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Comedy Fest Offers Full Lineup Of Events, Activities

This year’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival will have no shortage of activities for area and visiting attendees.

The four-day festival, which kicks off today and runs through Sunday, is chock full of events that will be hosted in Jamestown and the surrounding area – all in the name of comedy.

Always known for its attention-grabbing headlining acts, this year’s festival will not disappoint. Following on the heels of performances given by Jay Leno in 2014 and Jerry Seinfeld last year, the 2016 installation will feature three prominent comedians currently performing in the national spotlight: Lewis Black, who will perform Thursday at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m.; Trevor Noah, who will perform Friday at the Reg Lenna at 8:30 p.m.; and Brian Regan, who will perform Saturday at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena at 8:30 p.m.

But the opportunities don’t end there. There are daily offerings that include bus tours today, Friday and Saturday; tours through Lakeview Cemetery, where Ball is interred, on Friday and Saturday; a silent auction that runs from 10 a.m. today through 2 p.m. Saturday; walking tours through Jamestown on Friday and Saturday; and a special anniversary exhibit at the Dykeman-Young Gallery and Vintage Emporium from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Saturday, as well as noon-4 p.m. Sunday, celebrating the 65th anniversary of “I Love Lucy.”

Special events will commence today. They include: the “Sally Sweet” lunch in the Lucy-Desi Museum and Center for Comedy’s Tropicana Room at noon, featuring artifacts from the “Sally Sweet” episode of “I Love Lucy”; a members’ only archive event at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station at 1:30 p.m.; a conga workshop at Infinity Performing Arts, 301 E. Second St., at 3 p.m.; the “Little Ricky” dinner in the Tropicana Room at 5:30 p.m.; a 6 p.m. block party outside the Reg Lenna, featuring live music from Jamestown’s own Smackdab, preceding and following Black’s performance; and a late night comedy special featuring Keith Alberstadt, Tony Deyo, Nick Marra and Dulce Sloan in the Tropicana Room at 10:30 p.m.

Several events will also be held Friday. They include: a photo opportunity with Lucy and Ethel impersonators; a “Little Ricky” cruise on Chautauqua Lake; an intro to stand-up comedy workshop at Infinity; a Tropicana lunch; a Lucille Ball trivia contest; a 5 p.m. block party outside the Reg Lenna before and after Noah’s evening performance, which will feature live music from the Porcelain Busdrivers; a 6 p.m. roundtable discussion, entitled “Comedy Legacies,” featuring the daughters of late comedians George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce at the Reg Lenna; a dinner show with Lucy and Ethel impersonators in the Tropicana Room; and a late night comedy show featuring Alberstadt, Paul Morrissey, Nick Polowy, Steven Rogers and Marla Schultz in the Tropicana Room.

Additional events to be held Saturday include: an 11 a.m. kids comedy show with the Story Pirates at the Reg Lenna; an art class with Gary Peters at Infinity; all-day grape stomping and chocolate wrapping from noon to 10 p.m. at the train station; an unveiling of a new statue of Ball at Celoron’s Lucille Ball Memorial Park at noon; a 3 p.m. conversation with Peter and Bobby Farrelly – the minds behind movies such as “Dumb and Dumber,” “Kingpin” and “There’s Something About Mary” – at the Reg Lenna; a 6 p.m. stand-up showcase at the Reg Lenna featuring Kelly MacFarland, Jackie Flynn, Morrissey and Sammy Obeid; a 6 p.m. block party outside the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena before and after Regan’s performance, featuring live music by TPT; an outdoor screening of “Dumb and Dumber” at the Winter Garden Plaza, 313 N. Main St.; and a late night comedy show featuring Flynn, MacFarland, Sam Morril, Obeid, Polowy and Rogers in the Tropicana Room.

Special events will wrap up Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. cruise of Chautauqua Lake aboard the Summer Wind.

For more information on the events contained within this year’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, as well as a complete listing of events and ticket prices, call 484-0800 or visit lucycomedyfest.com.

Starting at $2.99/week.

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