Nettie Harder and her daughter-in-law Heather Harder have been making an effort to bring more joy to the streets of Queen Charlotte amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The two women are both accordion players — a happy coincidence found out when Heather married into the family.
Together, they formed “The Discordions,” an accordion duet that Heather says allows her to spend quality time with Nettie and has helped the family through some difficult times in life.
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Nettie and Heather spoke to the Observer on Sunday, May 10, when the pair went to the park in Queen Charlotte to play for about an hour, “just to spread good cheer around the neighbourhood.”
“People drive in and they listen from their cars,” Nettie said, adding that they play a mix of gospel music and other choir classics, giving “The Happy Wanderer” as an example.
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Nettie and Heather said they have been trying to play at the park on Sundays after church, when the weather is nice, but Nettie’s solo performances outside Bethel Assembly, where her son Wes is the pastor, occur more regularly.
Passersby can try to catch Nettie playing on the front porch of the church on most days around 7 p.m.
Many Canadians have been stepping outside to make noise at 7 p.m. since March, a movement that started to show appreciation to health-care workers.