Lucy the Elephant.
MARGATE – The Save Lucy Committee, Inc. will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with a special issue commemorative coin that will be available in limited quantities online and in the Lucy the Elephant Gift Shop this summer.
The Save Lucy Committee was formed in 1969 by Ed Carpenter, and late co-founders Sylvia Carpenter and Josephine Harron. It was a grass roots organization that literally saved the iconic and world-renowned Lucy the Elephant from the wrecking ball.
50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin.
This dynamic trio built a small army of volunteers that went door to door to raise the money necessary to move the aged Lucy from Cedar Grove Avenue to her present home overlooking the Decatur Avenue beach.
In 1976, through the efforts of the Carpenters and Harron, Lucy was designated as a National Historic Landmark. In later years, the Carpenters stepped down and Harron led the committee through 30 years of self-funded restoration, until handing over the reins to Lucy’s current Executive Director Richard Helfant in 2000.
To honor the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Save Lucy Committee, the organization is issuing a collectible commemorative coin which is being sold for $19.69 (the year the committee was formed). This handsome coin is available in limited quantities in Lucy’s gift shop and online at www.LucyTheElephant.org.
50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin.
Proceeds from the sale of this coin will go toward the Exterior Surface Restoration Project, which is about to begin. This mammoth project includes stripping Lucy down to her bare metal, treating the surface for rust and repainting her. The project is expected to take two years to complete at a staggering cost in excess of $500,000. All donations made to Lucy are tax deductible.
Lucy is now open every day: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. Her summer schedule begins on June 10: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information about Lucy, who will be celebrating her 138th birthday in July, see www.lucytheelephant.org, or email info@lucytheelephant.org.
