Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Theft of Decorations

Louise Edwards’ legendary yard display in downtown Kamloops pillaged by thieves

Oct 17, 2019 | 5:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — Louise Edwards says she’s getting discouraged.

Edwards’ yard at Sixth Avenue and Pine Street is well-known in Kamloops for its extravagant displays celebrating both Halloween and Christmas.

In recent days though, Edwards says thieves have pillaged her Halloween display, taking large inflatable decorations on three separate occasions.

The missing decorations are powered by electric fans 24-hours-a-day.

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“They were all staked down,” an exasperated Edwards told CFJC Today. “It’s not like it was an easy thing to do.”

SCROLL DOWN to see photos of the decorations that were stolen.

Edwards’ displays are legendary in Kamloops, with countless volunteer hours going into setup, and thousands of dollars going into powering them.

“This Halloween, I was trying to get it really nice because I have a new crowd of little ones in the neighbourhood, so those families were all looking forward to having a big display,” said Edwards. “Now when I got half my stuff stolen… well what do I do now?”

Edwards says theft and mischief are rare with her displays. When it does happen, community goodwill can cause the culprits to have second thoughts.

“I had a snowman stolen once at Christmas. That was probably three years ago. [These were] the first blow-ups I’ve ever had stolen,” said Edwards.

CFJC’s Chad Klassen interviewed Louise Edwards about her display in 2018

“I had a wreath stolen years and years ago, and these kids were bragging about stealing it from here, and everybody at this little party made them bring it back here.”

The large inflatable tree, pumpkin and ghost all have fall leaves glued to them, something Edwards says she does to make them uniquely identifiable. She hopes that will help someone track her items down — or help convince the thieves to do the right thing.

“I guess [I want] somebody to realize they stole it and they shouldn’t have, and to bring it back. Sometimes that happens.”

While Edwards is not planning to shut down her exorbitant displays, the thefts have deflated her spirit. Her husband is dealing with the effects of brain cancer, and adding this stress to her efforts to support him is a taxing situation.

“It’s discouraging me this time because of my husband’s cancer situation,” sighed Edwards. “I have enough on my plate now. I don’t need more.”

Image Credit: Louise Edwards

Image Credit: Louise Edwards

Image Credit: Louise Edwards