'The word Labatt is missing': Sign stolen from entrance to Labatt Park

The entrance to Labatt Park looks a little different after thieves stole part of the metal sign.

“I see the word Labatt missing,” said Barry Boughner of the London Majors Alumni Association. “It was all attached with the letters and now all we have left is the word 'Park.'”

Screenshots from a neighbour’s surveillance camera across the street on Wilson Avenue show the sign on an angle at 4:08 a.m. Saturday morning. A second photo at 4:20 a.m. shows some people outside the fence, and the sign is gone.

“It was very well anchored,” said Boughner. “The superintendent of parks was just here. He said this would be a big undertaking to take that word Labatt down off that fence.”

The metal sign was heavy, and very secure. It was anchored to the fence with thick metal and large bolts on the back of the sign.

“I'm shocked that something this substantial could have been removed,” said Stephen Harding, who is an original member of ‘Friends of Labatt Park.’

A screenshot from a neighbour’s surveillance camera on Wilson Avenue shows the sign on an angle being removed at 4:08 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2024. (Source: Submitted) A screenshot from a neighbour’s surveillance camera on Wilson Avenue shows the sign gone by 4:20 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2024. (Source: Submitted)

He noticed that metal pieces that secure the sign were on the inside of the fence, and the nut which holds a bolt was on the ground outside.

He believes the sign was first installed around 1990 when the London Tigers played at Labatt Park.

“People use it as a photo opportunity to have their pictures taken under the sign,” said Harding. “This might be a golden opportunity to put ‘World's Oldest Baseball Grounds’ on the fence and make that bold statement. That would be an asset when people are photographed in the tour groups.”

In an email to CTV London, the City of London confirms the sign was stolen on the weekend. They say there was no other damage to the property, and the sign will be replaced as soon as feasible.

Metal pieces, which secured the Labatt Park sign, are on the ground just inside the fence, after the sign was stolen on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

This is not the first time the park has seen a theft.

Harding said copper wiring from the scoreboard has been taken, and tech equipment has been stolen from the media area.

“In reality, it's a pretty easy place to get into,” said Boughner.

He’s disappointed that someone would steal the sign from a place which means so much to so many people.

“This is not only an Ontario historic site or Canadian, but this is a world historic site,” added Boughner. “This is my most favorite place in the whole world.”

The City of London said the theft has been reported to the London Police Service.