Mystery tape of local kids

An old recording of kids fooling around recording their voices on a tape deck has been restored by a Penticton man, and now he wants to find that family and share the treasure they may not be aware still exists. 

Darren Boyce is a regular Value Village treasure hunter in Penticton. He picked up a vintage tape deck in June, a no-brainer for him as a lover of music and antiques. 

"It was like kismet, it was calling to me," Boyce said, explaining he soon discovered it had a tape still inside. "It looked like it hadn't been played in decades."

Curiosity and a passion for tinkering took over, and after two months of ordering parts online and fixing it up, he got it to start playing again. 

"I didn't think there would be anything interesting on [the reel]," he said, and at first, all he found was a bunch of traditional German music. 

But at the end of one side, there was something that stopped him in his tracks. 

"It was this two-and-a-half minute recording of a couple of kids playing around on the microphone," he said. "And I thought, this is too good to throw out or record over or whatever, this needs to be shared."

The kids start the recording with a news anchor-like introduction, sharing the weather in Penticton and other places. 

"Weather forecast today, a bit cloudy," says one young voice. "Saskatchewan is being drowned, and we're having a lot of fun around here!" 

They then join together in singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep," and continue recording fun snippets from there. 

Boyce decided to digitize it and share it online in the hope that somebody recognizes the voices or the circumstances. 

"There's something very heartwarming about it," he said. "I thought it was too special to let go. Maybe somebody local will be able to identify who was on it."

Boyce says interest on social media has been high so far, but nobody has come forward yet with solid information.

Anyone who might have a tip is welcome to contact him via Facebook, or let Castanet know at [email protected]