The 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival Headliners: Lewis Black, Trevor Noah, and Brian Regan.

JAMESTOWN – Members of the Lucille Ball – Desi Arnaz Museum and Center for Comedy will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for events involving the 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival starting Wednesday.

Earlier this month Lucy-Desi Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson announced the headliners for this year’s event, which will take place the first weekend in August. Those headliners include Lewis Black, Trevor Noah, and Brian Regan.

Pre-sale tickets are available to members starting Wednesday at noon. Tickets go on-sale to the general public beginning next Wednesday, May 4 at noon.

Tickets can be purchased at www.lucycomedyfest.com or by calling the festival box office at 716.484.0800.

The 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival Headliners: Lewis Black, Trevor Noah, and Brian Regan.

JAMESTOWN – The 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival headliners have been announced!

During a media conference Wednesday afternoon at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station (and future location of the National Comedy Center), Lucy-Desi Center executive director Journey Gunderson announced that comedians Lewis Black, Trevor Noah, and Brian Regan will be in Jamestown for this year’s festival, which will take place Aug. 4 through Aug. 7.

LEWIS BLACK

Black is a nationally recognized and award winning comedian known as the comedic king of the rant, skewering anything he sees—usually of the political variety. With the presidential election season expected to be in full swing this summer and fall, bring Black to Jamestown is a major coup for the comedy festival, said Gunderson.

This is actually Black’s return trip to Jamestown. He originally performed in the city during the early days of the Comedy Festival in the early 1990s when it was known as the Lucille Ball Festival of New Comedy. Black’s show will take place on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016.

TREVOR NOAH

South African-born Trevor Noah is an international stand-up comedian who in 2015 was named host of ‘The Daily Show,’ succeeding Jon Stewart. In 2012 Noah made his U.S. TV debut on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, becoming the first African comedian to appear on the program. The following year Noah had his own comedy special on Showtime, Trevor Noah: African American. And in late 2014, Noah landed yet another major gig, debuting as a correspondent for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

After Stewart announced in February 2015 that he would be leaving The Daily Show, it was revealed in March that Noah would be his replacement. Noah had appeared on the program three times previously. Noah will perform in Jamestown on Aug. 5, 2016.

BRIAN REGAN

Brian Regan is a comedic workhorse who spent 25 years touring and building his act. During that time he’s become a huge success just for being a stand-up without ever branching off into sitcoms or movies. He primarily works clean, making his comedy accessible to all audiences, and specializes in observational comedy, commenting on shared experiences and questioning behavior and language. Regan’s high-energy delivery and tendency to push a joke to its breaking point could be seen as an influence on Dane Cook. Regan will be in Jamestown on Aug. 6, 2016.

Lucy-Desi Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson, announcing the 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival headliners during a media conference Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

OTHER EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

In addition to the headliners, dozens of other events, activities and attractions will be taking place, including five separate late-night comedy shows featuring the best up-and-coming comedians from around the country.

Two special events seen only in Jamestown and recorded for the National Comedy Center archives will also take place this summer. One will be a look at the string of cinematic comedy movies directed by the Farrelly Brothers (Dumb and Dumber; There’s Something About Mary; Me, Myself and Irene), and will feature both Peter and Bobby Farrelly.

A roundtable discussion on the comedic influence of Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Richard Pryor will also take place, featuring the children of those legendary comedians discussing their impact on the world of standup comedy.

Lucy Arnaz announced she will move the entire collection of Lucille Ball’s estate memorabilia to Jamestown this summer, where it will remain and where it will be exhibited at the Dykeman-Young Gallery in August, where it will be show in celebration of I Love Lucy’s 65th anniversary.

Gunderson announced that NBC’s cozy TV will also return to conduct a contest for the next great comic of the United States, with the prize being a spot to perform in Jamestown during the Comedy Festival.

There will also be the return of the Story Pirates program, comedy classes, and a variety of other events happening during the weekend with details to be posted at the Comedy Festival’s website.

Tickets for all festival events go on sale later this month at www.lucycomedyfest.com.

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The 2015 Lucy Town Half Marathon and 5K race will take place Oct. 10 and 11 in Jamestown, NY. (Image courtesy of www.LucyRace.com)

The Lucy Town Half Marathon and Univera 5K is taking place this weekend in Jamestown, NY and the weather forecast appears to be near-perfect weather for the event. The forecast is calling for Sunny weather throughout the weekend, with temperatures in the upper 50s on Saturday for the 5K race and kids 2K race and in the low to mid 60s for Sunday’s half marathon.

The event is being organized by the National Comedy Center and Lucy-Desi Center. Executive Director Journey Gunderson said the two races were created in 2013 and designed to not only promote Lucille Ball’s Hometown, but also provide a healthy and active way to do it.

“I think the catalyst for it was Lou Depas (from our board of directors) and and Dave Reinhardt (formerly of Chautauqua Striders and who now operates races as an independent contractor),” Gunderson told WRFA during a recent interview [listen]. “They’ve witnessed great races in other communities and saw the impact that it had, and we were looking to expand our year-round programming, in terms of comedy, so we thought let’s join forces, let’s put something together that gives people a couple of reasons to come to Jamestown.”

Gunderson says that so far registration for both races is doing well, adding that there is still time for participants to register if they haven’t already done so.

JOY BEHAR AT THE REG LENNA SATURDAY NIGHT

The weekend of events will also include a performance by nationally known television host and long-time stand up comedian Joy Behar, best known for her work on The View.

Joy Behar

Behar told WRFA during an interview earlier this week that its an honor to be performing in Lucille Ball’s hometown.

“I grew up with Lucy, like a lot of people and I basically couldn’t go to sleep until her show was over,” Behar said. “It’s interesting that the show is still on the air. People can still see that that comedy has held up over the years… I think she’s in the top five greats. Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball -those are the names that I think hold up for over a century.”

Behar also says she thinks having a National Comedy Center in Jamestown is something that will be a success.

“Cooperstown seems to do okay with the Baseball Hall of Fame, and then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland seems to do well,” Behar said, adding, “Not everybody can always come to New York City. There are places you want to visit in this country. So I think [the Comedy Center] is sort of a destination for people and I think it will work.”

Behar will be performing at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Saturday night. Tickets are still available for the show by calling the Reg Lenna box office at 716.484.7070 or visiting www.lucyrace.com.

To register for either race, visit www.lucyrace.com for race registration and additional information.

The event will not only feature a half marathon on Sunday, Oct. 11, but will also involve a 5K and Kids 2K event on Oct. 10. Plus there will be a live stand up comedy performance by television talk show host and comedian Joy Behar. Her performance will take place on Saturday night at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts.

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Lucy Desi Center director Journey Gunderson says that preregistration for the race, now in its third year, is the best they’ve seen yet, meaning there will likely be a record number of participants in what has quickly become one of the area’s most popular running competitions.

In addition to participating in the race, Gunderson is also encouraging the community and visitors to attend the stand up comedy show featuring Behar. Gunderson says that some may not realize that Behar made her living as a stand-up comedian for 15 years before moving to television.

Joy Beher

“She was a comedian before she was a television personality and that is something we want to celebrate,” Gunderson told WRFA in an Oct. 2 interview. “She’s somebody who has made a living as a stand up comedian – which is not an easy thing to do, and was so popular that mainstream television plucked her and said we want you to be in viewers’ homes daily as a host, and apply that off the cuff humor. And of course we love funny redheads here in Jamestown.”

Behar has received an Emmy award for her performance on “The View”, where she was a member of the cast for 16 years.

Registration information for the race or ticket information for the Joy Behar show can be found online at LucyRace.com or by calling 716.484.7070.

Sun Air Express officials have joined Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan and Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi to announce the “Reaching for the Stars” event, scheduled for Tuesday, September 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lucy Desi Center, 2 West Third St. in Jamestown.

The Reaching for the Stars event will showcase the success of Sun Air Express and encourages businesses and organizations to invest in the community by purchasing a $250 ticket. Each ticket includes:

• Ten (10) one-way flights between Jamestown-Pittsburgh, good for travel through June 30, 2016; tickets are transferrable to family members and/or members of your organization, clients, vendors, customers, etc.;
• Admission to the Reaching for the Stars event on September 22, which is an informative and fun evening with fine food and beverages presented by local providers; and
• A chance to win one of three prizes courtesy of Sun Air Express and their Pittsburgh Connector airline partners.  First prize: Two round-trip tickets to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, via Vacation Express. Second prize: Two round-trip tickets to Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines. Third Prize: Two round-trip tickets to Myrtle Beach, or the Florida destination of your choice, served nonstop from Pittsburgh by Allegiant Air.

Tickets for the Reaching for the Stars event are limited and individuals should call to reserve tickets by September 18, 2015.

Tickets are available by calling (844) 8SUNAIR or by emailing mcestari@gosunair.com. Individuals can also contact the Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport Manager at (716) 484-0204 for details.

“Many positive developments are underway in Jamestown and Chautauqua County that continue to add momentum to our growth from exciting plans for downtown revival to regional economic initiatives,” said Teresi. “It is important to highlight the significant improvements that have been made to our local air service and to communicate the successes experienced in recent months.  This service is taking hold with great promise, interest, and momentum for future success.”

In 2014 Sun Air became the essential air service carrier for the Greater Chautauqua-Jamestown Airport. It began offering trips from Jamestown to Pittsburgh last November. Since its inception in Jamestown, many changes have been made to its services as it has invested in new aircraft, pilots, and customer support that have improved reliability, customer service, and baggage capabilities.

“Central to our future economic success is the ability for Chautauqua County to remain on the map of the national air transportation system,” said Horrigan. “For the first time in more than a decade, we have the right combination of service, price, and destination to live up to our potential as a vital economic development center with wonderful quality-of-life. Sun Air Express’ service with its frequent flights, outstanding reliability, comfortable aircraft, and low fares to Pittsburgh is the right service to propel our region forward.”

For more information about Sun Air Express, visit www.flysunairexpress.com.

Joy Baher

JAMESTOWN – A nationally known daytime TV talk show host will be coming to Jamestown in October.

On Tuesday the National Comedy Center and the Lucy-Desi Museum announced announced that comedian Joy Behar will perform on Saturday, October 10 during the third annual Lucy Town Half Marathon & 5K race weekend.

The performance will take place at 8 p.m. at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts.

Behar made her living as a stand-up comedian for 15 years before moving to television. She’s received an Emmy award for her work as a co-host on “The View”, where she was a member of the cast for sixteen years. She has hosted her own talk shows, “The Joy Behar Show” on CNN’s HLN and “Say Anything” on Current TV, and was a frequent substitute host on “Larry King Live.” She’s also appeared on numerous television shows and in major motion pictures.

Past performers for the Lucy Half Town Marathon, now in its third year, include Martin Short in 2013 and Bob Newhart in 2014.

In addition to Behar’s appearance on Oct. 10, the 2015 Lucy Town Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 11. The Lucy Town 5K and Univera Kids Run will each take place on October 10.

Tickets for Baher’s show will go on-sale to members of the Lucy-Desi members and registered runners today at noon by calling the Reg Lenna box office at 716.484.7070 or visiting www.lucyrace.com.

Tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Wednesday, August 26 at noon.

The 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival starts Thursday and will continue through Sunday with dozens of events and activities directly – and indirectly – involved with the festival.

Lucy Desi Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson, who oversees the annual event, says that in addition to the festival events, this year will also feature the groundbreaking of the $40 million dollar National Comedy Center.

“With this coming Saturday, Aug. 1, we’re entering groundbreaking phase,” Gunderson said. “As for when the attraction will open, there’s so many moving parts that the reality is that it would be silly for us to say that we know for sure that there is one certain date that we can open. In addition to fabricating all of the exhibits, it’s also about securing all the content needed to populate those exhibits.”

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An artist’s rendering of the proposed National Comedy Center in downtown Jamestown.

Gunderson says officials involved with the comedy center are hoping it will be ready to open between late 2016 and the summer of 2017.

Meanwhile, the groundbreaking event will take place Saturday at 2 p.m. at the southwest corner of W. Second and Washington Streets and is open to the public.

As for the 2015 festival, thousands of people are expected to attend the various events – which features a variety of special guests and big name performers including Jerry Seinfeld, Nick Offerman, Regis Philbin, Melissa Rivers, Kelly Carlin, and several rising stars of stand-up comedy – along with numerous other special guests throughout the four days.

There will also be plenty of events celebrating the life and legacy of Lucille Ball, the television icon who was born in Jamestown.

During an interview earlier this month on WRFA, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi talked about the impact Lucy’s legacy and the festival has on the community and regional economy.

“There’s a couple of words that I have for the comedy festival, the first word being ‘huge.’ It’s huge!'” Teresi said. “Another word I would say is significant and growing significance. From its humble beginnings a number of years ago, and it’s had its ups and down, this festival has exploded in recent years.”

Officials estimate the comedy festival has an annual economic impact of $4 million to the local economy.

A complete rundown of all the events of this week’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival – including Thursday’s events which feature a roundtable discussion on David Letterman hosted by Regis Philbin, along with a stand up comedy showcase tonight at the Reg Lenna – can be found online at LucyComedyFest.com or by calling (716) 484-0800.

Regis Philbin will be in Jamestown July 30, 2015 to lead a panel discussion focusing on The Late Show with David Letterman.

JAMESTOWN – The 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is just one day away.

Events for the festival begin on Thursday, featuring everything from a silent auction in the morning to a Conga workshop in the afternoon, along with a special panel discussion featuring Regis Philbin talking with the producers and staff of the Late Show with David Letterman. In addition, the Stand-Up Showcase featuring up and coming comedians.

Tickets for the David Letterman panel discussion, which will be held at the Willowbay Theater, are just $10. The Stand Up Showcase at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts has tickets starting at just $15, with any military service veteran getting in free-of-charge.

EVENTS CONTINUE FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Several other events are planned for the four-day festival, including a panel discussion on Friday featuring Melissa Rivers, Kelly Carlin, and Violet Stiel & Julian Ramis entitled “Comedy Legacies: Rivers, Ramis & Carlin.” The comedy roundtable will take place on Friday and will celebrate the legacies of Joan Rivers, George Carlin and Harold Ramis as the National Comedy Center prepares to break ground. The discussion will be moderated by Kelly Carlin and recorded for broadcast on her SiriusXM radio program “The Kelly Carlin Show.”

Pete Lee, Pat McGann, and Beth Stelling will appear at the 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Fest’s Stand-Up Showcase Thursday night at the Reg Lenna.

In addition to moderating the discussion, Kelly Carlin will be bringing her renowned one woman show, “A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up With George,” to Jamestown on Saturday.

Other featured events include an appearance by Nick Offerman on Friday night and two sold out shows featuring Jerry Seinfeld on Saturday. Plus there will be several “late night”stand up comedy performances at the Tropicana Room inside the Lucy-Desi Center and Museum.

Ticket information for all the 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival Events can be found at www.lucycomedyfest.com, or by calling the box office at 716.484.0800.

That’s according to Lucy-Desi Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson, who spoke with WRFA Thursday afternoon to provide an update not only on all of this year’s Lucy Fest activities, but also on the effort to build the $40 million National Comedy Center.

Gunderson said a ground breaking for the NCC is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the corner of Washington and Second Streets, with several officials and special guests expected to be on hand.

“At this point Melissa Rivers is going to attend, she’s a star in her own right and her late mother Joan Rivers is a comedic icon who performed here in 2011. We’ll also have two of the adult children of Harold Ramis. We’re also going to have Kelly Carlin – her father was George Carlin,” Gunderson said, adding that several other special guests will also be on hand and she’s encouraging the community and festival goers to stop by for the ground breaking.

The actual Comedy Festival could very well be the most ambitious one held so far in Jamestown.

Regis Philbin will be in Jamestown July 30, 2015 to lead a panel discussion focusing on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Much has already been said about the featured headliner of the festival, Jerry Seinfeld, who will perform two sold out shows Saturday night, Aug 1. But in addition, there are more than a dozen other live entertainment events schedule. The latest being a panel discussion on legacy of David Letterman and his late night TV programs. That panel will be led by none other than Regis Philbin, a TV icon in his own right.

“He’s appreciated across generations, which is sometimes rare in entertainment,” Gunderson said. “But one reason he’s the perfect moderator to this panel is that he was on Late Night and the Late Show with David Letterman more than anyone else in history. During Dave’s 30-plus year career, it was 150-some appearances that Regis Philbin made.”

Other highlights of the 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival include comedian and actor Nick Offerman, best known for his role on the hit TV show Parks and Recreation; the one woman show A Carlin Home Companion, featuring Kelly Carlin – daughter of George Carlin; a Comedy Legacies panel; A Stand Up Showcase featuring up and coming comedians; the Free Kids show from the Story Time Pirates and much, much more.

For more information about the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival and all associated events you can visit LucyComedyFest.com.

Journey Gunderson will also be our guest this week during our Arts on Fire program at 5 p.m. Friday with an encore at 2 p.m. Sunday. During the interview she’ll give us a complete rundown of what to expect for this years event – which again runs from July 30 to Aug. 2.

Relay for Life

Frewsburg Central School will host the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. The event will consist of several activities, including the annual Survivors’ Lap, the Luminaria Ceremony, and the Fight Back Ceremony.

For more information on the event, visit the Facebook page under Relay For Life of Southern Chautauqua County, or visit their website at RelayForLife.org/SoChautauquaNY.

ArtBurn 2015

Art, Music, Food, Beverages, Kids, Dogs, and Bicycles will all be on hand for the annual ARTBURN auction at 100 Acre Lot – hosted by the Active Artists Alliance. The event allows art supporters to bid on a variety of local art that will be up for auction. If no one buys the art, it will be destroyed in a bon fire!

In addition to the art auction, there will also be live music by Blood Feud, Will & Sara, the Tongue Cluckers, and Pine Fever.

The event runs from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 30 at 100 Acre Lot on Curtis Street in Jamestown.

Movies @ The Reg: While We’re Young

Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m. – Director Noah Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming, Frances Ha) presents While We’re Young at the Reg Lenna, an exploration of aging, ambition and success, stars Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as a middle-aged couple whose career and marriage are overturned when a disarming young couple enters their lives. As Josh and Cornelia begin to spend time with Jamie and Darby, they find the younger spirits inside of themselves, and soon begin to look at life, marriage and the world through younger eyes.

Rated R. 97 Minutes. All seats are $5. Concession items are available individually at full price or five for $5.

Comedy Series Continues at The Tropicana Room

The Lucy-Desi Center for Comedy will host an evening of comedy featuring NYC-based comedians Pete Lee and Tony Deyo at the Tropicana Room Saturday night, May 30. The event is slated for two performance times – one at 6:30 and the other at 9:30. For more information about the show or ticket information, visit www.lucycomedyfest.com or call 484-0800.

Street Jam 2015

The annual Street Jam 3-on-3 basketball tournament is taking place both Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, in downtown Jamestown. This year marks the 19th street basketball tournament in the greater Jamestown area. Teams will register Friday for the tournament, with play beginning at 8 a.m., both Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine. The event is sponsored by the Resource Center and Filling the Gap – in concert with numerous local businesses and community non-profit organizations. All funding raised by Street Jam will help provide services for persons with disabilities.

Jammers Baseball

The All New Jamestown Jammers will be in action both Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, at Diethrick Park. For start time and ticket information, visit JamestownBaseball.com.