The world is a very different place from what it was just a month ago. COVID-19 has run amok with our social calendars, and the first casualty of the virus was just about every concert and festival planned for the foreseeable future. Not everyone was prepared to take to their isolation in silence. A group of Nova Scotians were determined to have their party, kitchen or no kitchen, and the result has turned into one of the largest celebrations of East Coast music to be found anywhere.
The ULTIMATE ONLINE NOVA SCOTIA KITCHEN PARTY(COVID-19 EDITION) was created on March 19, 2020 by Heather Cameron Thomson, and in the three weeks since the Facebook group has grown to a following of 211,000+ members.
Thomson lives in Rocklin, Nova Scotia with her husband Ryan, her two boys, Liam and Jack, along with her dogs. As a Residential Care worker, Thomson is still required to work throughout the course of the pandemic.
Thomson also works as an event planner with a passion for music. With everyone going into isolation, and many in the music industry finding themselves without work, she rose to the occasion by creating a forum for Nova Scotian musicians to reach out directly to audiences… although an audience of this size wasn’t always what she had in mind.
Now, musicians post their content, often produced in their own homes, directly to the Facebook groups, with dozens of posts made each day.
“I grew up surrounded by music and I am a singer—not professional by any means. I am blessed with a family full of musicians and it has always been a source of happiness for me,” says Thomson.
“I started the group with the intention of bringing a small group of our musician friends together to create a little Facebook distraction. When I was naming the group, although I wanted to distract from the pandemic I also thought it was important to recognize that it is our new reality and that we do still need to pay attention to the severity of what is happening. This is the first virtual Kitchen Party we’ve held. And what a party it has been so far!”
Thomson describes the growth of the Facebook as a huge surprise.
“Its wild! I was thinking we would have a group of maybe a hundred people,” says Thomson. “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine it would take off like it has and be so well received!
“It started to grow just by being shared over Facebook with our friends and family but in the last few days there has been some great news coverage all across the country. That has certainly helped spread the word.
“‘We have an amazing group of moderators and we are working hard to keep the intention of the group intact. With a group this size there are always some things that creep in that have to be dealt with, but it is weeded out pretty quickly and truth be told, 99% of the content is positive and is following the guidelines. Our number one priority is to keep the tone of the group: ‘ light, joyful & musical’.”
Not only has the group attracted the attention of thousands of viewers, they’ve also seen musicians like Classified, Johnny Reid, Jon Landry of The Stanfields, Charlie A’Court and Brett Kissel, all dropping in to post videos or live performances.
Thomson says that she also has a few plans currently in the works to extend the group, and find ways to stay relevant beyond the pandemic.
“[We] hope to keep the group going as long as the content keeps flowing and the interest is there.”
Ultimate Online Nova Scotia Kitchen Party: FACEBOOK