SOUTHINGTON -- A Southington man is reaching out to the public after he said his decades old trumpet got stolen right from his car.
Steve LaForge was parked in the lot next to a popular Plantsville trail, Saturday night, while he went across the street to eat at Zingarella Pizzeria.
He said his car was locked but the windows weren't completely closed.
"This area seems like such a nice area so we kind of just went in, we were in a hurry we wanted to eat and get moving to our next destination," LaForge said.
When he returned to his car he said it was ransacked and his trumpet was missing.
"Dude, steal my cell phone, you know steal my GPS, steal whatever but not my pride and joy," he said. "Not my instrument that I use."
He's traveled the world for music, especially during the more than two decades he was a member of St. Peter's Drum Corps. The trumpet has a lot of sentimental value to LaForge--he's been using it for about 30 years.
LaForge got choked up talking about when the group played in Vatican City for Pope John Paul II.
"It's an old instrument and sometimes the old instruments tend to play a little bit nicer," he said. "It's not worth anything to anybody, except me because it's old and beat up."
Since his trumpet was taken Saturday night, he couldn't use it for the gig he was playing, so he had to go home and use another trumpet he bought at a tag sale, which is falling apart.
He says he plans to use this trumpet until someone returns his trusty one, or he finds a replacement.
In the meantime, he has a sign posted near the trail where the trumpet is stolen, in hopes this story will end on a high note. LaForge is offering a $50 reward.
He wants this to be a learning experience for others to not leave valuables in an unattended car.
If you have any information about his missing trumpet you can contact him at: Bluestrumpsteve@gmail.com
