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SPRINGFIELD - Donna Szaban plays Cat in the Hat at the annual Dr. Seuss birthday bash at the Springfield Museums.

(Photo by Stephanie Barry )

SPRINGFIELD - Accountant by day, Cat in the Hat by ... occasionally.

Donna Szaban, the accountant for the Springfield Museums, was tantamount to a rock star at the annual Dr. Seuss birthday celebration at the Quadrangle on Saturday. The event drew around 1,500 local residents for magic shows, juggling acts, crafting, a Dr. Seuss cake contest and more at the downtown complex.

Szaban has for a half-dozen years or so traded in her spreadsheets for full-out Cat in the Hat gear and make-up. In part, for the love.

"The kids love you; the adults can't help but smile. It's liberating," Szaban said while maneuvering cat-like through the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum.

Szaban said it takes about 20 minutes to get in costume for the Cat, but much longer to suit up for the Grinch, which she also plays for certain events.

Five-year-old Leanna Watson, of Springfield, came away from the event with her family and a recipe for "oobleck," a mythical sticky substance from a Seuss book called "Bartholomew and the Oobleck." The plot focuses on the goo taking over a kingdom.

"I'm going to make this when I get home!" Watson said, as her mother looked on with a dubious smile.

A long line snaked through the Welcome Center for entry to the event, which encompassed the quadrangle's five museums plus the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden.

The cake contest featured three confections in keeping with the Dr. Seuss theme including one from the Springfield Marriott. Visitors cast ballots for which was their favorite.

"I want that to be my birthday cake for next year, mom!" one youngster piped up.

Dr. Seuss was a pen name for Theodore Seuss Geisel, who wrote 46 children's books including "Cat in the Hat," "Green Eggs and Ham," and "The Lorax."

He died in 1991 at age 87 in California. However, the acclaimed author grew up in the Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield and also penned "And to Think I Saw it On Mulberry Street," after the street in this city nearby Classical High School, which he attended. His birthday was March 2, but the museum typically celebrates the milestone on the following weekend.

Most of Geisel's books have a connection to Springfield because his childhood here was key in forming the images that appear in his books, according to Guy McClain, director of the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

Matt Longhi, spokesman for the museums, said the birthday celebration is a flagship event.

"We always hope for a good turnout and we couldn't have been happier this year," Longhi said.