Sharon and Bram: a farewell on their own terms

Hampson, who is three years old, agrees with a nod.

"We're not going to hit the road like we did years ago," she adds. "We're so old and we do not want to work like that.

So they're closing with a leisurely run of dates across Canada before finishing off the next year round.

Sharon and Bram will play Western Canada throughout November before taking a break until the new year.

Next May, they'll tackle the East Coast, though more concerts will probably be added between now and then.

Four new singles will be released on the next year's parade onward marches. "The Color Song" debuts on Friday and will be followed by two others before the grand finale – a new version of "Skinnamarink" that includes a verse about welcoming diversity, written by Hampson's daughter.

A picture book called "Skinnamarink" closed out the celebration next September.

All this fanfare seems appropriate for a group of children at the heart of the 1980s children's music – a fruitful era when Canadian musicians like Fred Penner as "Sesame Street," and Raffi spun on the record player in many households.

Sharon, Lois and Bram sold more than three million copies of their albums worldwide; They played the White House when Bill Clinton was president and was appointed to the Order of Canada. "The Elephant Show" aired in repeats for years after filming and resurgence in popularity on Nickelodeon.

While most of their fans grew out of their music – leaving the kids' market to a generation of newcomers – the trio continued playing shows across North America.

When Lois Lilienstein left the group after her husband's death in 1998, Sharon and Bram reset themselves as a duo. Their audiences started to evolve as well.

"We see parents and grandparents come along with kids who do not really know us because we're not on television anymore," Morrison says.

"They may know our voices, but they do not know who we are – the parents do."

It's put Sharon and Bram in a unique role as children's entertainers. Their concerts offer a doorway to a simpler time for people who want to leave their mortgage payments and 9-to-5 jobs, if only for a couple hours.

Many also fondly remember Sharon, Lois and Bram as a trio, which technically has not existed for nearly 20 years. Lilienstein appeared on a few TV specials after her exit from show business, but remained largely absent from the group's performances until she died of cancer in 2015.

Her loss sparked a renewed interest in their music and some fans to revisit old albums.

Sharon and Bram do not intend to leave the stage yet they are retired.

They say it's likely a charitable cause will draw them back to a few shows here and there. But they insist this goodbye is not a sale, like Cher's seemingly endless run of farewell shows or Elton John's current three-year international final.

Hampson has other plans in mind.

She wants to spend more time with her grown family; take yoga clbades and travel the world. Morrison says he's dedicated to cooking his way through his family.