Comedy night a fun fundraiser for Kings County Museum

BY KIRK STARRATT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

Being cash-strapped is no laughing matter for non-profit organizations, so all involved in the Kings County Museum’s “A Night of Comedy II and Silent Auction” are hoping for another successful event this year.

The comedy night and silent auction will be the primary fundraising vehicle for the museum, which is owned and operated by the Kings Historical Society. The inaugural event last year exceeded expectations, bringing in close to $11,000.

The comedy night takes place at Acadia University’s Festival Theatre in Wolfville Friday night, Oct. 19. The evening kicks off at 7 p.m. with a complimentary wine and cheese reception and the silent auction, followed by the comedy.

The comedians include Steve Patterson, Scott Harris and emcee Albert Howell. Patterson is nominated as 2007 Best Male Stand-up Comic in Canada, as was Harris in 2006. Harris has performed on CBC Radio’s “Madly Off In All Directions” and Patterson has performed on The Comedy Network. They have both headlined the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and the Halifax Comedy Fest.

Among several other professional accomplishments, Patterson wrote and starred in a CBC-TV pilot “The Truth About…”, a tongue-in-cheek examination of hot button topics in 2006.

When not headlining his own shows, Harris can be seen sharing the stage with such stars as Tom Jones, Bruce Willis, Howie Mandel and Tommy Chong.

Howell has just finished his first season writing for the CBC’s “This Hour Has 22 Minutes”. He’s known for forming the comedy duo “The Devil’s Advocates” with Andrew Currie. They hosted their own improv show for two seasons on The Comedy Network.

Magnitude of the event striking: Ritcey

Organizer Dave Ritcey of The Ritcey Team at ScotiaMcLeod, which is presenting the event, said the fundraiser is definitely a team effort. He and campaign coordinator Cathy Margeson from the Kings County Museum have joined forces with event manager Bruce Mansour of “Make It Happen”. Mansour has been helping with logistics, including lining up the comedians.

“The magnitude and size of the event is quite striking,” Ritcey said, pointing out that last year’s show was great and they hope to repeat that success this year.

If so, he said they’d soon be planning next year’s event. The Ritcey Team is lending organizational and financial support to the comedy night. Being a neighbour to the museum, they felt compelled to assist the not-for-profit organization, which has been struggling financially.

Planning for the event has been ongoing since last year and museum summer student Michelle Mansfield worked toward gathering donations from local businesses for the silent auction. Since there isn’t much in the way of government support for the museum, Ritcey said the historical society has had to rely on local businesses, and they’ve come through in a big way. Margeson said they have about 80 donated items to auction off.

Ritcey said he’s a big fan of comedy. He watches a lot of stand-up with his family and attends local comedy events. Although he had some initial reservations about a comedy night as a fundraiser, he said stand-up is quite popular and they did their homework. Comedy can be quite racy, so he was pleased to find acts that involve good, clean humour.

Margeson said some of their board members are interested in comedy and the fundraising idea grew out of brainstorming sessions. She admits to wondering last year how well it would go off. However, she likes comedy and was impressed with the quality of the acts and how well they were received. “Any doubts were wiped away at that time,” she said.

Tickets are $40 each or $30 for students, HST included, and are available at the Acadia University box office (athletic complex location). There are a limited number available at the museum in Kentville. Tickets can be ordered by phone at (902) 542-5500 or 1-800-542-8425.