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Fraser Lake laughing and still standing proud!

On Friday evening, April 7, CBC’s Still Standing crew filmed their second episode of season four at Mouse Mountain Elementary school
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CBC Still Standing comedy host Johnny Harris makes a toast

On Friday evening, April 7, CBC’s Still Standing crew filmed their second episode of season four at Mouse Mountain Elementary school in Fraser Lake. This show will be aired in the fall of 2018.

It was a big win for the Village of Fraser Lake having Canadian comedian and television star Johnny Harris and his crew, 15 in all, come stay for the week and put a national spotlight on the community.

Nominated for best television host on CBC’s ‘Still Standing’, Johnny is also well known for his role on the Canadian crime drama ‘Murdoch Mysteries’ as Constable Crabtree. His fun-loving and salt-of-the-earth humour has won the hearts of many Canadians across the country.

It is no surprise that over 300 locals turned up to hear the culmination of the five days the crew spent getting to know Fraser Lake residents. The stand-up comedy routine not only featured Johnny Harris, but also included performances by fellow comedians and co-writers Fraser Young, Steve Dylan and Graham Chittenden.

Together these four comedians gave the audience a night of laughter they won’t soon forget. The show’s memory will endure in hearts long after because not only was it incredibly funny, but it was a very touching tribute as well, a story of endearment the community will treasure.

The ‘Still Standing’ show is “more of a toast than a roast” as Johnny Harris explains. Friday night’s humour very sensitively brought to light the incredible resilience and come-together fortitude that is so clearly demonstrated by Fraser Lake residents. Despite tough times with the mine closing and losing their only grocery store, folks have pulled together and remain proud to call Fraser Lake their home.

For this Canadian comedy act, Harris immerses himself in small towns all across Canada and brings them some comic relief, and likely quite a bit of tourism too.

Harris said he finds he comes to appreciate each town for its uniqueness and everywhere he goes the people have so issue enjoying having a laugh at themselves.

When asked how they came to select Fraser Lake, the producer Dave Kerr said their research team stumbled upon the Fraser Lake Mounty-assisted tradition of “tourist hostage-taking”. The show’s mandate is capturing the story of communities with a population less than 2,000 people and those places that have had “a hard go at it”. So the closure of the Molybdenum mine was certainly a qualifying factor. What they discovered once here was that the most incredible differentiator that sets Fraser Lake apart is not losing a large employer but more significantly the loss of their only grocery store.

The Still Standing crew said they felt it truly remarkable how Village residents rallied and “not only stepped up the plate, but put food on it as well.”