Mysterious Utility Pole Displays Stump Neighbors In Kaysville

KAYSVILLE, Utah – Neighbors wished they only had the answers.

For over a year, somebody has been attaching bicycles to a utility pole at the corner of Fairfield Road and Crestwood Road in displays that have much of the town talking.

“This is the first time they did an actual Christmas theme,” noted neighbor Dale Hofmann.

As of Friday, two poles were ‘decorated’ — one wrapped with a toy mower, dump truck, tricycle and other apparent children’s gifts, and the other with two bicycles painted red.

It’s the big whodunnit in Kaysville. Who has been putting these up for the past year on one of the city’s street corners?! ODD story…TONIGHT @KSL5TV at 10p #KSLTV #Utah pic.twitter.com/eGl4NU29wZ

— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) December 19, 2020

Hofmann and others believed it was the first time two poles were part of the display instead of the typical one.

“Each time it has a bicycle theme to it,” Hofmann said. “I would imagine it irritates the city because the city has to come take it down.”

Some neighbors questioned if the city is even taking down every display, given similar-looking bikes seem to reappear over time.

“It’s just kind of become a tradition of the ‘Kaysville bike pole,’” said Nathan Williams.

Williams said he believed the displays may have some correlation to a Facebook post from Kaysville Police Department on Sept. 17, 2019, that noted several calls about a bike simply chained to the utility pole.

“If not claimed within a week we will book it in as found property,” the post warned.

A post on Oct. 28, 2019, from police said the “situation at Fairfield and Crestwood has officially been resolved.”

“We know this comes as a huge disappointment to the Kaysville citizens due to the multiple calls facilitated,” the post stated. “Since the bike is now in our official custody the Kaysville Fire Department has expressed a willingness to help out with all their free time. So please forward any calls about the now ‘missing bike’ to KFD. We here at KPD understand the scene must be secured first and foremost so hopefully this gives our fellow first responders a chance to take charge!”

Williams said that soon afterward, the displays started appearing and have persisted intermittently through 2020.

“I just think it’s the citizens of Kaysville,” Williams surmised. “If they ever get taken off again, I’m tempted to put my own bike back on there.”

Hofmann suspected teens were responsible and said his wife actually heard the latest display being put up late at night.

He acknowledged, however, he had no idea who was involved.

Police said they were looking into the matter, but referred further comment to an administrator they said was not in the office Friday afternoon.

Some neighbors questioned how legal or safe it was to put up the displays on the utility poles.

“The power company typically doesn’t like anything on their poles,” Hofmann said. “If you have a power outage, then people have to climb over it. It becomes a hazard.”

The mystery, however, was intriguing to him.

“They’re not going to let anyone know who does it,” Hofmann said. “Who it is and why they’d do it — I haven’t got a clue.”