The Current - The couple in their 90s throwing weekly kitchen parties

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

Pauline Nickerson says it would be a miserable world without music. She and her husband Arnold, both in their 90s, host weekly kitchen parties in Nova Scotia, bringing music and joy to a faithful crowd of seniors who never miss a week.

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news, so I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with Season 3 of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy.

On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway, and this is The Current Podcast. They clap when I walk through the door before I even play. My grandfather played the button accordion, my dad played, and they're both gone, so somebody's got to keep it going. For a lot of people in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, music's in the bones. Well, it's just something that comes natural, I guess. A little better with music. You can yodel also. You're getting me in trouble here.

We'll see. They can't believe that I'm doing this at my age. Pauline and Arnold Nickerson have been hosting Thursday night kitchen parties for nearly 15 years. They started when they were almost 80. This is my wife Pauline, my wife of 72 years, and I would do it for 72 more years, wouldn't I? I don't know what kind of a world it would be if there wasn't for music.

Miserable world as far as I'm concerned, because we love music. Their jams are such a hit, they help bring the tiny community hall in Pembroke back to life. Every week it's packed, and almost everyone in the crowd is a senior. I'm 72. My baby brother, it's my baby brother. We visited Pauline and Arnold's kitchen party on a pitch black country night to get a taste of what the music has done, not only for the little hall, but for the faithful crowd who never miss a week.

Starting with a song Arnold wrote, the lyrics are framed and posted on the wall. This just happened to come to me one afternoon and within a few minutes, really. And I put it down and now it's our theme song. So we start our kitchen pottery every week with that song. There's a little hall in Pembroke, not far from Yarmouth Town. Where lots of people gather and love to sing some songs. We're plain old country people just out for a little fun. At our Pembroke Kitchen Party, we welcome everyone.

We welcome everyone. Come to our kitchen party, we'll sing some songs for you. A little bit of country and a little gospel too. We laugh and have a good time and hope that you do too. At a Pembroke

party. It has given me life. I'd be sitting home doing nothing you know and you look around we're all basically the same age. I just love it. I just love it. I'm not very good at it. I've only been at it a short time but since I've got into this it's hooked me big time. I sold my motorcycle and bought a guitar. So there you go.

In this area, I know of six kitchen parties, six of them. And there could be more that I don't know of. Wish there were younger people here, you know, I really do. I love it when I see one come in, but they seldom do, they seldom do. We come and we have fun. I have fun. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have the opportunity to sing and play. I've been singing since I was a little fella.

Learn to sing in church. I feel so bad for people that don't get the opportunity to come and see something like this. It brings me back to the time when I was young. I can remember I loved music so much that my father, he had a little shed out back, and I took my mother's thimble in her room, and I went out in that little shed and I was there playing, thinking I was playing the guitar because I love to play and sing because I couldn't afford it. It was hard times then. The first time I got a check I sent to Sears and bought myself a guitar so I taught myself how to play

and I taught my husband how to play but he picked up a lot more after that. I don't feel my age. I still think I'm young, and I just feel like I'd love to play my guitar again. Grab a guitar. Grab anything and give it a go. I was 72 when I started, and I wish I had started early,

but I'll never be anything but a strummer, but I'm a happy strummer. I'm having a good time. Pauline and Arnold, in my opinion, have saved this hall. This hall would have went down without them. I think they really all enjoy it, don't you Arnold? Yes, yes they do. That's what it's all about. A good time. Something to look forward to in the week.

Pauline and Arnold Nickerson are singing some of the same songs they learned when they started dating about 75 years ago. She's now almost 93. He's 94. Pauline says her doctor credits music and her kitchen party friends for keeping her healthy. She just cooked Thanksgiving dinner for her family at home. And after all these years, Pauline and Arnold have been thinking it may be time to retire from hosting their kitchen parties, but for now, they just can't give it up. When we're laid, he said, where is your faith? Why were you so afraid? When they saw that the sea was smooth and clear,

they said, thank you, God, that's an end in here.