Can You Help Solve the Case of the Missing Gnome in Derby, Indiana?

"It’s sad that people have no more respect than to take something that doesn’t belong to them."- The Derby Tavern, September 5th, 2021.

If you've ever been to The Derby Tavern in Derby, Indiana, chances are you may have seen them.  There are some gnomes outside of the restaurant that are very popular with customers and very sentimental to the owners, Sandy and Rick Phipps, who took over the tavern in May of this year.  Since their grand opening of the restaurant, there's been one particular gnome that's a local favorite.  That gnome spends his time doing what a lot of us would like to do, right?  He sits in a rocking chair, drinking a beer, enjoying the spirit of The Derby Tavern and all the company that comes by to eat, drink and hang.

Over the weekend, that particular gnome went missing and Sandy made this Facebook post to draw attention to his disappearance and to make her plea to get him back.

It didn't take long for the Derby community to rally around Sandy and the missing gnome. As of this story, the Facebook post has nearly 200 shares and all kinds of dedicated customers of The Derby Tavern have shared their thoughts about what transpired.

And, finally, Robyn Kennedy, who apparently purchased the gnome for Sandy, chimed in, "I’m sorry that happened Sandy, I loved that gnome and knew you would too."  She also shared a photo of the gnome- in a rocking chair, drinking a beer, just as described.

While many dedicated Derby Tavern customers share the sentiment that stealing the gnome was an awful thing to do and owners should release the surveillance footage to identify the alleged culprit, one is trying to be a little more optimistic about the gnome's return.

Melissa Gundrum says, "I hope he comes back with a photo album of the gnome's adventures! It's a thing..."

The Derby Tavern agrees.  They admit, "That would be cool."

Let's just hope the little guy makes it back home.

The Derby Tavern is located at 15364 Old State Road 70 in Derby, Indiana.