Special guest speaker Grant Nickalls–local radio host and actor–regaled the enthusiastic audience with his humorous misadventures of coming of age in the town of Huntsville through the 1970s and 1980s, at The Huntsville and Area Historical Society’s monthly meeting held Thursday, October 20, 2022, at the Annex.
Through a series of childhood vignettes, Nickalls recalled the names and faces of many of Huntsville’s better-known characters, including his closest neighbours and childhood friends. Often hilarious, punctuated with a few somber reflections, Grant Nickalls animatedly presented a compelling portrait of the value and lasting meaning derived from his early life, living in Huntsville.
Under the banner of ‘Our Town,’ Nickalls described in great detail the feel of Huntsville as a sort of living legacy. One audience member remarked that Grant’s tales were reminiscent of the stories of the late and legendary Stewart McLean. Utilizing all his talents as a storyteller and stage actor, Nickalls painted vivid recollections of his father’s business, the Huntsville Planing Mill on King Street, where River Mill Park now resides.
Grant always wanted to go along with the drivers on delivery but his father didn’t think it was a good idea. Grant, having already disclosed his mischievous nature, elaborated on a scheme to hide in the back of a truck, unbeknownst to the driver or his father. Travelling to South River in -30 degree weather hadn’t dawned on Grant as an unsuitable climate for adventure.
Throughout his childhood, Grant often mistook a bad idea for a good one and found himself in challenging situations more than once. In hindsight, generally, these events were actions that got him into trouble, as the old song goes, with a capital “T.” After forty minutes of comical misdeeds, Grant retold a more serious incident to a wide-eyed audience that involved him reversing his dad’s station wagon, with a foot on the gas, over the edge of Lions Lookout. Luckily he, his passenger, and his dad’s car were not seriously damaged.
For his mistakes, Grant was sent to private school, which led him to a love for dramatic arts and culminated in his graduation from the National Theatre School of Canada. Over his long career in film, television, and stage, Grant recognized one key factor in his personal life: that he was obligated to his family and sons to raise them in a town he has always considered home and the best place to live – Huntsville.
The Huntsville and Area Historical Society meets every third Thursday of the month with guests both local and regional. Elizabeth Stokes, who manages the Society’s social media output, states they have about 40 members but are looking for more. Their aim is to “document, preserve and share the local heritage and culture of our community.”
Trisha Markle thanked Nickalls for the interesting evening spent hearing one man’s personal history of “Our Town,” to hearty applause.
Follow The Huntsville and Area Historical Society on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/huntsvilleandareahistoricalsociety
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
Well done Grant!