Marin residents are staying home, but that doesn’t mean the citizens of Mill Valley can’t connect through a nightly community howl.

In a show of support for first responders and health care workers at the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, howls, cheers, hooting and hollering can be heard ringing through city’s streets, hillsides and canyons for five minutes each night at 8 p.m.

“I was just trying to get the community together during a time where a lot of people are experiencing isolation,” said Hugh Kuhn, who started the ritual earlier this week.

Got our neighborhood wild turkeys in for the #SolidarityAt8 in Mill Valley CA tonight! pic.twitter.com/g2jlwmGv6X — Hugh Kuhn (@hughkuhn) March 24, 2020

Kuhn came up with the idea after seeing a social media movement #Solidarityat8. He heard about the Italians who have been singing opera from balconies and the Spanish who have been banging pots and pans.

Kuhn wanted to do something similar, but it had to be uniquely Marin, with the signature of Mill Valley.

“I thought, we have coyotes, and coyotes howl. Sometimes we bark back,” he said. “Then I heard some kids howling the other night, and I thought, ‘Yeah, that could work.'”

#SolidarityAt8 We are IN here in Mill Valley CA! Thank you healthcare workers, hospital security and janitors and staff! pic.twitter.com/2vhC6Or2uo — Hugh Kuhn (@hughkuhn) March 26, 2020

Once Kuhn put out the word on NextDoor and Twitter, he said, “it started taking on a life of its own.”

“This Shelter in Place is tough. We need a release,” he wrote in a Twitter post. “Howl to let others know you are in this with them. How(l) to support our health care workers and first responders. Howl just because it feels good. Howl with your kids before bedtime so they can unwind. Just don’t touch your face!”

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Explaining the California restrictions governing practice for the Pac-12 teams: From a practical standpoint, it’s impractical Some people started singing, playing instruments and cheering — and even wild turkeys have joined in.

“We let our dogs out and they join in. They start barking,” resident Doug Nelson said. “It is really funny. You can hear it all over Mill Valley.”

The nightly ceremony has grabbed the attention of city’s mayor, too.

“During these times, it’s a way that the community is showing support for each other,” Mayor Jim Wickham. “It’s a relief mechanism that is kind of fun.”

Fun is what Kuhn was aiming for, he said.

“It’s about community connectedness, with a little sense of humor,” Kuhn said.

In all seriousness, though, Kuhn said, “the most important thing is keeping our first responders, our health care workers in front of mind while we’re doing this with our neighbors and friends.”