by Geoff Fox
Last week, we ran a picture of Hancock the Elf announcing his return to Hancock for the days leading up to Christmas. Some time between the paper going to press and hitting newsstands, Hancock the Elf was stolen.
Hancock had been “visiting” the basketball courts in Widmeyer Park last Monday evening, waiting for people to come see him and getting their picture taken with him.
On Tuesday afternoon, when his friends at Hancock Parks and Recreation went to pick him up to take him to his next location, Hancock wasn’t there.
This is the second grinchy act that has hit Widmeyer Park.
Last month, a vandal cut cords on a Christmas tree the town had placed in the park as a second town Christmas tree and lit when the main tree in Joseph Hancock Park was lit.
There haven’t been any leads in who vandalized the tree, but new lights have been placed on it and the tree has since been moved to the gazebo.
Both the Town of Hancock and Hancock Parks and Recreation have posted on their respective social media accounts about the theft of the elf and comments on those posts have been disbelief and anger.
A post on the Town of Hancock Facebook page last Thursday has security camera pictures of a person wearing a dark blue jacket with a gray lined hood, a light blue hat, jeans, black shows, and glasses or sunglasses carrying Hancock in the Lions Pavilion at Widmeyer Park around 3:30 p.m. on December 12.
Councilman Josh McCusker told town officials about the theft during the December town meeting, which caught people off guard.
“I’m not sure about that whole situation or where we’ll go from there,” McCusker said. “Don’t expect the elf to be out tonight.”
If the elf isn’t found or returned, Town Manager Mike Faith said another elf will be ordered for next year and have ways to make sure if it is taken again, they’ll be able to find it.
Faith wouldn’t go into detail about what those measures would be.
If anyone has any information about the elf’s whereabouts, they are asked to contact call 301-678-5622.
