A community event is set for Saturday at Lake View Cemetery to recognize the 111th birthday of Lucille Ball. Submitted photo

A community gathering will help celebrate the 111th birthday of Lucille Ball. The event, planned for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, also takes place during the comedy festival named after Ball.

Tom Andolora, who is helping to organize the event, said that while he has been attending the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival since it was started, there has never been a birthday party for the “Queen of Comedy.” He has visited Ball’s grave to celebrate her birthday for at least seven or eight years and recently made the decision to host a community event that will include singing “Happy Birthday.”

“I decided I was going to get in touch this year with the Lake View Cemetery to see if they were interested in having some type of event,” he said.

Andolora called Hugh Golden, business manager of the Lake View Cemetery Association, who was receptive of his idea of celebrating Ball’s birthday — Aug. 6, 1911.

In conjunction with Golden, Andolora has planned an event that he believes will be a fun opportunity for people to get together and honor Ball. “I want it to be a community event,” he said. “I want it to be fun.”

The cemetery association has been supportive of the plan.

“Lake View Cemetery is always happy to partner with community members and organizations in recognizing individuals who are interred in the cemetery,” Golden said. “When Tom Andolora approached the cemetery with the idea of holding a community happy birthday sing honoring Lucille Ball on the anniversary of her birth, we could not think of a more fitting way to recognize ‘America’s Queen of Comedy.’ I would encourage anyone from the community or those visiting our community, to participate.”

The event will be free to the public and will include cupcakes, water and possibly a few games.

“It’s not going to be a long event,” Andolora said, “but it’s something to pay tribute to Lucy. This year hopefully we’ll get some people there and just celebrate Lucy’s birthday with her.”

Andolora said Jamestown has the unique privilege of being the city where Lucille Ball is buried.

“How honored are we to have our resting place here?” he asked. “We need to step up and honor her. I’m not sure there’s that much Lucy in the Lucy Fest. That’s why I’d like to have this.”

He added, “Honestly, if there’s five people there, I’d be perfectly happy. I’m happy with whoever wants to come. I want people to come with love and respect.”

Andolora said he runs a Lucille Ball fan page on Facebook with 19,000 members.

“There’s so many Lucy fans here,” he said. “I thought that this should be an event that should be part of the weekend, and it never has been. I just felt like this is something for the fans.”

Those who come to the event Saturday will have an opportunity to be active participants.

“If people want to speak about their favorite Lucy episode or what Lucy means to them, the fan’s are more than welcome to have a part in this,” he said. “It’s for the fans. I’m just a Lucy fan.”

In addition to celebrating her birthday, some attendees will have the chance to visit the Lake View Cemetery for the first time.

“The Lake View Cemetery is another amazing place in Jamestown, which I think is overlooked a lot,” Andolora said.

Since the event will take place at Ball’s grave, Andolora wants to make sure people come with love and respect for the actress.

“We’re in a serene place,” he said. “We want to do it with respect and mostly with love. It’s for Lucy. It’s our love for Lucy. This should be an act of love for everybody.”

Those attending are asked to enter the cemetery through gate No. 2 and follow the red hearts and white line to Ball’s grave.