The comedian is in: Peanuts-inspired stand delivers sidewalk comedy to pandemic-weary Vancouverites

There are all sorts of ways to make the world a brighter place.

For Vancouver resident Tanya Horne, bringing a little cheer to the corner of East 4thAvenue and Nanaimo Streetis her personal contribution. That's whereHorne has operatedher "sit-down" comedy stand since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, weather permitting, Horne dishes out jokesbetween 11:30 a.m.and 1:30 p.m. to people passing by.

"My greatest belief is human beings are wired for connection," said Horne, who was worried in March that people could be housebound a very long time and wanted to find a way to offer some solace.

Horne's outdoor venue resembles a lemonade stand, and shecredits the Peanutscharacter Lucy van Pelt as her inspiration.

In the cartoon, Lucy operates a roadside stand offering psychiatric help. Horne says the cartoon kidcame to her in a dream and instructed her to do the same.

"A lot of people get it," says the comedian with a chuckle.

Using humour to heal is not new for Horne, whois part of a comedy group called Hilarapythat uses comedy to provide therapy.

She crafted the stand with some help from family. While it was originally planned as a "stand-up" comedy stand, it quickly became labelled the "sit-down" stand when Horne realized sitting was a superior idea.

"Standing out here for two hours was just going to be too much so I decided sitting down would be my schtick," she said.

Horne says she has got a lot of positive feedback from her ad-hoc audiences and she has had special requests to open her stand on Saturdays as well.

It's a source of fun for Horne, but also a form of outreach work to connect with the community duringa difficult year, one that has taken its toll on many people's mental health.

Horne said she's lived with her own challenges withanxiety for the past 20 years and, when the pandemic hit, she made the decision to share her resilience with her neighbours and spread good cheer.

"I could eithergo to bed ... feel sorry for myself and be depressed,orI could actually put foot to the pavement and make some traction in the idea of being a mental health advocate," she said.

To hear the complete interview with Tanya Horne on CBC's The Early Edition tap the audio link below: