When members of the Lucknow Kinsmen opened the storage container holding their electrical system on Sunday night, they found that most of it was missing.
“The first three words that came to my mind - ones that I can say on TV - were frustration maddening and disgusted,” said Lucknow Kinsmen member Ken Irwin.
Police estimate as much as $50,000 worth of copper, aluminum, and steel wiring was cut right from the electrical panels on the Graceland property. The Lucknow Kinsmen had just had the wiring installed to power their annual Music in the Fields concert.
The wildly popular music festival attracts nearly 10,000 people to the Bruce County village each August. The community group then distributes proceeds from the concert - with over $1.5 million distributed over the past 16 years to local hospitals, schools, and charities.
“These people are taking away from their community. They’re taking away from the hospitals and the schools and other not for profit organizations that we help out each year. It’s really maddening and frustrating, because we don’t deserve it,” said Music in the Fields volunteer Cheryl Johnston.
It’s the second time since last August that thieves have taken advantage of Music in the Fields.
Thousands of dollars in empties from last year’s show were stolen at the end of the festival, proceeds were supposed to go to local schools.
“When stuff like this happens it just makes you go, ‘Why?’ We’re all volunteers. We have full time jobs. We do this on the side. We put in a lot of hours,” said Johnston.
As upset as the Kinsmen are, Johnston said the show must go on. This year’s Music in the Fields line-up will be announced on Friday. The concert’s many electrical boxes wires and breakers will be replaced - but the cost to repair the damage could mean less money will end up back in the community next year.
“We really don’t know for sure how much it will cost to fix. We’ll tell you when we get the bill from the electricians. So yeah, it’s just it’s disappointing. It’s just really disappointing,” said Irwin.
“This is a small town, and word gets around so I don’t recommend they come back because you know reports have gone to the OPP. This isn’t just some petty little crime, this is a big, big deal. And hopefully karma comes around and the law can do what they can, and they can find out who did this. If anybody has information, they can reach out to us so we can hopefully find out who did this,” said Johnston.
Police are asking people with information on this theft who wish to remain anonymous to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at www.cstip.ca.
