PORT TOWNSEND — The wagon wheel that has topped the Wheel-In Motor Movie office for 68 years has been stolen, its owner has reported.
The wagon wheel disappeared Monday, said Rick Wiley on the Facebook page for the drive-in theater, the only one operating on the North Olympic Peninsula.
“That Wagon Wheel has been the centerpiece of the entrance to the Wheel-In since our opening in 1953.
“The Wagon Wheel is invaluable, as it is not only a part of the Wheel-In but also a part of the family,” reads Wiley’s post.
He is offering a $500 reward and a lifetime pass to the drive-in theater for information leading to the return of the wheel and the arrest of the individuals who stole it.
Jefferson County Sheriff Joe Nole said that a deputy took a statement from Wiley. Deputies had no leads as of Wednesday. He also said that the theatre had no security cameras for investigators to review.
Wiley was not available for comment.
The drive-in originally was set to open at 210 Theatre Road in Port Townsend for its summer season on April 3, but due to the current public health crisis, it likely will not open until sometime in May, according to a message on the theater’s answering machine.