BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — An important piece of Bakersfield's history has gone missing…again. And now the Kern County Museum is offering a cash reward for details on the location of the iconic Trout's Bar sign.
- The historic Trout's Bar sign has gone missing, prompting a reward for information on its whereabouts.
- The Kern County Museum, now the legal owner of the sign, is spearheading the search.
- The sign was last known to be in Sonora, California, taken by former manager Allan Thomas Rockwell.
- Rockwell, found guilty of elder theft and identity theft, is not cooperating with the investigation.
- A community member has offered $5,000 for information and $10,000 for the sign's return or recovery.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Kern County Museum is offering a reward for details on the location of the historic Trout's Bar sign which has gone missing. According to officials, its last known whereabouts is in the county that's home to parts of Yosemite National Park.
"Those honky-tonks that hard-driving music put Bakersfield on the map in the 1950s and 1960s," said Kern County Museum Executive Director Mike McCoy.
One of the most famous Honky-Tonks in Bakersfield, McCoy says was Trout's Bar. According to him, Trout's Bar opened in the 1940s in Oildale and was known for its iconic neon sign of a large trout.
That sign was originally taken in May 2017 by the location's then manager Allan Thomas Rockwell.
"The sign went from Bakersfield to Sonora, California," said McCoy. "We know where she went, we've done an investigation, but that sign now belongs to the Kern County Museum and the community of Kern County."
According to the museum, Rockwell was found guilty of elder theft and identity theft in February 2022. Rockwell is currently on active probation and is not cooperating with the sign's investigation.
In February 2023, McCoy says the museum obtained legal ownership of the sign.
Now, McCoy says a community member has offered to pay for a private investigator and reward to recover the sign, 5,000 dollars for information on its location, and 10,000 dollars for its return or recovery.
"Recovering the sign would be a real strong positive movement that we have a safe community and we honor our history," stated McCoy.
All information should be shared with Private Investigator Paul Lopez.
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