What happened to the 8 p.m. howl?

Dear Editor,

Every day in the spring, I looked forward to the 8 p.m. howl. Along with so many other people across the US, I’d walk outside at 8 p.m. and join in with neighbors’ exuberant howling. It was cathartic, and it became a routine. The howl honored nurses and doctors on the frontlines, working stoically through the pandemic, and, though I found it ironic that the people who everyone was howling for were often inside a hospital unable to hear the howling, it gave people stuck at home something to do together without needing to go anywhere. Howling became people’s way of saying, “Things might not be okay right now, but we’re getting through.” Hearing the wolf-like revelry erupt across Niwot every night was the daily reminder I needed that I was not alone.

But by the end of July, 8 p.m. has become hauntingly quiet. Most of us are still here and the pandemic continues, so why did we stop howling? I, and I can imagine many others, still need the reminder that across the neighborhood, people are still there, too, howling their way through the sludge of 2020.

Wherever you are, I encourage you to help bring the 8 p.m. howl back, because while so much is unknown right now, it is certain that ending the pandemic will require everyone to do their part and work together.

I hope my new song, “Howl,” can inspire you to keep howling, to honor the frontline workers diligently still working, and as a reminder to yourself and your neighborhood that though the pandemic isn’t over, we are making it through. Find “Howl” by Emma Kieran on streaming platforms, including Spotify

Emma Kieran Schaefer,

Niwot