If you are a senior citizen living at a nursing or assisted living home in the area, chances are you have been entertained by the Young Oldies.

Founded in 2009, the Young Oldies consists of seniors ranging in ages from 50s to 80s. There are no auditions; anybody who has a love of singing old songs can join. Since their founding, they have performed at senior citizen homes in Austin, Adams, Blooming Prairie, Albert Lea, Faribault and Dexter, to name a few.

On March 15, they will be performing their 900th show, a St. Patrick’s-Day themed concert, at Sacred Heart Care Center in Austin.

Accompanying the singers on the piano is 85-year-old Shirley Cahill.

“I’ve had different music groups in the past,” she said. “You find your friends that are able to do it, want to do it and have fun. It’s been a great pastime for them.”

Although Cahill had experiences with past choirs, the founding of the Young Oldies on March 17, 2009, was a bit of an accident.

“I think I was the reason it started,” said original member Ron McAllister. “Originally I was going to come out and sing with the patients, but [Shirley] thought I was going to sing with her one-on-one.”

“Shirley got together six or seven other people from her other choirs so the program would be covered and they wouldn’t have to listen to me babble,” he added with a laugh.

“I just thought one person is sometimes uncomfortable,” Cahill said. “I didn’t know Ron and I thought maybe he can’t even sing, and what will I do, so I called another guy I went to school with and was a neighbor. He said, ‘Yeah, I can come.’ Then I got two women, and there were four of us.”

After the performance, Cahill began to get calls asking if they could do more shows.

“It was going to be a one time thing,” she said. “Somebody heard us and called me, saying. ‘You were so good, you ought to be doing a group.’ I said, ‘I just got rid of a group. I don’t want anymore groups.’ Then I got a couple more calls and finally, one by one, others wanted to be in it, so I thought we might as well go for it.”

It was not the first time starting a new group was suggested to Cahill. The idea, as was the group’s name, was suggested by a nun.

“There were two nuns that I knew pretty well,” Cahill said. “We were at a service at St. Mark’s and one of them said to me, ‘You’re bored with your life right now.’ I said yes. My daughter had passed away and I was pretty much alone. She said, ‘You’ve got to start another group. Start something with older people. You’re in the nursing home a lot and you see what they need. You could be the Young Oldies.’”

As the news of the group spread, calls for performances increased, generating more interest from senior citizens that wanted to participate. At one point, the group got as large as 21 members.

“We change our program regularly,” Cahill said. “We do things from the holidays and we’ll get a theme and go with that. It’s just all worked out. We’re very lucky.”

“Without any practice,” added member Betty Beckstrand.

“Yeah, we’ve never had one practice, couldn’t you tell?” Cahill asked referring to a rendition of “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” they sang before the interview.

During their busiest years, the Young Oldies performed up to 10 shows a month, sometimes two or three times a day, at 38 different locations. But now, as they get older, they don’t perform as much.

“We don’t go out of town much anymore,” Beckstrand said.

“We have about six places we go right now,” McAllister added, saying they do maybe five or six shows a month now. They receive most of their calls around the holidays.

Through it all, they have never charged for any performance.

“If they give us coffee, we’re happy,” Beckstrand said.

“And a cookie,” added Cahill.

“I think they want cheap entertainment,” McAllister added with a laugh.

Over the years, the Young Oldies who grew up in the area have had the chance to entertain childhood friends living in senior homes.

“The people that are in some of these homes see us and say, ‘I knew her,’ ‘I knew him,’ ‘I didn’t know he could sing,’ ‘Well, she never could sing,’ and I think, ‘Well, they’re signing now,’” Cahill said.

But the most rewarding performances, according to Cahill, are for mentally challenged adults.

“One of the things that I’ve enjoyed is a program for mentally challenged adults at St. Olaf,” she said. “We would do that once every year. It is so special and so heart-warming to see these people. The funnier the music, the more peppery the music, they dance, they jump, they just love it when we come.”

They also especially enjoy playing for elderly adults with memory challenges.

“That is so emotional and so rewarding,” Cahill said. “They just love it.”

“Music is the last thing they forget,” Beckstrand added.

But it’s clear that the Young Oldies intend to keep going while they can.

“I just can’t say enough about this group,” Cahill said. “I keep thinking it’s time to quit and slow down, so I did slow down for a few months and my family said, ‘You’re getting crabby. Go back to the group.’ I get crabby with them too.”

“But we don’t pay any attention to her,” Beckstrand added with a laugh.

And of course, the seniors love the performances.

“I live in assisted living, and when they find out, the Oldies are singing they make an effort to come out,” Cahill said. “They love the music because it’s old and it’s low key.”

“It’s been an exciting trip and we’re just happy we can do it,” she added.