A Ho-Hum mystery: Who took the Bellport beach welcome sign?

The Ho-Hum Beach welcome sign has disappeared, and the reaction has been anything but ho-hum.

Bellport Village Mayor Ray Fell said Wednesday the wooden welcome sign that for years has greeted visitors to the Fire Island beach has been taken.

The mayor said he wasn’t sure when the handmade sign was stolen, but thinks it was removed from high up on the front of the snack bar building sometime last week.

“We’re looking for it,” Fell said.

He said the sign was donated to the beach from residents about a decade ago.

Ho-Hum Beach currently is only officially open on the weekends, but the sign could have been removed at any time, village officials said.

“It’s bolted in the rafter,” Fell said of the sign. “Someone went over there with the purpose of doing it. You needed to have tools” to remove it.

“It was a nice thing to have, so hopefully we find it,” the mayor said.

The popular Atlantic Ocean beach is between Fire Island National Seashore and Smith Point County Park. Beach use is limited to Bellport residents. Admission is free, but residents must pay for a round-trip ferry ride to get to it.

Fell said the sign was part of the beach’s appeal.

“It’s like losing a friend,” he said.

If the sign isn’t found, village officials said they would replace it.

During the summer, about 30 people visit the beach during weekdays. But that number increases to roughly 250 on weekends, village officials said.

Anyone with information about the missing sign is asked to call 631-286-0327.