Wanted: Hat thieves, possibly with very large heads.
The Grand Forks Downtown Development Association Saturday reported the theft of its large red Santa Claus hat that had been worn by a giant blue concrete head at Town Square until recently.
"This hat was handmade, by a very generous donor and although we understand the appeal of having a very large Santa hat ... we sure would like it back on our blue guy for all to enjoy," according to a post on the DDA's Facebook page Saturday morning.
DDA Executive Director Stacey Majkrzak said she noticed it missing Friday.
The association has not contacted police about it and are not pursuing it as a criminal case. They are asking whoever took it to bring it back.
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"Just to drop it off in somewhere in the vicinity of the big blue head," Majkrzak said.
The red hat has been on the giant head at Third Street and DeMers Avenue since early November, she said. Three head-shaped planters, about 6 feet tall, are in downtown Grand Forks. The city purchased them from a Chicago nonprofit organization in 2013 for $5,000 and spent $2,800 to ship them here.
The big red-and-white Santa hat was made for the DDA by a relative of the owners of All Seasons Garden Center in Grand Forks, Majkrzak said.
Despite the loss of the hat, the DDA chose a lighthearted approach to the theft, which might have been at the hands of people indulging in the downtown's entertainment options.
"We definitely have people who enjoy themselves," Majkrzak said. "It's unfortunate, but we're having a little bit of fun with it."
