Ardyn Pappenberger, 4, was downcast after a favourite toy car that she liked to ride while visiting Duncan wouldn’t work for her.
The toddler from Lake Cowichan always looked forward to going to the Duncan Showroom on Station Street with her mom Sarah while in the city to ride the Alvin and the Chipmunks car.
But her latest visit to ride in the car on Jan. 17 left her in tears after it was vandalized as thieves broke into the toy’s coin collector.
“We’ve been coming to this car regularly for the past two years because Ardyn always insisted on it when we came to Duncan,” Sarah Pappenberger said.
“It’s so sad. It’s a small thing really, but it means a lot to my daughter. It’s also sad that the theft occurred at lunch time in broad daylight.”
Fil Thompson, who runs a small food service from the Duncan Showroom, said the vandalism and theft occurred before Christmas.
He said not more than $10 worth of loonies was in the car.
“I’m very disappointed that someone would do this,” Thompson said.
“The car has been here forever and all kinds of kids would come here just to ride it. It can be fixed, but the car is so old that parts for it are hard to find. But the search goes on.”
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