Things that make you go hmmmm
I am mindful of the fact that we don't live in a perfect world. And I am old enough to know there will always be people around who want to spoil things for everyone else. The scumbags have been with us since the beginning of time. Wouldn't you think that eventually we would run out of people like that?
They make me tired.
Peabody had one such individual (or perhaps several) who went prowling about town on Christmas Eve. In a yard on North Walnut, Scumbag and his pals saw a display of inflatable Christmas decorations — a bunch of them. And guess what? Yup, they slashed all the inflatable holiday decorations in that yard. Boy, what fun that must have been!
That is probably the same bunch that went after inflatables in the 200 block of Sycamore a week earlier. And I'd bet they also trashed a lighted display in the 600 block of Sycamore on New Year's Eve, damaging some of the decorations and stealing others. The Christmas light committee lost extension cords, bulbs, and stakes from their ground displays — all either stolen or vandalized. What's going on in this town?
The Mister and I don't decorate the outside of our house, but we always appreciate the people who do. They do it year after year, often in icky weather, and always at some personal expense. They do it to bring excitement, delight, and joy to those who see it. I am glad they make the effort. I thought this year Peabody had a better showing of lighted houses, yards, and businesses than we have had in awhile. It was good to see people getting into the spirit of the holiday — sharing something of themselves with visitors and fellow community members.
But then some slug crawls out from under whatever rock he calls home and destroys holiday displays so that no one can enjoy them. Nice.
Here is a chance to fight back. Conversation with local businesses and citizens who are more than a bit outraged at the behavior of these vandals has resulted in a reward fund of $500. The donors figure that someone somewhere saw the slugs out on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve or heard them bragging about what they did.
If you have information about the vandalism, you could end up with some cash if your information leads to the arrest and conviction of the scumbags. Your identity will be kept secret — no one but the police officer you talk to will know who you are.
Call the police department at 983-2133 and talk to an officer or leave a message. Or go to the Peabody web site at www.peabodyks.com, click on police, and fill out the form that comes up about reporting a crime. It is as simple as that.
Not only will you get a reward, but also you will know that you have done your part to punish the scumbags. Way to go!
— SUSAN MARSHALL
