Polish the silverware and strike up the band, maestro: Columbus will throw a 200th birthday party to remember.

“200Columbus — The Bicentennial Birthday: A Celebration of the Centuries” is slated for Friday, Feb. 10, at the Battelle Grand in the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St.

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the event, which will feature live entertainment, dancing and artistic food and cocktails using local talent and ingredients. Columbus’ official anniversary date is Feb. 14.

“We want this to be more than a celebration,” said Ty Marsh, chair of the organizing committee. “It’s great to have a birthday celebration; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We want to use the opportunity to serves as a catalyst for greater economic prosperity.”

The event is a fundraiser for 200Columbus. All proceeds go to support the nonprofit group Columbus Bicentennial 2012, whose sole mission is to create interesting, engaging and accessible events throughout the year, said Scott Peacock, public relations manager for Experience Columbus.

The evening begins at 5:45 p.m. for platinum guests, who will pay $520 each for a reception with a five-star dinner featuring local foods and hand-crafted cocktails using products from Columbus-based Watershed Distillery.

Columbus State Community College students in the baking-and-pastry-arts program will design more than 225 feet of specialty cake to be served to guests throughout the night. Students had to design 31 cakes, including such Columbus landmarks as the Ohio Statehouse, LeVeque Tower and Ohio Stadium. Professional bakers from Giant Eagle will bake all of the cakes, including one they designed and the official bicentennial cake.

The cakes will be judged by a 10-person panel that includes faculty and staff from Columbus State, pastry experts from Giant Eagle and an architect.

Seven scholarships, totaling $8,000 for tuition at Columbus State, will be offered to the winners of the following categories: best of show, gold and silver, the latter two having three winners each.

Chef Karen Krimmer, assistant professor of the program at Columbus State, said it’s been a fun, creative and challenging exercise, “because it’s been a very short deadline.”

“I don’t believe anything like this has been done before,” Krimmer said. “Basically, it’s been a crash course in architectural cake-decorating. And that has been the challenge, how to take these aerial photographs and photo images and turn them into edible creations.”

Gold-pass guests, who will pay $125 each for admission, will join the party at 8 p.m. They, too, will be treated to food, drinks, special presentations from Mayor Michael B. Coleman, live music and dancing.

The evening will be capped off with a performance by a Shadowbox Live and its house band, Bill Who? An ensemble of about 15 will take the stage for an hour-long, high-energy classic rock set featuring songs from such bands as the Edgar Winter Group, The Who, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen.

“We are honored to be asked to be part of this,” said Katy Psenicka, director of operations for Shadowbox. “It’s a really big deal for us to be included in something that’s a citywide celebration of the arts community at-large.”

Gold passes will be available up to the time of the event and can be purchased at www.200columbus.com/birthday or at the door.

The celebration precedes a host of activities throughout the week, including:

ã The Bicentennial Artists’ informal from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Cultural Arts Center, 139 W. Main St.

ã Free birthday parties throughout the day Saturday, Feb. 11, at Columbus Metropolitan Library branches.

ã Columbus Family Weekend from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday Feb. 11, and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at COSI, 333 W. Broad St.

For more information on events throughout 2012, go to www.200Columbus.com/birthdayevents.