Bucyrus Officials Flummoxed by Signs

In a small city like Bucyrus, many people know each other. There are few secrets.

But there is one subject that has become a growing mystery in the city. What are all those unusual orange and black cloth banners on poles?

"It looks like a rooster to me," said Tori Robinson, tattoo artist at Image in Ink. "It's not like a prison tattoo or gang symbol we know of. I think it's kids being stupid."

The orange banners have black drawings of arrows above an oddly shaped figure resembling some type of squid. The signs, on residential streets including Lucas, Oakwood, and Clark, may have gone up around Halloween.

Robinson and her co-workers have no idea who could have posted them. She thinks it could be a band using a unique kind of publicity. City officials are clueless as to what the signs mean or who they represent.

Bucyrus Police Chief Ken Teets said the department hasn't received anonymous letters or phone calls regarding the signs and what they could mean.

"They've been up for a number of weeks, and we're hoping it's a benign situation," Teets said. "We don't have the authority to take them down unless they have a threatening message. "We just left them up hoping the purpose might come to light."

Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce Director Deb pinion wonders if the signs are a game or a prank. She noticed a sign on Mary Street on Oct. 23 as she walked in the neighborhood with her grandson.

"Once I saw that one, I started noticing other ones," Pinion said. "They're just odd and kind of unnerving. It's not a comfortable thing."

American Electric Power

spokesperson Shelly Clark said no signs are allowed on utility poles and reported that no AEP employee in Bucyrus saw any signs on poles Thursday afternoon.

Chief Teets encourages people with information on the signs to call the police department at 419-562-1006.