LAC LA BICHE - This winter, Lac La Biche County is going to be front and centre on televisions and streaming services across Canada as the community is featured on a CBC television series.
The award-winning series Still Standing, hosted by Canadian comedian Jonny Harris, will include Lac La Biche in the eighth season, which is set to premiere in January. The show depicts and explores small towns across the country by telling stories of what makes each rural community unique and the residents that make it special, all through a comedic lens.
Those involved in the show have been eager to include Lac La Biche for some time, said Alex Lazarowich, a producer on the show.
“Lac La Biche has been on our radar for a while. Casting this television series can be very difficult because there are lots of logistics involved,” she said. One of the intriguing factors to showcase the community nationally is not only the rich multiculturalism of the small town, but the connections local residents share with one another, said Lazarowich.
“We were really inspired by Lac La Biche’s multiculturalism story. There are so many unique groups of people that live here and they live here harmoniously,” she says, adding, the cast and crew are excited to capture and showcase those details.
Stage show filmed
CBC film crews have been roaming the community capturing content recently for the sixth episode in season eight. While most of the episode will be a surprise to many, last Wednesday wrapping up a week of exploring and capturing what Lac La Biche is all about, the show’s classic stand-up set about the community with Harris was open to a select group of locals. Hosted at Portage College’s McGrane Theatre, Harris picked, prodded and celebrated the community and a handful of residents who were interviewed for the show.
Some of the faces and features that could appear include Lac La Biche Archery Club President Rene Schaub, community matriarch Mysoon Tarrabain, teepee ‘glamping’, the BeaverHill Shell and more, she said.
“People can expect a lot of laughter and a lot of beauty. Being here in the summer with the flat lake it was unbelievable, teepees at Sir Winston Churchill Park, some Lebanese food and maybe some target practice,” said Lazarowich.
Hospitality from locals
While not all the moments captured will make the cut for the roughly 20-minute-long episode, she says Lac La Biche has left a lasting impact.
“It’s a wonderful experience for all the people to come and enjoy having their story shared and the success of their town... I think through the show tonight, we captured a little bit of the heart of that.”
Additionally, the hospitality and support from locals throughout the week helping the crew learn about the community and navigate was special.
“I think what we found—all of us— is the community was so welcoming to our crew and so helpful to all our random requests. We are a large 18-person crew and we ask for a lot of favours and the community really rallied around us and supported us and participated in the way that they could.”
