For a while it looked like Menlo Park Mayor Kelly Fergusson would walk away from the dunk tank in Fremont Park on Aug. 15 without a single dip in the water.
Then, Robbie Gordan, 11, of Menlo Park stepped up and pitched a softball directly into a lever that unseated the mayor into the water-filled tank. He was the first of three to do it.
The “Dunk the Mayor” cage was a fundraising feature of Menlo Park’s second downtown block party, when the city closed several blocks of Santa Cruz Avenue for pedestrian strolling, dining in the street, musical entertainment and kids fun.
The dunk tanked raised about $1,000 for the Boys & Girls Club by charging adults $100 and kids, $20, for two tries.
When the dunking event was announced, some speculated that Mayor Fergusson’s opponents would line up for the chance to sink the mayor. Instead it was her allies who succeeded in getting her all wet: fellow council member Heyward Robinson struck the lever on his second pitch, as did Earl Shelton of Menlo Park, who was treasurer of Ms. Fergusson’s election campaign in 2004.
The money raised (Councilman John Boyle also took a turn in the tank) will be used to help bridge the gap between what families pay for membership in the Boys & Girls Club — $100 a year — and the $1,500 it actually costs the club to provide services for a child, said Chris Carter of the Boys & Girls Club staff. Mr. Carter served as barker at the dunk tank and spent some time in the dunk chair himself.
