East Sacramento’s welcome sign was stolen from McKinley Park. Will it be replaced?

For nearly 15 years, a custom-designed sign welcomed visitors to East Sacramento.

It’s been missing from McKinley Park for more than a month, and people are wondering what happened to it.

A Sacramento resident recently took to Reddit to ask what happened to the iconic green and white “Welcome to East Sacramento” sign at 601 Alhambra Blvd.

“Anyone know why the sign has been removed?” Reddit user thatoneyosemiteguy wrote in the May 28 post.

The sign was stolen at approximately 3:15 a.m. on April 14, said Officer Cody Tapley, a spokesman with the Sacramento Police Department.

Nine days later, Nick Kufasimes, board vice president of the East Sacramento Community Association, filed a police report and the search to find the sign.

“There’s a lot of pride in that sign,” Kufasimes, a city native, told The Sacramento Bee in a Monday phone interview.

What’s the story behind East Sacramento’s welcome sign?

McKinley Park serves as an outdoor haven for Kufasimes and countless other Sacramento-area residents.

The nearly 32-acre space features a duck pond, playgrounds, tennis courts, a seasonal pool, grills, a rose garden and ample grass for picnics, according to the city’s site.

There’s also a jogging trail, a basketball court and soccer and softball fields.

One of the park’s most recognizable features is the “Welcome to East Sacramento” sign affixed to a low brick wall. It measures 3 feet high and 7 feet wide.

Friends of East Sacramento, a community organization that’s maintained the McKinley Rose Garden for more than a decade, donated the sign to the park in 2011.

Kufasimes said the venture cost the group more than $2,000.

Now a piece of the park that means so much to its residents is missing.

“(The sign) could be in somebody’s backyard or it could be at a scrap yard,” said the 58-year-old Kufasimes, who has lived near McKinley Park all of his life. “You have no idea.”

Who stole the ‘Welcome to East Sacramento’ sign?

It’s unclear.

As of Monday, Tapley said an officer with the Sacramento Police department’s problem-oriented policing team was investigating the missing East Sacramento welcome sign.

It’s considered a felony theft, he added.

Tapley said the officer searched the neighborhood for possible witnesses and cameras that could have captured the moment the sign was taken. Possible travel routes have also been surveyed.

Kufasimes said surveillance videos from businesses across the street from McKinley Park captured a vehicle and hooded individuals stealing the welcome sign.

The officer checks the internet periodically for traces of the sign.

If the case can’t be solved, it could be forwarded to detectives.

When will ‘Welcome to East Sacramento’ sign be replaced?

In a May 30 email, city spokeswoman Gabby Miller declined to answer specific questions about the sign, adding that it wasn’t city property.

This means city officials aren’t going to pay for a replacement, Kufasimes said.

If East Sacramento’s residents want a new sign, it’ll come out of their own pockets.

In partnership with The Friends of East Sacramento, the East Sacramento Community Association is fundraising for a new sign and permanent lighting.

Fundraising efforts began in May and the goal is $5,000, Kufasimes said. Community members hope to raise total of $3,000 for a new sign and another $2,000 for lights.

Once the sign is replaced, it will be anchored to the brick wall to prevent future theft, he added. Before, it was affixed to the wall using a glued metal frame.

This story was originally published June 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.