The Candyland kidnapping caper has been solved.
Missing pieces from Perham's Main Street holiday display, missing since Thanksgiving weekend, were found along a township road in rural Vergas.
It was a sharp-eyed Perham middle school student who spotted the gingerbread characters and giant lollipop--dumped in a ditch off County Road 4.
A "Candyland" village was created in downtown Perham for the holiday shopping season, with the theme "Christmas in Candyland." Candy canes, a cabin and a couple dozen other handcrafted, handpainted decorations were created for the display.
"Hey mom! It's the Candyland pieces!" exclaimed Dylan Kruzel, pointing to a heap of colorfully painted plywood. His quick recognition of the pieces was because he had read the articles on the theft in the Enterprise Bulletin and Contact shopper.
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Dylan and his mother, Carmen Kruzel, both of Vergas, were driving on a country road near Vergas Dec. 15 when they made the discovery. It was near the intersection of County Road 4 and 460th St., near the Forest Edge Gallery sign.
Evidently, the pranksters who stole the plywood decorations unloaded the incriminating evidence in a place away from Perham. Other motorists probably didn't notice the pieces sooner because they assumed they were placed there intentionally by the sign's owner as Christmas decorations, speculated Carmen Kruzel.
The decorations were completed and erected in time for Perham's November 23 "Parade of Lights" holiday kick-off.
The Perham Area Chamber of Commerce and its retail committee chose "Christmas in Candyland" as the 2007 holiday theme. It has been a community-wide project, including Perham students, who cut the pieces in wood shop.
A gingerbread guy, gingerbread gal, and a "Candyland" lollipop were discovered missing after the Thanksgiving weekend.
After discovering the missing pieces, downtown Perham merchant Mark "Pa" Lenius, one of the retail committee members, said, "If we pour on the guilt trip, maybe they'll return them."
His plan may have worked. The thieves were probably reluctant to return the incriminating items directly to Perham. But they may well have regretted their Grinch-like behavior, and left the decorations along a roadside where they might be discovered.
