This will be the third year that the Lac La Biche Gymnastics Society partners up with the Yuk Yuk's comedy franchise to raise funds for the local gymnastics club. The dinner and comedy show is an adult-only event scheduled for Saturday, January 25 in the Devon Room at the Bold Center, with tickets still available for $50.
Doors open at 6 pm for cocktails, with supper at 6:30. Comedians get ready to hit the stage at 8 pm.
Alberta born comedians William Hannigan and Kevin Stobo will be the performers for the night. Both men have hit the stage in multiple cities, stretched across Canada.
Funny fundraiser
The idea of an adult-themed comedy show to raise money for a children's gymnastics program might seem funny ... but society members say the combination continues to be successful. Plus, says society president Andrea Ulliac with a smile, people would rather have a few laughs than work a bingo or sell beef jerky as a fundraiser.
The gymnastic committee believes there is more value in providing a comedy show rather than selling items, says Ulliac.
This year, there is also more value for people coming to the show as well. Organizers decided to drop the price of tickets as a bit of a recession-buster to draw some more people to the show. Last year tickets went for $65 per person with 200 tickets sold, but due to the economy, Ulliac says they have decided to drop the ticket price by $15, hoping to make it easier on those wanting to attend.
Local businesses such as Independent Grocers have also lent a helping hand by offering to provide catering for the event and allowing the club to focus ona fundraising goal of $10,000.
Aside from the fundraising, Ulliac says the night is planned so people can forget about struggles and stresses and just have a few laughs.
“We just want the community to come out and have fun and enjoy some laughs,” she told the POST.
Who’s performing?
Hannigan, who was born in Edmonton, but went to school in Halifax, has made a career for himself in the comedy industry in just a few short years. Starting at the age of 18 on East Coast stages, the now 24 year old uses his cross-Canada up-brinigng in his comedy sets that have earned him praise from coast-to-coast. Hannigan has also been a finalist in "Edmonton's Funniest Person with a Day Job" competition.
Stobo, the night's headliner, is excited to be back performing in Lac La Biche. He visited the area was more than 15 years ago, and since then has developed a performance with topics he finds most people can relate to — such as marriage, divorce, and kids.
“Hopefully, I can make people see a little bit of themselves in my act and enjoy the funny stuff that comes with real-life," Stobo told the POST on Friday, dropping a little bit of some of his self-focused humour. “My act is equal to watching a chubby, dancing monkey. More of a storyteller, I guess you’d say."
Stobo has performed at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal and Edmonton's Comedy Festival. He's been the opening act for comedian and actor Bob Saget, and headlines at Yuk Yuk's clubs across North America. Aside from his on-stage comedy, Stobo is currently on Shaw TV's "Golf Tips" show where he brings his funny to the fairways as he and a Calgary golf course pro show the dos and don'ts of the game.
Playing for a crowd in Lac La Biche won't put the comedy pro off his game, as he says that despite his notoriety in larger centres across the county, he enjoys performing in smaller communities due to the appreciation of the locals.
“In big cities, they can go to a comedy club or a comedy show almost every night of the week,” he said.
Get your tickets
Participants can transfer money via email to [email protected] with their name as the memo and “gymnastics” being the password, and pick up their ticket at the Key-Way-Tin Gymnasium.
