MARGATE – The coolest place to be Saturday, July 20 was standing under Lucy the Elephant. Margate’s giant pachyderm celebrated her 138th birthday with a couple of hundred of her closest friends.
As off-shore temperatures soared above 100 degrees, it was a cool 95 degrees in Margate. But somehow, it seemed much cooler standing in the shade under Lucy, who greeted her 138th birthday with a new lease on life.
Not only was it the National Historic Landmark’s birthday, but also the 50th anniversary of the Save Lucy Committee, which undertook a $1.5 million restoration of the roadside attraction over the last 50 years.
The committee embarked on a new capital campaign to raise the $500,000 needed to give Lucy a new coat of paint by selling commemorative coins in the gift shop.
Children beat the heat with ice cream and birthday cake, and played games and went on blow up rides during the party.
