Johnny McGuire's Deli found itself in a pickle Sunday. Thieves ripped off the artificial bright green pickle from the roof of the sandwich shop's Volkswagen delivery bug the night before and then stuck the giant cucumber on the roof of Aspen High School. The steel and brass pickle -- about 8 feet long and weighing in excess of 200 pounds -- is valued at $18,000, according to Johnny Hoffman, 35, who, with partner Terrance McGuire, 36, also owns delis in Denver and Durango. "What the heck's that on the roof?" Aspen School District Superintendent Tom Farrell said he asked his new vice principal to whom he was giving a tour of the school that morning. "We started laughing. We didn't know what it was." What it was is among Hoffman and McGuire's most prized possessions. Local artist Tim Murray constructed the giant pickle in 1992. "I called the police. I wanted them to seal off the exits in and out of town," Hoffman said. "That pickle has become a big part of our image." In fact, Johnny McGuire's menu reads: "And on the second day God created the pickle! And he ate what he had made. And knew that it was good." How the pickle got to the top of Aspen High School is unknown. "We were trying to figure that out this afternoon. The only thing we can think of is that they scaled the building and used ropes to haul it up there," Farrell said. "I can't imagine any other way for them to have gotten that up there." While the pickle had been perched smack dab on top of the highest point of the massive building for the world to see, school officials moved it several feet back from the ledge to help put an end to the spectacle. The pickle is expected to remain on the school roof until a team can be brought in to safely return it to its rightful owners. A brief examination revealed that no major damage had been done. The Aspen Police Department is investigating the pickle prank, Officer Steve Smith said. Smith said the department has no suspects but it believes it could be connected to the theft of a steering wheel from a historic trolley in town Friday night (see related story). Specialized tools were used in both incidents. "I don't think there's any high school kid around here smart enough to pull this off. It must've been aliens," Hoffman joked. On a more serious note, had the pickle not been found, or if it had been damaged, Hoffman said the pickle likely would not have been covered by his deli's insurance plan. Farrell said he has no clue why someone might have put the pickle on top of the school but if the perpetrators are caught, he said they would be punished. "It could've been very dangerous for one thing," the superintendent said. "This will be a fun mystery to try to solve, won't it?" |