On July 7, the Record published an article about the purchase and refurbishing of a century-old guitar found in a Courtenay thrift store.

Shortly after, Facebook user Kimberley Preston-Stevens commented: 鈥淭his is crazy, I actually donated that guitar!鈥�

In an attempt to unravel the instrument鈥檚 intriguing history, the Record reached out to Preston-Stevens and managed to track its history back to 1936.

鈥淢y earliest recollection of the guitar was when I was in Flin Flon, Manitoba,鈥� says Preston-Stevens鈥檚 aunt Dorene Craig. 鈥淚 remember my mother playing it when I was five.鈥�

Craig, 92, was born in Winnipeg, Man., in 1931. Though she does not know for sure how the instrument first came into the family, she speculates that her father gifted it to her mother.

鈥淢y father was a repair jeweller, and he worked in Winnipeg, Manitoba for several years,鈥� says Craig. 鈥淚 think that he must have bought the guitar from someone in Winnipeg. He always wanted to give gifts to my mother.鈥�

In 1936, when Craig was five years old, the family moved north of the 54th parallel to cold Flin Flon, Man. It鈥檚 there that Craig first remembers hearing her mother play the guitar at the city鈥檚 Pentecostal church.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe my mother ever had any lessons,鈥� says Craig. 鈥淪he just picked it right up and could play by ear. She was just following the music.

鈥淚 remember her playing at church services and when people came over to the house. Everyone would sing as she was playing.鈥�

Craig recalls the sound coming out of the Hilo Hawaiian steel guitar to be a blissful one.

A little less than two decades after moving to Flin Flon, Craig got married and eventually moved to Southern California with her husband in 1955. When she had her daughter in 1961, her parents joined her and left the guitar behind in Manitoba.

It was only after the passing away of Craig鈥檚 mother that the guitar would make its reappearance in the family.

Brian Preston, Craig鈥檚 brother, embarked on a journey to trace back the guitar. After several phone calls and a few plane rides, the brother brought the lap steel to Campbell River.

鈥淗e thought it was a remembrance of his mother,鈥� said Craig. 鈥淓very year I went up to see my him, I would see the guitar. My brother didn鈥檛 know how to play it so he just had it sitting in the living room by the fireplace.鈥�

Five years ago, Brian Preston passed away.

His daughter, Kimberley Preston-Stevens, inherited the guitar and eventually donated the instrument to Courtenay鈥檚 Value Village.

It鈥檚 there that Comox Valley thrifter Jean Sarazzin bought the guitar last winter and called a local business to restore the guitar.

Once Sarazzin collected the restored guitar, he acknowledged that it would be a shame if the acoustic instrument left the Valley without ever being played in front of local music lovers.

Not a guitar player himself, Sarazzin agreed to lend his guitar to local musician Anela Kahiamoe.

Kahiamoe is set to showcase the guitar鈥檚 unique sound on July 27 at Comox鈥檚 Little Red Church. Co-headlining the 7:30 event with Anela will be choir director, jazz performer, and singer Jenn Forsland.

The event is sold out.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 wonderful (the guitar found a new owner),鈥� adds Craig. 鈥淲e鈥檙e glad that somebody managed to fix it up and we鈥檙e happy that it鈥檚 gonna bring joy to some people.鈥�

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