Newfoundland kitchen party breaks out at Toronto airport after flight delayed

CTV National News: Spontaneous party at Pearson Passengers waiting for a delayed flight to Newfoundland took part in a spontaneous party thanks to a pair of musicians. Peter Akman reports.

A man with an accordion and another with a guitar led an impromptu sing-along in the waiting area of Toronto’s Pearson Airport Monday night, where passengers were awaiting a delayed flight to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dozens of witnesses joined the old-fashioned Newfoundlander kitchen party, belting out “Sweet Forget Me Not,” “Grey Foggy Day,” “Aunt Martha’s Sheep” and other folksy classics. Some even got out of their seats and danced to the music, which was performed by Newfoundlanders Sheldon Thornhill and Sean Sullivan.

Michelle Sacrey Philpott, who filmed several minutes of the party, told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview that it was “just Newfoundlanders having fun, enjoying each other’s company.”

“Music. Culture. That’s where our heritage is from,” she said.

Philpott later told NTV in St. John’s that people have been contacting her since she posted the video to say thanks for recording it.

“People have been emailing me saying … I’m homesick, I’m away, and this just reminds me of Newfoundland,” she said.

Thornhill, who can be seen in the footage playing an accordion, said the party was just a “spontaneous decision.”

“We put smiles on their faces,” he said. “That’s what we’re all about. That’s what turns us on.”

With a report from NTV’s Leila Beaudoin