Still Standing entertained a full house at Grove Hall

Emily Southwood - On December 6th, Huntingdon’s Grove Hall hosted the live taping of the CBC hit Docu-Reality show, Still Standing. The premise of the fun-spirited series is to profile towns across Canada that have suffered tough times, persevered, and are ‘still standing’. The live-recorded comedy-show aims to garner laughs while also profiling stories of resilience, highlighting local lore, and showcasing interesting characters. The episode on Huntingdon did not disappoint in material, after the crew spent 5 days interviewing locals—many of whom also sat front row at the taping for gentle ribbings from the show’s host, actor and comedian Jonny Harris. Many residents lined up for chilly hours to secure a seat at the performance, which consisted of stand up routines from three head writers on the show to warm up the crowd, as well as the main performance from Jonny Harris. There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments during the taping of the 10th show in the 13-episode run of its 4th season. The spirit of Jonny’s shtick was lighthearted and gently depreciating as he profiled Huntingdon institutions like Grant’s and The Chateau, as well as newer enterprises like Jakers, La Vallée des Travailleurs, and caterer Annie’s. [caption id="attachment_42642" align="alignnone" width="521"] The host Jonny Harris.[/caption] Local talent Jennifer Neal received shout outs and The Valleyfield Bridge suffered more than one ribbing from Jonny as he waxed un-poetic about the unique challenges of Huntingdon living, as well as celebrated the resilient spirit of its residents. A total of $428.30 and 215 kilos of non-perishables were also collected for La Bouffe Additionnelle prior to the taping of the show. The CBC cast and crew signed off by thanking everyone who was involved in the taping, as well as Grove Hall for hosting the entertaining and successful evening. Although the episode’s airing date is yet unknown, it will likely play in late winter. As head writer Fraser Young joked, “The best way not to miss it is to tune your channel to CBC and just leave it on.”