KIRKWOOD, Mo. — At the Kirkwood Farmers Market, Dan Mitchell is busy. He is transforming the market into a pumpkin patch. It’s become an annual tradition.
“There's a lot to do,” said Mitchell, the owner of Summit Produce, the company that occupies most of the market.
Summit Produce is a family business. Mitchell and his sister purchased it from their mother.
“Got the kids working now, nephews, nieces,” he said.
Mitchell always kept one piece of his family history at the market: his dad’s Ford F-150 pickup truck.
“It's one major thing that my dad left behind for us,” he said. “It's a '96. It's got a little rust on it.”
Last weekend, it was stolen. Mitchell had parked it in the back lot of the farmers market. He said the truck was locked and the keys were hidden.
“They could have been scoping us out,” he said. “We don't know.”
Two generators and propane tanks were also stolen. But, the truck holds sentimental value. Mitchell’s dad passed away eight years ago.
“It's very sad for me because every time I get in that truck to drive it, I think about my dad,” he said.
Mitchell recalls one fishing trip he took with his dad. He caught a 17-pound bass.
“I remember riding in the truck down there and it was brand new,” Mitchell said. “I looked forward to having it for a long time.”
Michell said he hopes the truck turns up somewhere or that someone brings it back. He is even offering a $500 reward.
“It just angers us that most of the time they don't even use the vehicle. They just drop it off somewhere,” he said.
Still, Mitchell knows it is a material possession, and he’ll always have his memories.
“I'm grateful we had it as long as we did,” he said.
If you have any information about the truck, you’re asked to call Kirkwood Police.
