For those who have tuned into CBC TV over the past few summers, you may have come across Still Standing. This show is a mix of a comedy series and a reality series and features actor and comedian Jonny Harris. (Constable Crabtree on Murdoch Mysteries). Harris travels across Canada to discover the hidden gems in small towns. He takes a heart-warming journey to find humour in the unlikeliest of places. He immerses himself into the town’s culture as well as into the lives of its residents. He unearths tall tales during hisstaybeforehostingastand-upcomedy routine to help draw attention to these small towns. Why am I telling you this? Because Turner Valley is the latest hidden gem to be discovered. The Still Standing team will be in town the third week of November to unearth our tall tales and they will be based out of the library. More importantly, Harris’s one-man stand-up comedy show will be filmed at the Flare & Derrick on Saturday, November 23 with the possibility of overflow seating at the library. Seating is on a first come, first served basis, so be prepared to come early and line up. All information will be posted on our web and Facebook pages, so stayed tuned. We are beyond thrilled to be part of this exciting opportunity which ticks a lot of boxes off some of our bucket lists.
The other closure I wish to remind you about is Monday, November 11. The library will be closed to observe Remembrance Day. For those who are looking for reading material related to Remembrance Day from a Canadian perspective, you need to look no further than local author Susan Raby-Dunne who has several titles on the First World War. The Brooding Soldier and its Creator investigates Frederick Chapman Clemesha, the designer of First World War monument, the Brooding Soldier. Clemesha was not only a talented architect, artist and sculptor, he was also a veteran of the Great War. Susan provides new information and rare or previously unknown photographs. Bonfire – The Chestnut Gentleman is the essential, true story behind the poem, In Flanders Fields, as told by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s horse, Bonfire. With seven years of research behind it and 23 archival photographs, including one never-before published of John McCrae, Bonfire will touch your heart and inject new meaning into the most famous WWI poem and the reason we wear the poppy in November. On the same topic, Susan has also written John McCrae – Beyond Flanders Fields, a non-fiction biography which gives a surprising and intimate look at the complex healer and soldier. Morrison – The Long-Lost Memoir of Canada’s Artillery Commander in the Great War is the unique first-hand blow-by-blow account of an artillery commander who was in virtually every event and WWI battle the Canadian Corps were in, from training in 1914 to occupation and demobilization in 1919. With remarkable recall and detail, and often blackly humorous, Morrison gives us a front-row seat to the tragic world war that shaped the character of Canada.
By the time this goes to print, our Out Loud Series 2019: Stronger. Brighter. Deeper, will have concluded. Thank you to everyone who came and attended our events. It is your participation, laughter and questions that make the series so much fun to produce.
