The volunteer trailer at the Airdrie Festival of Lights (AFOL) at Nose Creek Park was broken into on Dec. 10, according to Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis.
“We’re appealing to the public for any information they might have. This is an event put on for the enjoyment of the citizens of Airdrie and that someone would victimize them is not really a good thing,” Curtis said.
According to AFOL Board Member Michelle Pirzek, finding out they had been the target of thieves was very disappointing.
“We received a phone call from a resident to let us know that the front door on our (volunteer) trailer was wide open,” Pirzek said. “I phoned RCMP and asked if they could meet me down there. When you walked in it was mischief damages – the trailer was a mess.”
Pirzek said the culprits took an 18-litre jug of water and emptied it all over the trailer’s counter, the printer and all the electrical plugs.
“They’d stolen our radios. We had 12 to 14 working radios but they also dug into a cupboard and taken our six to eight back-up radios as well,” Pirzek said. “(They also stole) hundreds of bags of (potato) chips and a few flats of water. We found a few cases behind the hill behind the trailer – they’d carried them up there. The chips were designated for an upcoming Santa visit.”
The impact of the loss of the radios has been considerable, according to Pirzek.
“We had a really tough time opening (Dec. 11) as a board,” she said. “It was very devastating and you just look at it and say, ‘we’re tired, why are we bothering,’” she said. “Most of us have been there since the middle of November, going non-stop and you look at (the mischief damage) and wonder, ‘why do we do it?’”
The AFOL was extremely busy on Dec. 11, according to Pirzek, because the CP Holiday Train passed through Nose Creek Park.
“It was insane with the train,” she said. “It immobilized us, too, because my volunteers couldn’t get into the park last night, so I had eight people. On a night like that, if we’d had 18 to 20, we would have been good. Eight with no radios; we just ran all night long.”
Pirzek said the AFOL has received a couple of offers from businesses who are interested in replacing the radios, however, nothing has been confirmed.
The support of the community is the only bright spot, according to Pirzek.
“I’ve had people emailing and calling and texting me, saying they want to come volunteer, this is terrible – the community is really rallying behind us,” she said.
