Latest news with #Helfant
CBS News
11-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Lucy the Elephant hit by federal funding cuts as $500,000 gets pulled from Margate, New Jersey, landmark
A one-of-a-kind New Jersey landmark is the latest to be impacted by cuts to federal funding. Officials who oversee Lucy the Elephant in Margate say $500,000 earmarked for the Jersey shore icon will now not be coming. Richard Helfant, executive director of Lucy the Elephant , says finding out was devastating. "What could mean more than a promise from the federal government of the United States? But apparently that doesn't mean so much anymore," Helfant said. The funding, from congressional-directed spending, was announced by Sen. Cory Booker during an event last August . Helfant says they planned to use it for needed upgrades inside the six-story structure. "The fire suppression system inside her is 50 years old. The air conditioning and heat are over 50 years old. And they're all being held together now with just glue and scotch tape," said Helfant. Money would've also been used to repair plaster walls damaged by water, refinish floors inside Lucy and upgrade the alarm system. The news comes as the federal government has sought to dramatically rein in spending . In a statement to CBS News Philadelphia on Friday, Booker said, "Congressional Republicans, including New Jersey's own, drafted and passed a budget that cut funding for this New Jersey treasure." Booker also pledged to look for ways to make sure Lucy and the staff "have the resources they need to nurture and care for this special landmark." But those who oversee and care for Lucy say they can't dwell on the funding loss for too long. "For us, we're not going to sit back and take it. We've got to find other ways to raise the money because the work has to continue," Helfant said. Officials are also in the process of tearing down the old gift shop that sits next to Lucy and building a brand new welcome center. Helfant says those projects will continue, and the teardown of the old gift shop is slated for later this month. To fill that half-a-million-dollar hole, Helfant says they'll look to state and local grants and even possible fundraisers. And he said the public has already rallied around the news. According to Helfant, in the few hours between their Instagram post and speaking with CBS News Philadelphia just after 1 p.m. Friday, more than $1,000 in donations had poured in. Helfant says it shows just how much Lucy means to so many people across the area. "There are statues and there are museums and there are other historic sites, but there is only one, giant, six-story elephant in the world. And she belongs to all of us in the Delaware Valley," said Helfant.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jersey Shore's Lucy the Elephant is seeing some changes. What to know.
Don't panic if you see a demolition crew near Lucy the Elephant, a beloved landmark of the Jersey Shore. The popular pachyderm in Margate isn't going anywhere. Instead, workers are to raze and replace an outdated gift shop and visitor center next to the tourist attraction. This new building is expected to open at the site by next year's third quarter, said Rich Helfant, executive director of the Save Lucy Committee, a historic preservation group. Shore security: Wildwood plans new safety measures for summer 2025 The replacement "will include a bigger gift shop, ADA-compliant restrooms, new exhibits, and spaces for everyone to learn about Lucy's history," according to the committee's website. That history includes the surprising facts that Lucy, built in 1881, initially stood several blocks away in Margate — and wasn't named Lucy. A Philadelphia real estate developer named James Lafferty commissioned the six-story structure, then called Elephant Bazaar, to draw attention to a largely vacant area between the beach and Atlantic Avenue at Cedar Grove Avenue. A later owner, Sophia Gertzen, dubbed it Lucy the Elephant in 1902, when the building held a short-lived tavern, according to history compiled by members of the committee. The Gertzen family in 1970 donated the elephant, then described as "nearly derelict" and facing demolition, to members of the newly formed committee. The building then was moved several blocks to its current location, a city-owned lot at Atlantic and Decatur avenues. The now-restored elephant was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. With demolition work to begin in April, the committee has moved its gift shop and visitor center operations into a temporary home at a former bank office at Atlantic and Washington avenues. The committee recently purchased the 2,200-square-foot site, which is across the street from Lucy, for an undisclosed price, Helfant said. The commercial space, across the street from Lucy, will be the long-term location for administrative offices, Helfant added. "It will also serve as storage and a warehouse for merchandise being sold in the gift shop. And it will be where our board meets," he said. In the meantime, the committee's website noted, the interim location will sell Lucy mementos, souvenirs and tickets for guided tours through "the only elephant in the world you can walk through and come out alive!" Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@ This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Lucy the Elephant in Margate is to see a new gift shop, visitor center
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gay bars were absent from Atlantic City for more than two decades. ByrdCage changes that.
ATLANTIC CITY — Watch out, A.C., there's a new, gay bar and restaurant in town: Welcome to ByrdCage. Before its first official weekend in business, a crowd of people poured inside the Chelsea neighborhood space for a ceremonious (and, yes, rainbow) ribbon-cutting on Friday, Jan. 24. It marks the first time in more than two decades that Atlantic City is home to a full-service, gay-owned-and-operated gay bar and restaurant space — and at a time when some would argue that a place to call "home" is needed most. Members of the LGBTQ+ community have expressed some concern about the political climate in America under a second Donald Trump administration. More:'We're still here': LGBTQ+ seniors reflect on what pride means to them "Our rights are going to be challenged for the foreseeable future," CEO Richard Helfant said. "Perhaps not since Stonewall has it been more important that this community sticks together and bands together and unifies to tell the world that here love wins all the time," he added in reference to 1969 riots in New York that galvanized the gay community. Helfant is joined in the ByrdCage venture by visionary Jason Tell and COO Giulietta Consalvo, the three business partners having worked to ensure the restaurant and club location is brimming with personality, nods to gay culture and a warm air of acceptance in spite of the frigid January cold waiting just outside. ByrdCage's partners were joined by friends and supporters at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as a collection of dignitaries that included Atlantic City Mayor Marty Smalls Sr., who provided pride flags from the city to be displayed at the venue. Judah Dorrington, Atlantic City's LGBTQ+ liaison and programs and service coordinator, likened the significance of gay bars for the LGBTQ+ community to that of Black churches for the Black community. "We are able to show up at a spot, and we are able to celebrate together, co-commiserate together, plan our strategies together, and we haven't had that in Atlantic City for 20 years," Dorrington said. Members of the Atlantic City Police Department and Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office were also in attendance. The venue was officially recognized by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office as a part of their "Safe Place" program. "You know what is amazing to me," Helfant said during his speech. "Back in 1969 when the Stonewall riots happened, the cops were there beating us up. Today, the Atlantic City police are here protecting us." ByrdCage, which is located at 3426 Atlantic Ave., is a spot to peck at some brunch, to perch at the bar for happy-hour craft cocktails or spread your wings with the nightlife scene. The dual-level venue offers sit-down dining with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, plus a piano lounge. A walk up the rainbow-painted stairs takes you to where the party is, with a second-floor bar and space dedicated for entertainment such as drag shows and other themed events. Beginning Feb. 22, the space is to open for brunch Saturday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Happy hour is 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dinner is to be served daily from 5-9 p.m. Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@ And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
