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{\an8} Here we are
in Acton, Ontario!
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{\an8}[cheering & applauding]
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{\an8}It’s a beautiful southern
Ontario town with
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a brilliant location,
just northwest of
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the greater Toronto area.
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But, Acton will always
have that smalltown charm.
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While Toronto is
growing just over there,
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Acton is protected from
urban sprawl
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by a major Ontario
conservation area.
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In fact, due to my
achievements in taekwondo,
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Acton can say the same thing
that my family
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and loved ones can...
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They are protected
by a Green Belt.
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[laughing]
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When you grow up in a
small town in Newfoundland,
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you see that people have
a sense of humour
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about hard times.
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Check, check.
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I turned that into a
career and hit the road.
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[Announcer]
Mr. Jonny Harris!
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Now I’m on a mission to find
the funny in the places
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you’d least expect it,
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Canada’s struggling
small towns.
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Towns that are
against the ropes,
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but hanging in there...
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still laughing in the
face of adversity.
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This is Acton,
Ontario.
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♪
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♪
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[cheering & applauding]
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For over 100 years,
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Acton was home to the
Beardmore Tannery,
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which began making
leather in 1865.
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At its peak,
the tannery was over
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a million square feet
in size.
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It was the biggest leather
tannery in the British Empire.
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And Acton became known
as "Leathertown."
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[cheering & applauding]
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Although, another town lays
claim to that nickname now,
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Boca Raton,
Florida...
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-[laughing]
-For different reasons.
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Although, if you
think about it,
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excessive tanning
is still part of it.
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[laughing]
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♪
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♪
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To learn the legend of
Leathertown, I managed to...
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"per-suede" a former
Acton mayor to tell me
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tales of the tannery.
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I had a chat with
Rick Bonnette.
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[cheering & applauding]
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Rick told me the Beardmore
Tannery was so big,
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in its heyday, it employed
something like 2,000 people.
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Rick: It did a lot
of good in the town.
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Fed a lot of families.
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And later on, when I
was growing up as a boy,
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it put a lot of people
through college
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and university.
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Jonny: Rick told me the cow
hides arrived by train
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in nasty condition.
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Rick: They used to
bring in the hides...
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and they would be raw.
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It would give an
awful smell sometimes.
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Jonny: Rick told me it was the
smell of guts and blood.
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Rick: You know, they’d
come as far as Argentina.
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It would be pretty
rancid, just imagine.
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Jonny: They were
salted for transport,
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but they were still covered
in fat and tendons
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and blood and hair...
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Which surprised me,
I thought,
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especially the ones
coming from Argentina,
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they could have stopped
at Brazil to get
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their hair removed,
surely.
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[laughing]
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Eventually, however,
the heyday ended
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and the Beardmore
Tannery closed down.
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Rick: The tannery
shut down in ’86,
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and that just sent shockwaves
through the community.
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Jonny: There’s a
lot of reasons,
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including an economic
recession in the 1980s.
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Families had to trim the
fat and tighten their belts,
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which usually in this town
is a good thing, but...
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[laughing]
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And even leather
manufacturers were trying to
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use less leather, and
sometimes they would
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cut back by
cutting backsides.
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And of course, this led to
the advent and
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popularity of
assless chaps.
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[laughing]
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Rick: A couple business
people that were also
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in the leather industry
bought this building.
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Businessmen bought the
old tannery building
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that the tannery used
to store
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the old hides.
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And they called it,
The Olde Hide House.
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Rick: They ended up
selling retail clothes.
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You name it, leather items,
coats, purses, shoes,
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bomber jackets,
everything.
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Plus they had a restaurant,
Jack Tanner’s,
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because they wanted to
make it a destination.
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Jonny: Right.
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They also came up with
an ad campaign
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that is known all over
Ontario and beyond.
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I’m sure you know it.
It goes...
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Crowd: It’s worth
the drive to Acton!
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Jonny: "It’s worth
the drive to Acton."
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[cheering & applauding]
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"It’s the worth the drive
to Acton," is right up there
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with some of the classics
like the old Wendy’s,
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"Where’s the beef?"
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Which ironically you might
ask if you saw a cow hide.
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[laughing]
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Not only was it catchy,
it worked.
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Rick: They would get
300,000 visitors a year.
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Jonny: Rick said when
The Olde Hide House
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had a big sale,
the streets were jammed.
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Rick: People couldn’t
get out of their,
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they couldn’t get
out their driveways.
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Jonny: People from Acton
had to consider
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where they were going,
and think,
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is it worth the
walk from Acton?
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[laughing]
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But The Olde Hide House
also suffered economic woes.
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Free trade made
leather cheaper.
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Rick: The fake leathers,
and they come in at
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a cheaper price,
and you know,
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things like that.
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Alternative leathers
were even cheaper.
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Not that they were
nearly as good quality.
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Remember pleather?
Terrible stuff.
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Remember the mouth zipper
would just rip out?
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Did you ever have
one of those-
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[laughing]
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The only thing pleather is
good for is a safe word.
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[laughing]
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Rick: Ended up getting
new ownership and...
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they didn’t advertise
like they used to.
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Jonny: By the time The Olde
Hide House closed down,
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just in January of 2025,
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you could tell by the
few ads they did run
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that things weren’t
going as well.
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I think at first
they changed it to,
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"It’s worth the drive to
Acton, not counting gas."
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[laughing]
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And then I think the
very last one was,
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"Leather: if it’s all you got,
you can eat it."
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[laughing]
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[applauding]
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♪
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[laughing]
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♪
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Jonny: But Acton is far
from eating its boots.
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There’s been a series of
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small business
successes here,
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and I met with an Acton
entrepreneur who knows
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a thing or two about
freezing her assets.
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[laughing]
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From 70 Below Treats,
Courtney Stanley.
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[cheering & applauding]
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For someone who has no
idea about it, just like,
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what is freeze drying?
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Courtney: So it uses a
scientific freezer to remove
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all the water content
from the food.
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Jonny: Now, the store’s
called 70 below because
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that’s the temperature you
need to freeze dry food at.
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Freeze drying
removes the moisture,
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and it can intensify
the flavour.
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♪
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Then I got to taste
all this stuff.
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We had bananas,
and strawberries,
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and cheesecake.
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I gotta try the ice cream.
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Courtney: It just
does not melt, yeah.
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Jonny: Ice cream sandwiches
that of course don’t melt
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at room temperature.
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That’s delicious!
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Courtney: In the
proper packaging,
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these foods can
last 25 years.
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Jonny: Now, I have to take
her word for it ’cause
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I bought a few bags
while I was there
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and they didn’t make it
to the hotel.
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[laughing]
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Courtney: My husband and I,
we moved in here in 2020.
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During the uncertainty
of the pandemic
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when a lot of people
thought we were crazy.
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Jonny: However, the pandemic
was also a time of
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eating candy and
watching TikTok.
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[laughing]
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Courtney: A big thing on
TikTok is the ASMR videos,
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the people making sounds,
and the food’s very crunchy.
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Jonny: This is gonna be
my homemade ASMR video.
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[crunching]
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Mm, the crunchiness.
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Courtney said one day
her phone blew up.
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It was her friends
calling her to tell her
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that 70 Below
had gone viral.
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Courtney: And I’m like,
wow, that’s amazing.
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And then we went to bed,
and we woke up to
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our online store
completely sold out.
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Jonny: Freeze-dried foods
are becoming a hot commodity.
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[laughing]
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Courtney: So, we do have like
a little secret community
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of preppers in
the Halton Hills.
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Jonny: She said a lot of
her clients are preppers.
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Doomsday preppers.
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But I think it’s got to suck
for the kids of
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doomsday preppers.
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For most of us, it was like,
"No, no, no, no.
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No candy ’til
after dinner."
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For them, it’s like,
"No, no no.
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No candy ’til after
the apocalypse."
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[laughing]
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But it’s a nice
entrepreneurial
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success story
here in Acton.
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She now employs
seven teenagers.
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Courtney: For me, the
teens just make it so fun.
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Like, they sing,
they dance.
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They’re just fun
to work with.
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Jonny: And yes, they are
allowed and even
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expected to
sample the goods.
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This has got to be a
very different first
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job experience than
back in the day
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at Beardmore Tannery.
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[laughing]
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These kids are like, "Oh,
let’s make a TikTok video of
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ice cream bars melting
on our tongues."
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Over at Beardmore, it was
hides and maggots
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and vats of acid.
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If you licked your finger,
you were dead.
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[laughing]
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And the blueberries,
the blueberries were small.
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I asked her if they shrank
during the freeze-drying.
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Courtney: They do naturally
come that small because
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they’re wild
Canadian blueberries.
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Jonny: I said, "From
Oxford, Nova Scotia,
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the blueberry
capital of Canada?"
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She said, "Yes!"
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And we all know those are
the most flavorful-est,
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most nutrition-full
blueberries
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that ever existed...
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and naturally are small,
so it’s not the freeze drying.
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You think 70 below,
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that’s cold enough to
shrink your berries.
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[laughing]
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And all these things were
very delicious, except for...
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Courtney: There’s some
chicken hearts.
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Jonny: So that’s
a chicken heart?
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Courtney: Once
we were approved,
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that’s when we went into
all the fruits
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and desserts and stuff.
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Jonny: I knew it was
a chicken heart.
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I did not know
it was a dog treat.
253
00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:21,950
[laughing]
254
00:10:22,050 --> 00:10:24,820
And I realized I was a
beat behind the conversation
255
00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:27,060
when I started eating it,
and she says to me....
256
00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:28,730
Courtney: It’s human grade.
257
00:10:28,830 --> 00:10:31,770
You should have waited
’til I told you that.
258
00:10:31,860 --> 00:10:33,730
Jonny: And then my heart
skipped a beat.
259
00:10:33,830 --> 00:10:35,300
[laughing]
260
00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:36,600
Sorry, so this is
a pet treat?
261
00:10:36,700 --> 00:10:38,670
Courtney: It is a pet treat.
Jonny: That’s nasty.
262
00:10:38,770 --> 00:10:40,040
[laughing] That’s a-
263
00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:42,780
Save that one
for Fido.
264
00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:44,720
I was confused there
for a second.
265
00:10:44,810 --> 00:10:46,580
And...
266
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:48,050
the chicken heart,
let’s just say
267
00:10:48,150 --> 00:10:49,550
my body rejected it.
268
00:10:49,650 --> 00:10:52,350
[laughing & applauding]
269
00:10:58,420 --> 00:11:02,490
♪
270
00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:04,340
Jonny: Next, I got to do a
very interesting thing
271
00:11:04,430 --> 00:11:05,560
here in Acton.
272
00:11:05,670 --> 00:11:08,040
When I first heard I would
get to use a turtle launcher
273
00:11:08,130 --> 00:11:09,500
on Fairy Lake,
274
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,770
I assumed I was
rescuing Princess Peach.
275
00:11:11,870 --> 00:11:13,640
[laughing]
276
00:11:13,740 --> 00:11:15,910
But instead, I had a
conversation about
277
00:11:16,010 --> 00:11:18,580
turtle conservation
with Acton’s own,
278
00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:22,680
Peter Duncanson and
Louisa Lamberink-Van Wijk.
279
00:11:22,780 --> 00:11:24,820
[cheering & applauding]
280
00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,760
Peter and Louisa are members
of a volunteer group
281
00:11:27,850 --> 00:11:31,020
called the Halton Hills
Turtle Guardians,
282
00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:33,690
rescuing turtles who are
trying to cross the road.
283
00:11:33,790 --> 00:11:35,690
Louisa: It’s important that
we’re in a small town
284
00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:36,770
and we’re well known,
285
00:11:36,860 --> 00:11:39,360
and we have a hotline now
so people call that,
286
00:11:39,470 --> 00:11:41,970
and it really helps us
to respond very quickly.
287
00:11:42,070 --> 00:11:43,570
Jonny: They’ve got
a hotline.
288
00:11:43,670 --> 00:11:45,140
Peter said by the time
they get there,
289
00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:46,980
there’s usually a
crowd of people
290
00:11:47,070 --> 00:11:48,670
all gathered
around the turtle.
291
00:11:48,770 --> 00:11:50,810
Peter: And they show
their innovative side.
292
00:11:50,910 --> 00:11:54,650
They have all kinds of
floor mats and carpets.
293
00:11:54,750 --> 00:11:56,420
Jonny: He said one time
he saw a person
294
00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,460
lay a trail of
sliced carrot.
295
00:11:59,550 --> 00:12:01,790
But I think that’s great
that people in Acton
296
00:12:01,890 --> 00:12:04,090
are asking the right
questions, at least.
297
00:12:04,190 --> 00:12:06,030
They’re saying, "How can
I make sure
298
00:12:06,130 --> 00:12:08,630
this animal crosses
the road safely?"
299
00:12:08,730 --> 00:12:11,430
It’s not like the comedy
world where we just wait for
300
00:12:11,530 --> 00:12:14,470
the animal to cross and
then cynically ask why.
301
00:12:14,570 --> 00:12:16,170
[laughing]
302
00:12:16,270 --> 00:12:17,970
Why does the turtle
cross the road?
303
00:12:18,070 --> 00:12:18,970
[laughing]
304
00:12:19,070 --> 00:12:20,040
Louisa: They travel
early in the spring.
305
00:12:20,140 --> 00:12:22,540
They go from where they
hibernated to where
306
00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:23,770
they want to
spend the summer.
307
00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:25,780
And the more roads,
the more crossing
308
00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:27,680
of roads they have to do
to get there.
309
00:12:27,780 --> 00:12:29,480
So, they get in trouble.
310
00:12:29,580 --> 00:12:32,150
They told me that people are
often scared of the turtles
311
00:12:32,250 --> 00:12:33,450
’cause most of the time
around here
312
00:12:33,550 --> 00:12:34,650
it’s snapping turtles.
313
00:12:34,750 --> 00:12:36,120
Ah!
[laughing]
314
00:12:36,220 --> 00:12:37,990
They said the danger
of these animals
315
00:12:38,090 --> 00:12:39,630
is greatly exaggerated.
316
00:12:39,730 --> 00:12:41,630
Louisa: And that is their
only defense mechanism.
317
00:12:41,730 --> 00:12:42,900
It can’t run away.
318
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,840
Peter: And snapping turtles
can’t pull into their shells
319
00:12:44,930 --> 00:12:46,970
’cause their shells are very
small for their body size.
320
00:12:47,070 --> 00:12:48,740
Jonny: I found out
snapping turtles snap
321
00:12:48,830 --> 00:12:50,200
because they can’t turtle.
322
00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:51,970
I thought that was
the whole gig.
323
00:12:52,070 --> 00:12:56,110
Nor can they defend
themselves verbally, so...
324
00:12:56,210 --> 00:12:59,010
[laughing]
325
00:12:59,110 --> 00:13:01,710
A snapping turtle will snap
because it cannot
326
00:13:01,810 --> 00:13:03,710
snap back with
a witty retort.
327
00:13:03,820 --> 00:13:05,960
[laughing]
328
00:13:06,050 --> 00:13:07,720
They told me sometimes
they’ll get a call from
329
00:13:07,820 --> 00:13:10,790
somebody who has found a
turtle nest where a predator
330
00:13:10,890 --> 00:13:12,730
has gotten at the eggs.
331
00:13:12,830 --> 00:13:15,470
Peter: Raccoons,
skunks, possum...
332
00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:17,200
dig up the turtle eggs
and eat them.
333
00:13:17,300 --> 00:13:19,840
Jonny: But I also wonder
if maybe these animals
334
00:13:19,930 --> 00:13:23,470
resent the turtles because
people make such a fuss
335
00:13:23,570 --> 00:13:25,610
about helping them
across the road.
336
00:13:25,700 --> 00:13:27,900
Like you gotta think
a raccoon. He’s like,
337
00:13:28,010 --> 00:13:30,210
"Oh my god, half of my
cousins are roadkill."
338
00:13:30,310 --> 00:13:32,150
[laughing]
339
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,080
"They’re rolling out the
red carpet car mat
340
00:13:35,180 --> 00:13:36,750
for this turtle?"
341
00:13:36,850 --> 00:13:38,850
"Is that guy cutting up
a carrot?"
342
00:13:38,950 --> 00:13:41,090
[laughing]
343
00:13:41,190 --> 00:13:43,860
But what the Guardians do is
they’ll take these eggs
344
00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:46,730
that haven’t hatched and
they have incubators.
345
00:13:46,830 --> 00:13:48,130
They’ll incubate them.
346
00:13:48,230 --> 00:13:49,970
Whoa, he’s like...
staring contest.
347
00:13:50,060 --> 00:13:51,500
Peter: He’s giving you
the evil eyes.
348
00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:52,840
Jonny: Yeah,
he really is.
349
00:13:52,930 --> 00:13:55,670
And then they’ll bring the
hatchlings back to
350
00:13:55,770 --> 00:13:58,510
their original habitat
and set them free.
351
00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,240
♪
352
00:14:02,340 --> 00:14:04,580
But I got to join in
with bringing
353
00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:06,020
these hatchlings back.
354
00:14:06,110 --> 00:14:07,610
We went out in the canoe,
355
00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:10,650
beautiful afternoon
on Fairy Lake.
356
00:14:10,750 --> 00:14:12,190
Peter: So we like to
put them in areas where
357
00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,280
there’s the aquatic plants,
the lily pads.
358
00:14:14,390 --> 00:14:16,190
Louisa: So we have a
spot picked out for them.
359
00:14:16,290 --> 00:14:18,530
Jonny: There’s a thing
called the turtle launcher,
360
00:14:18,620 --> 00:14:21,660
which I thought it was
gonna be like, you know,
361
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:23,300
you take a turtle and
you’d be like, all right,
362
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,800
fire in the hole.
[mimics explosion] "Bsh!"
363
00:14:25,900 --> 00:14:27,770
-[laughing]
-But, it’s not.
364
00:14:27,870 --> 00:14:30,110
It’s like a fishing rod with
a cup from a Nutra Bullet
365
00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,200
on the end of it,
is more what it’s like.
366
00:14:32,300 --> 00:14:34,000
There we go.
367
00:14:34,110 --> 00:14:36,150
That way you can reach out
and you sort of plop it
368
00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,210
where it’s gonna have its
best chance at survival.
369
00:14:39,310 --> 00:14:42,050
Jonny: Oh. Good luck,
little fella.
370
00:14:42,150 --> 00:14:43,820
Louisa: There you go.
371
00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:46,020
Jonny: I mean, although
they’re tough little buggers.
372
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:47,620
I was joking
about the mortar,
373
00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,690
but I bet they’d survive
a t-shirt cannon.
374
00:14:49,790 --> 00:14:51,730
[laughing]
375
00:14:51,820 --> 00:14:54,120
But it was a cool thing
to be a part of, you know?
376
00:14:54,230 --> 00:14:55,700
Oh, I can feel him kicking.
377
00:14:55,790 --> 00:14:57,690
-Wee. [laughing]
-There he goes.
378
00:14:57,800 --> 00:14:58,970
There he goes.
379
00:14:59,060 --> 00:15:01,830
I felt like I was
saving wildlife.
380
00:15:01,930 --> 00:15:03,600
I felt, like...
381
00:15:03,700 --> 00:15:05,070
that’s probably the closest
I’ll ever come
382
00:15:05,170 --> 00:15:06,270
to giving birth.
383
00:15:06,370 --> 00:15:08,270
[laughing]
384
00:15:08,370 --> 00:15:10,240
[phone ringing]
Peter: Turtle line.
385
00:15:10,340 --> 00:15:12,310
Louisa: We’re getting a
hotline call coming in.
386
00:15:12,410 --> 00:15:15,280
Peter: Okay, is it off
on the shoulder now?
387
00:15:15,380 --> 00:15:19,820
And while we’re doing it,
they get a hotline call.
388
00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:21,860
Peter: Okay, by the
sheep farm, okay.
389
00:15:21,950 --> 00:15:24,020
Jonny: It went to Peter’s
cell phone and he got the
390
00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,820
address of where a turtle
had just got hit by a car,
391
00:15:26,930 --> 00:15:29,230
and then he relayed it
to Louisa.
392
00:15:29,330 --> 00:15:31,870
She called another person
that she knew was free,
393
00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:33,660
and he was like,
"Yeah, I’m on the way."
394
00:15:33,770 --> 00:15:35,740
Louisa: Keep me posted.
Jonny: So that’s it?
395
00:15:35,830 --> 00:15:37,300
The team is gonna be
on it now,
396
00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:38,700
they’ll head out there?
Peter: Yeah.
397
00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:40,840
Jonny: Like most
9-1-1 calls don’t get
398
00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:42,910
that kind of efficiency,
I think.
399
00:15:43,010 --> 00:15:44,350
[laughing]
400
00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:46,840
And at no point did they
ever tell the caller,
401
00:15:46,950 --> 00:15:49,950
"Okay, ma’am, you need
to calm down."
402
00:15:50,050 --> 00:15:52,120
[laughing]
403
00:15:52,220 --> 00:15:54,720
[applauding]
404
00:15:58,820 --> 00:16:03,690
♪
405
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,400
♪
406
00:16:06,500 --> 00:16:09,140
Jonny: An event that all
Actonites are very proud of
407
00:16:09,230 --> 00:16:11,800
is the annual
Acton Fall Fair.
408
00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:15,870
When I was told I could
attend a practice run for
409
00:16:15,980 --> 00:16:19,150
one of the Fall Fair events,
even though it’s mid-spring,
410
00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,710
I felt like it was
Christmas in July.
411
00:16:21,810 --> 00:16:26,110
I went to Prospect Park
to meet Fall Fair VP,
412
00:16:26,220 --> 00:16:28,220
Derek "Gooch" Andrews.
413
00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,360
[cheering & applauding]
414
00:16:31,460 --> 00:16:33,960
Gooch said the fall fair
here is known as
415
00:16:34,060 --> 00:16:36,830
the best little fair
in Ontario.
416
00:16:36,930 --> 00:16:39,700
It’s food trucks,
a midway, and games.
417
00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:40,900
Derek: When you move away,
418
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,440
you always come back
for fall fair.
419
00:16:42,530 --> 00:16:43,430
Jonny: Yeah, yeah.
420
00:16:43,540 --> 00:16:45,080
Derek: It is literally
like a homecoming.
421
00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:47,410
Jonny: Even the little
practice event that
422
00:16:47,510 --> 00:16:49,350
we had drew a
bit of a crowd.
423
00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,310
This is a fair
fan favourite.
424
00:16:51,410 --> 00:16:53,750
It’s the
Garden Tractor Pull.
425
00:16:53,850 --> 00:16:55,790
[cheering & applauding]
426
00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,720
[rumbling]
427
00:16:58,820 --> 00:17:01,360
Jonny: This thing looks a bit
to me like a riding lawnmower.
428
00:17:01,450 --> 00:17:02,920
Is that what it once was?
429
00:17:03,020 --> 00:17:04,790
Derek: They start life as
basically garden tractors.
430
00:17:04,890 --> 00:17:07,390
Jonny: Competitors bring
these modified
431
00:17:07,490 --> 00:17:10,830
riding lawnmower
sized tractors
432
00:17:10,930 --> 00:17:14,930
to see who can pull a
weighted sled the furthest.
433
00:17:15,030 --> 00:17:17,330
Derek: On you get,
Jonny. [chuckling]
434
00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,380
[starting tractor]
435
00:17:19,470 --> 00:17:22,770
[cheering & applauding]
436
00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,320
Jonny: They gave me
the green flag.
437
00:17:25,410 --> 00:17:27,780
[cheering] Hey!
438
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,350
♪
439
00:17:31,450 --> 00:17:32,450
Jonny: Like you’re
on this kind of
440
00:17:32,550 --> 00:17:35,890
toyish looking tractor,
but then you look back
441
00:17:35,990 --> 00:17:38,090
at the size of the thing
you’re hauling,
442
00:17:38,190 --> 00:17:41,260
with 1,600 pounds
of concrete on it
443
00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,330
that’s designed
to defeat you.
444
00:17:43,430 --> 00:17:45,930
And this little thing is
just trucking along
445
00:17:46,030 --> 00:17:47,970
down the dirt road,
it’s very cool.
446
00:17:48,070 --> 00:17:50,870
♪
447
00:17:50,970 --> 00:17:53,170
-[cheering & applauding]
-Hey, that was a blast!
448
00:17:53,270 --> 00:17:55,970
Thanks, everybody!
Eh!
449
00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:57,320
But I had a challenger.
450
00:17:57,410 --> 00:17:59,410
Gooch’s daughter,
Dalen.
451
00:17:59,510 --> 00:18:01,980
[cheering & applauding]
452
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,820
She’s got his little tractor
with a hot pink paint job.
453
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,160
It looks like one of
Elvis Presley’s Cadillacs.
454
00:18:07,250 --> 00:18:08,420
[laughing]
455
00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,090
♪
456
00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:12,260
[cheering & applauding]
457
00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:14,930
Jonny: Then she got the flag
and boom, she takes off,
458
00:18:15,030 --> 00:18:16,530
and I get to see it
this time.
459
00:18:16,630 --> 00:18:18,400
She’s hauling this
enormous sled,
460
00:18:18,500 --> 00:18:21,100
and everybody’s cheering
her on, "Dalen!"
461
00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:22,330
And I was like,
"What the hell?
462
00:18:22,430 --> 00:18:23,900
I thought you were
on my side!"
463
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,300
[laughing]
464
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:26,940
Derek: Official results
are in.
465
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,810
Jonny went
227 feet 8 inches.
466
00:18:30,910 --> 00:18:32,180
[cheering & applauding]
467
00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:33,850
Jonny: Thank you,
thank you!
468
00:18:33,950 --> 00:18:37,990
Derek: Dalen went
207 feet 7 inches.
469
00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,020
[cheering & applauding]
470
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:43,320
Jonny: Now, how did I
beat a competitor
471
00:18:43,420 --> 00:18:46,520
with more experience?
I think as a comedian,
472
00:18:46,630 --> 00:18:49,370
I have experience
taking things too far.
473
00:18:49,460 --> 00:18:52,130
[laughing]
474
00:18:52,230 --> 00:18:53,230
Dalen: Come back
in the fall.
475
00:18:53,330 --> 00:18:54,530
Jonny: I will,
I’m coming back.
476
00:18:54,630 --> 00:18:56,000
Definitely
gonna come back.
477
00:18:56,100 --> 00:18:58,040
And then after the race,
I got to meet
478
00:18:58,140 --> 00:19:00,340
the Acton Fall Fair
ambassadors,
479
00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,380
Olivia Wilson, Erin Day,
480
00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,220
Yavika Sharma!
481
00:19:06,310 --> 00:19:07,950
And what’s all this stuff
you have here?
482
00:19:08,050 --> 00:19:09,050
-It’s for you!
-For you!
483
00:19:09,150 --> 00:19:10,350
-For me?
-Yeah!
484
00:19:10,450 --> 00:19:12,320
Jonny: And apparently
I am the first-ever
485
00:19:12,420 --> 00:19:15,220
honorary ambassador
of Acton.
486
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,190
[cheering & applauding]
487
00:19:19,290 --> 00:19:22,560
I’m not saying that
makes me a role model, but...
488
00:19:22,660 --> 00:19:24,400
[laughing]
489
00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:25,940
Yavika: You’ve got to make
sure to stand up straight,
490
00:19:26,030 --> 00:19:27,270
you know, put your
best foot forward
491
00:19:27,370 --> 00:19:29,010
and don’t forget to
iron your sash.
492
00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:30,170
Jonny: Although
what I really want,
493
00:19:30,270 --> 00:19:31,510
I’m wondering if
being the ambassador,
494
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,940
if I get diplomatic
license plates for my car.
495
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:35,410
[laughing]
496
00:19:35,510 --> 00:19:37,180
Like, if I get pulled
over speeding in Toronto,
497
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,380
can I be like, "Ah,
excuse me, officer,
498
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:42,420
I am an ambassador from
Acton on official business."
499
00:19:42,510 --> 00:19:44,150
[laughing]
500
00:19:44,250 --> 00:19:46,150
You might not like how
I drive, but trust me,
501
00:19:46,250 --> 00:19:47,550
it’s worth it."
502
00:19:47,650 --> 00:19:49,190
[laughing]
503
00:19:49,290 --> 00:19:51,430
[applauding]
504
00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:55,460
♪
505
00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,160
Jonny: Although the
leather biz finally dried
506
00:19:58,260 --> 00:20:00,930
and tanners no longer
tan hides,
507
00:20:01,030 --> 00:20:04,570
and no longer do leather
sales draw crowds en masse...
508
00:20:04,670 --> 00:20:07,210
you’re still tough
and willing and able,
509
00:20:07,310 --> 00:20:10,580
and somehow make ice cream
that’s shelf stable...
510
00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:13,950
and build tractors that are
small but haul some ass.
511
00:20:14,050 --> 00:20:16,290
[laughing]
512
00:20:16,380 --> 00:20:18,450
Toronto grows by the day,
513
00:20:18,550 --> 00:20:20,620
but the Green Belt
keeps it at bay.
514
00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:24,390
And the small town energy
here is still alive.
515
00:20:24,490 --> 00:20:27,160
So are the turtles
of Halton Region,
516
00:20:27,260 --> 00:20:30,260
and from Mill Street to
the parks to the Legion,
517
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:34,030
it’s still fair to say that
Acton is worth the drive.
518
00:20:34,130 --> 00:20:35,230
Thanks for coming out,
everybody!
519
00:20:35,330 --> 00:20:36,600
You’ve been great,
thank you!
520
00:20:36,700 --> 00:20:40,500
{\an8}[cheering & applauding]
521
00:20:40,610 --> 00:20:42,250
{\an8}Rick: Everybody’s
walking out
522
00:20:42,340 --> 00:20:45,410
{\an8}feeling a couple
inches taller.
523
00:20:45,510 --> 00:20:47,610
{\an8}You, know feeling
that pride.
524
00:20:47,710 --> 00:20:50,480
{\an8}Dalem: I learned how large
the Beardmore Tannery was.
525
00:20:50,580 --> 00:20:52,220
{\an8}I didn’t know that before.
526
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:54,490
{\an8}Courtney: I didn’t know the
turtle guardians were
527
00:20:54,590 --> 00:20:56,260
{\an8}so serious, like I
knew we had them,
528
00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,360
{\an8} but I didn’t t know
they had a whole hotline
529
00:20:59,460 --> 00:21:00,930
{\an8}and a whole system.
530
00:21:01,030 --> 00:21:03,470
{\an8} Jonny: Something like old
and wise looking about it.
531
00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,430
{\an8} Almost like it knows
things about the cosmos
532
00:21:07,530 --> 00:21:09,370
{\an8}that I don’t.
[laughing]
533
00:21:09,470 --> 00:21:11,170
{\an8}Dalen: Definitely love
that he came to Acton,
534
00:21:11,270 --> 00:21:12,640
{\an8}but I let him win.
535
00:21:12,740 --> 00:21:16,440
{\an8} Jonny: It’s sort of a
strange get up for me.
536
00:21:16,540 --> 00:21:18,040
{\an8}Yavika: Next time
you’re here,
537
00:21:18,140 --> 00:21:19,980
{\an8}bring your sash and
your cowboy hat.
538
00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:21,550
{\an8} It’s absolutely
required for this job.
539
00:21:21,650 --> 00:21:23,720
{\an8} Erin: Absolutely,
and we’ll be there
540
00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:25,420
{\an8}making sure it happens.