These elephants caught some air!
More than a thousand toy pachyderms parachuted from the sky above Dumbo on Sept. 28 during the second-annual Washington Street block party, which drew hundreds to the picturesque block to watch the mini ‘Dumbos’ gracefully come crashing to the ground, according to an organizer.
“Our second Dumbo Drop was a huge success, delighting thousands young and old,” said Alexandria Sica, who runs the neighborhood business-boosting group the Dumbo Improvement District. “This tradition has staying power.”
Some attendees shelled out $20 a pop ahead of the event to adopt the elephants, which they took home after the festivities, whose proceeds went towards local schools PS 307 and the Dock Street Middle School.
And the lucky few whose toys landed closest to a pre-established target also got to leave with prizes that included $1,000 to spend at area retailers; an original painting by Dumbo-based artist Craig Anthony Miller, who designed the parachutes the elephants floated down in; and six vouchers that granted their recipient free pizza at Old Fulton Street’s Juliana’s Pizza — along with the opportunity to cut the long lines that queue at the typically packed spot.
The block party also featured booths where local eateries hawked their grub, along with performances from PS 307 and Dock Street Middle School students, band Nation Beat, and percussionists in the Fogo Azul drumline, as well as tunes spun by disc jockey Kai Song.
One mom who brought her 8-year-old to the event said her girl enjoyed all the party had to offer, and was thrilled to leave with four new friends after they fell from the sky.
“It was a wonderful event,” said the Dumbo mother, who asked to be quoted anonymously because of her job. “She loved it, loved the art, and getting her elephants.”
