MARGATE Lucy the Elephant will be going Back to the Beginning 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 20 as she celebrates her 138th birthday. Raindate is Sunday, July 21.
Lucy, a National Historic Landmark, is asking everyone to Dust off your Delorean, going back 50 years to the time when the Save Lucy Committee rescued her from a certain trash heap to move her to her current home on Decatur Avenue and undertake a 30-year effort to restore her to her former glory. Today she is Absecon Island's most iconic tourist attraction, generating more than 130,000 visits each year.
The party starts at 10 a.m. with a trackless train ride between Decatur Avenue and Cedar Grove Avenue, the same route Lucy took in 1970 when she made her historic move. Stilt-walker Mackie will greet Lucy's friends with a carnival Midway that includes games and food favorites, such as hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, funnel cakes and more.
A 9-hole mini-golf course, giant water slide, kiddie car bubble wash, bungee run and, new this year, the Meltdown, round out the event.
Evelyn Johnson, author of Lucy's official bedtime story, will be on hand to sign copies of her book until 4 p.m. Additionally, local artist Jon Baker will be there until 3 p.m. to autograph his collection of Lucy artworks.
Lucy will blow out the candles on her 138th birthday cake at 3 p.m.
Tours of the giant pachyderm will be held every half-hour.
Commemorative T-shirts marking Lucy's 138th birthday will be available for purchase. Revenue generated will help offset costs of keeping Lucy looking great for the future through a planned capital improvement project that will strip Lucy of her many layers of paint and give her a fresh coat.
To honor the founders of the Save Lucy Committee, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the Gift Shop will be selling commemorative coins for $19.69 (the year the committee was formed). Coins are also available for purchase on the Lucy the Elephant website, www.lucytheelephant.org.
Satellite parking is available at the Margate Police Department parking lot on Benson and Monmouth avenues. A free jitney shuttle will be running every 15 minutes until 8 p.m.
For more information, see lucytheelephant.org.
