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Reed Tours National Comedy Center

From left, Rich Ryan, director of development for the National Comedy Center; Gary Hahn, marketing and communications director for the National Comedy Center; U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning; and Alison Hunt, Reed’s district director, pose with the legislation passed earlier this year that officially designates the Comedy Center as the official cultural institution in the United States dedicated to comedy. P-J photo by Eric Zavinski

With a framed version of the legislation designating the National Comedy Center the institution dedicated to comedy in the United States, Rep. Tom Reed commemorated the occasion with his first full tour.

Rich Ryan, director of development for the Comedy Center, and Gary Hahn, marketing and communications director for the Comedy Center, talked about the technological and comedic achievements of the establishment as they led the Corning Republican through the exhibits.

“You got to love comedy,” Reed said as he laughed through various exhibits, including the digital prop table, laugh battle competition, cartoon creation panel and more.

Ryan underscored the industrial sheik of the Comedy Center as a means to juxtapose the technology powering the dozens of exhibits that cater to guests’ senses of humor. He also talked about the urban waterfront development in the Comedy Center Park that helped beautify the surrounding area. The comedy timeline was shown off as well, featuring what Ryan said is the largest touchscreen in the country.

From season one Saturday Night Live scripts to a fragment of the Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In wall, Ryan boasted a reverence for the culture of comedy that he said hasn’t ever been shown like this before.

P-J photo by Eric Zavinski

Follow Eric Zavinski at twitter.com/EZavinski

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