Just Kids
It was 1986 while we were living in Adjala Township north of Toronto that we attended a small church called Adjala United Church. Vivian Aitken started a group called Just Kids. Amy and Jody, our two kids and many of their friends were part of this amazing group. Vivian took a bunch of kids with limited, if any stage experience and coached them in singing, dancing and acting. I managed to film or “video” most if not all of the performances of the Just Kids group.
The performances that I have on video are:
- June 14 1986, The Premiere Performance at Adjala United Church <CLICK HERE>
- June 29 1986, Just Kids at Hockley United Church (Command Performance) <CLICK HERE>
- Christmas 1986 (Can’t find it – If you have a copy – email me at chris@canetech.com)
- February 1987 – Adjala Central School – Tribute to Vivian Aitken – <CLICK HERE>
Vivian Aitken passed away suddenly in February of 1987. This moment will live in the minds of these youngsters for many years. Amy and Jody were 12 and 10 at the time and the others in the group ranged in age from perhaps 5 to 14 or so. Just Kids attempted to keep going with a couple of other coaches but none of the new coaches could hold a candle to Vivian who managed to simply get the best out of the kids.
Here’s a sketch of the Adjala United Church