Who Knew Sesame Street was in Monroe?

Kevin Lippert and his wife felt "bummed" after they gave their 23-month-old son Reilly a watch.

"He really wanted an Elmo watch," Lippert said of the popular Sesame Street character.

But then Lippert saw the giant red Elmo sign in front of Wolfe Park on Wednesday evening.

"We were going to the pool when I saw the sign in the front," he recalled. "I called my wife and said there was a change of plans."

Lippert and his son Reilly enjoyed their first Character Dinner at Great Hollow Lake, which is offered by the Monroe Parks & Recreation Department every Wednesday.

Families gathered around tables by the park concession stand and ate slices from Country Pizza. A few feet away, children played in a moon bounce.

"Elmo!" "Elmo!" "Elmo!" young voices called out when the furry red character entered the patio. A long line of families waiting for photos with Elmo stretched all the way to the fence by the beach.

Angela Stowell of Easton stood in line with her 2-year-old daughter Katie, who held her two Elmo stuffed animals tightly under each arm.

When asked if Elmo was Katie's favorite character, Stowell said, "Oh yes," with a laugh.

Jennifer Gable, recreation coordinator, said this was the third Character Dinner of the summer. Barney was rained out, but the purple dinosaur's visit has a make up date of Aug. 3.

All Character Dinners are Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Next week will feature Clifford and the Power Puff Girl.

"It's fun for children," Gable said. "It's fun for adults. Next week we'll have a large raffle with educational children's prizes."