Normally this time of year sports fans would be cheering on the Blue Jays in a new baseball season; hockey fans cheering for their favourite NHL team or Raptors fans making noise for another championship run.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, that kind of cheering has come to a standstill.
However, in North Bay and other parts of the country, residents are taking their cheering outside at 7:30 p.m. They are cheering for new heroes; frontline essential services who are still working while many of us are told to stay home.
Robyn Johnson runs a daycare which has been shut down due to COVID-19.
She has become quite the cheerleader for frontline services. In fact, she has started a new Facebook group called, "North Bay Neighbourhood Cheer." to share her community spirit to celebrate those workers.
It all started with her and her neighbour.
"It was just her and I, just our two driveways. I had my two kids, she had her two kids and we went out there and we cheered and the kids loved it," said Johnson.
She says an online post from the Ontario Nurses Association encouraging residents to go outside at 7:30 p.m. and make some noise in honour of nurses and other frontline workers.
That gave her the inspiration to start the group.
The new Facebook group allows members to share videos or photos of their neighbourhood cheers. Even some city councillors such as Johanne Brousseau and Marcus Tignanelli have taken part in the nightly cheer.
Within a week Johnson says the group has grown to more than 2,000 members.
"We added, we added and it just exploded," said Johnson.
"We can still practice social distancing and we can still do the things that are recommended but we can also still show our support for the grocery store workers, the police, paramedics, doctors, nurses and all the others who are going out there and have to work."
Johnson says essential workers of all kinds have reached to say "thank you."
"They are so grateful for having this help them get through this," she said.
"So many people have thanked us for putting the time and energy into this so we know we are reaching people."
The North Bay Regional Health Centre appreciates the new North Bay Neighbourhood Cheer.
"The COVID-19 response is a community effort," Kim McElroy Manager, Communications & Volunteer Department
"Whether people are working in a health care setting, a cashier or any of the other essential services…our community staying home, practising social distancing and cheering for us keeps us motivated. We are in this together—and by working together we can stay safe and healthy,"
Johnson believes the cheer is a great message for younger North Bayites.
"It is also incredible to allow our kids to get involved. There is a lot of positivity coming from this pandemic and this is such a good example for the kids," she said.
Johnson says the most rewarding thing about the group is seeing how many people have come together for one purpose.
'It is amazing something this crazy and this scary has brought so many people together," she said.
