SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — The Facebook page for Ice Cream World offered a stream of posts advertising custom Fourth of July cakes with red and blue frosting — the usual for this holiday weekend.
Then there was another post that stood out. On a holiday known for people rarin' for hot dogs, it was searching for a hot dog of another sort.
It said: "It's a long shot I know but if anybody's teenager came home last night with this hot dog mirror could you have a heart and bring it back to our shop?"
- Ice Cream World is missing a new art-deco-style hotdog sign
- Kim MacIver, who has owned the shop since 2008, posted on Facebook, making a plea for its safe return — no questions asked
- MacIver said she believes a group of teenagers took it and has CCTV evidence
The restaurant at 3512 Hamilton Blvd., across from Dorney Park, was missing a hot dog-shaped mirror it said was custom-made for the shop just a few months ago to help promote the hot dogs they sell there.
"I have no interest in pressing charges," Ice Cream World owner Kim MacIver said in the post. "I just want it back."
The post was made on July 1, and in less than two days had racked up more than 1,200 shares at the time this article was written, and had seen more than 100 comments.
And before the end of the day, the message apparently gave those who purloined the pup some thoughts to chew on.
In a pickle
Comments on the Facebook post appeared divided. One camp could be identified as "Kids these days," and the other, "How do you know it's kids that took it?"
MacIver said she knows because of the evidence.
"Well, we do have cameras," she said. "But they're more focused, though, on the serving area, and this was in the back of the seating area."
During her detective work, MacIver said she was able to piece together through closed-circuit TV footage the basic look of the people who took it. She just doesn't have their names yet, she said.
"Our cameras show at a distance the seating area, so just based on what we do have, it looks like it was teenagers," MacIver said.
Relishing a return
MacIver conceded she saw the humor in the situation.
"Hopefully we'll solve the mystery," she said with a chuckle.
"It's not right to take something that doesn't belong to you, and it was a fairly expensive wall decoration because we did have it custom-made for our shop. If it could get returned back, there wouldn't be any repercussions for it. We would like to have it back."Kim MacIver, Ice Cream World owner
She said she was, however, serious about her "no questions asked" offer.
"If we could get it returned, there wouldn't be any repercussions," she said. "We would just like to have it back."
The sign was "fairly expensive," MacIver said.
Asked whether she had a message for those who took the sign, MacIver said, "It's not right to take something that doesn't belong to you," and repeated there would be no repercussions, no charges pressed, upon the hot dog sign's safe return.
Mustering a return, apology
The message apparently got to whoever poached the pup.
Just after 2 p.m. Monday, Ice Cream World's Facebook page added a new post: A photo of MacIver holding the sign, which had been returned.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH for doing the right thing!!!!" the post said.
"So sorry for taking your dog."Anonymous apology note left at Ice Cream World
After the new post went up, MacIver, who has owned the shop since 2008, said the shop "got a phone call from an anonymous person who said that they were sorry that their son had taken it, and it was outside the back door."
"I went out there and it was wrapped in a little blanket with an apology," she said.
The apology read, "So sorry for taking your dog."
MacIver expressed her gratitude for its safe return.
"I'm most glad we were able to handle it without calling the police and having the kid charged, or putting any footage out there that would embarrass the kid publicly," she said.
"I'm just glad it was handled where the parent can take care of the child as they see fit, and we got out item back. That makes for a happy ending for me."
