Two signs that welcome visitors to Lahaina have gone missing and have been likely stolen by thieves, reports KITV.
The signs survived the devasting fires that left much of the historic community in Maui in ruins. The iconic wooden landmarks are situated on both ends of Lahaina as visitors enter and exit.
“This just kind of adds more salt to the wound, I feel,” said Lahaina resident Joshua Kahula.
The Lahaina Restoration Assocation posted a message on Instagram asking for help in recovering the markers.
“Sadly, we still have not found these signs after they were taken last October. We have had a few leads, but they have not panned out. Please keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground. These signs are very important to our community, and the cost of replacing them will be great.”
Restoration Foundation director Theo Morrison says he thinks someone stole the signs shortly after the fire.
“They’re just very iconic and very much reflect Lahaina,” he said to Hawaii News Now. “They’ve been well taken care of for all this time. Lots of people, tourists, take pictures in front of them.”
Morrison says the foundation will replace the signs, but prefers not to. As he put it, “It’s not something you can just stick in a drawer and hide.”
He’s confident someone knows where those signs are and can help lead authorities to them.
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