Before the constellations reveal themselves on Sunday night, Canadians will sing the Tragically Hip’s Bobcaygeon on their porches in support of staff and residents at Pinecrest Nursing Home.
As of Saturday, 22 residents had died of COVID-19 at the 65-bed nursing home in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. The death toll does not include local artist Jean Pollock, a volunteer at Pinecrest who is believed to have contracted the virus while visiting her husband at the long-term care facility.
The April 5 singalong, which happens at 6 pm, is being organized by Tragically Hip tribute band the Tragically Hits to raise awareness for the Bobcaygeon community and encourage people to donate to a relief fund set up by the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes.
“It’s totally affecting everybody,” the Tragically Hits’ rhythm guitarist Richard Kyle tells NOW.
A Bobcaygeon resident, Kyle wants to support the personal support workers and others affected by COVID-19 in his community. “A lot of those frontline workers are in there doing relatively thankless jobs and now they’re getting sick.”
Kyle was inspired by a singalong initiative coordinated by Montreal comedian Joey Elias, who started the #CourageForCanada hashtag calling on people to sing The Tragically Hip’s Courage on March 26 and Ahead By A Century on April 2.
“That’s what this town needs,” Kyle says, adding his band donated money to the Bobcaygeon relief fund and reached out to the Tragically Hip’s guitarist Paul Langois to get onboard with the cross-country singalong on Sunday. “He’ll be singing on his porch with his family at 6 pm.”
Information on how to join the singalong can be found at the event’s Facebook page. Donations for Bobcaygeon can be made at kawarthafoundation.ca.
As of April 3, Ontario has 3,630 COVID-19 cases and 94 people have died.
