennett, and daughter Genevieve were strong campaigners for women’s suffrage.