HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-02-10, Page 5Wednesday, February 10, 2016 • Huron Expositor 5
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Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Veterans Frank Anderson, Jim Sands and Nigel Dezell sat in the front
row during Harris's comedy set.
Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Huron East's economic development officer Jan Hawley chats with the
crew of Still Standing.
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RICHARD GORDON/Special to the Postmedia Network
Comedian Jonny Harris took centre stage at the Vanastra Community Christian Reformed Church as part of the CBC's Still Standing television show taping.
Putting Vanastra back on the radar
Harris told Postmedia Still Stand-
ing is about communities that
showcase interest and survival.
"Those places that have had their
butts kicked a couple times and
they laugh at adversity" he said.
He said Vanastra was that and
more.
"With the great history, this place
is unique and it really jumped off
the page for us," Harris said.
He said Vanastra is a location of
irony.
"It was cloaked in secrecy and
now they are attracting people by
shouting from the rooftops:"
As a Pouch Cove, NL, native, Har-
ris said he grew up in a small town
where people were comfortable
with each other,
"You could laugh at yourself.
Where you can be proud but not
stuck up," he said.
He said he got the same vibe as
soon as he got to Vanastra.
"And that radar thing, I didn't
know that," Harris said.
He said he loves it where "com-
munity spirit runs strong and where
residents smile through adversity,
making jokes about hard times:'
"This was so much more of a
roast than it was a toast," Hawley
said after hanging out with the crew
all week.
Harris says it is all about the
people.
"People in rural towns impress
me the most," he said, adding vol-
unteerism is always something that
amazes him. "People giving up their
own time to make a difference.
Most communities would not exist
if it were not for volunteers:'
As an example, he referred to
longtime local Dianne Ryan who
went door to door in a community
of less than 700 to get more than
1,500 names on a petition to save
the local pool.
To warm of up the crowd, come-
dian Steve Dylan joked about the
venue.
"Not a lot of comedy shows in a
venue like this," he said, "As if we
are not judged enough, we are
taping a show in a church," he
said.
Fellow Canadian comic Frazer
Young preceded Dylan.
Harris took to the stage saying
he had a lot of ides for Vanastra.
"Some may not be good, but I
do have some ideas," he joked.
Comparing his show to a cross
between stand-up comedy and a
wedding speech, Harris jumped
right in describing his interesting
week.
War veterans Frank Anderson,
who was part of the building crew of
the army base, Jim Sands, who was
part of the team that built the radar,
and Nigel Dezell, who was stationed
in Vanastra during the Cold War, sat
proudly in the front row as Harris
explained what made Vanastra so
unique.
"This was one secret place. These
guys didn't even know what they
were building and even if they could
tell someone, they didn't know. This
radar thing won the war," he said.
He then said the community
should fight to get their aerial sys-
tem back from Clinton. The audi-
ence roared in laughter. Next he
talked about Hawley.
"She is one go getter with a posi-
tive outlook. She is on a mission to
take these old buildings down and
bring people to the area. I think if
she had a long weekend, a few Red
Bulls and a sledge hammer, that
could happen," he said.
The Morgan brothers the Oud
brothers and Kevin Jone's
chicken farm all made for great
material for this comic. After the
show, he spent time signing auto-
graphs for a grateful audience.
Anderson, sporting a huge
smile, told Postmedia he had a
great time and "this young fellow
got all the information correct."
"I can't say enough about CBC
coming here," said Hawley, "This
is shot in the arm for us. We have
been overlooked and now we are
going to be on national televi-
sion. This is so good for the moral
and community spirit has cer-
tainly come to the forefront."
She said she has never been so
proud to be Canadian and an
ambassador for her community.
Before the show she quipped, "I
think it may be standing room
only for Still Standing" - and for
that she was correct.
This segment of Still Standing is
scheduled to air some time this
summer. Still Standing has
received four nominations for the
Canadian screen actors awards
and one nod for best host.
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