Volunteers with the Sequim Irrigation Festival aren’t letting a recent theft rain on their parade.

Sometime between the late afternoon of April 2 and the evening of April 3, a thief or thieves, broke into the festival’s float trailer parked in front of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and stole the float’s generator, reports Staff Sgt. Sean Madison with the Sequim Police Department.

“It almost certainly took place at night,” he said.

Madison said the truck was last seen undisturbed around 2 p.m. Wednesday before the theft was reported the next day.

Police report the thief or thieves couldn’t cut the lock so they broke the lever, but it’s unsure with what equipment.

“We don’t have any leads right now, but that hasn’t stopped us before,” Madison said.

Deon Kapetan, the festival’s executive director, said despite the shock of the break-in, volunteers were stepping up to make the drive to the Tacoma Daffodil Parade on Saturday, April 6.

They won the Princess award for “Best Animation.”

Prior to the parade, Kapetan said chamber staff have been great in leading to security cameras being installed and Jarmuth Electric installing new lights.

Since posting online about the break-in Wednesday night, Kapetan said several people have offered to loan or give generators.

“The community has stepped up and asked, ‘What can we do?’” she said.

For now, the festival plans to borrow Jarmuth Electric’s generator for its upcoming parades.

“One of the catches is we have to use a quiet one,” she said. “You can’t sound like you’re at a campground when in a parade.”

Kapetan said the Honda 2000 generator should be distinct if people come across it because they painted it all black to be inconspicuous on the float.

She said unfortunately, the generator is not covered by the insurance on the trailer.

Madison said generators are an item stolen often because almost everyone can have a use for them. He said a burglary last year saw several generators stolen from Coastal Farm & Ranch, but police were able to recover them.

Kapetan said this break-in isn’t an isolated incident as the festival’s van was broken into this January, as well.

An unidentified person broke in with a screwdriver and attempted to start the van and rummaged through its snacks.

“We think it might have been someone trying to get warm,” Kapetan said.

The festival paid $500 for its deductible on what they estimate to be a few thousands dollars in damage.

As for the cost to the trailer, Kapetan said they’re waiting for an assessment.

“We work hard to get sponsorship support and it’s unfortunate that this what we’ll have to use some of it for,” she said.

Prior to January’s and April’s incidents, Kapetan said they haven’t had any incidents in the years the trailer has been parked at the chamber.

The Sequim Irrigation Festival celebrates it 124th year May 3-12 with the theme “Sequim 124 — There’s No Place like Home.” The float features a “Wizard of Oz” theme and can be seen in the Grand Parade on May 11. For more information visit www.irrigationfestival.com.

With tips about the missing generator, call the Sequim Police Department at 360-683-7227.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.

Staff Sgt. Sean Madison with the Sequim Police Department said they are investigating the theft of a generator from the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s trailer this week. The generator helps power the festival’s float, but community members have stepped up to support them, volunteers say. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Despite the float’s generator being stolen last week, royalty and volunteers with the Sequim Irrigation Festival pushed on and won the Princess award for “Best Animation” at the Tacoma Daffodil Parade on April 6. Photo courtesy of Sequim Irrigation Festival