“Riverside Saturdays” start at the National Comedy Center‘s Comedy Park this weekend. NCC Executive Director Journey Gunderson will tell us what’s new since we last heard about the program.

Gunderson said the patio behind the Center is furnished with chairs, umbrellas, Adirondack chairs, fire pits, and a bar, “And it works really nicely with Comedy Center Park lawn showing free outdoors movies and having free live entertainment in the form this Saturday of a band that many locals know and love – The Untouchables. And alongside the band there will be aerialists and acrobats, and even a bunch of outdoor play equipment for youths and adults.”

With COVID-19 guidelines changing, Gunderson said people no longer have to make reservations or get tickets in advance. The 7-week series is free and open to the public.

Gunderson said they are also experimenting with bar and cafe service, “We’re facilitating take-out from downtown restaurants with delivery people on Saturday nights. And they will message locations and meeting points to pick up your food from any downtown restaurant who will deliver. We will have a list and station for it.”

The patio will open on Saturdays from noon through the movie event for drinks and light fair as well as being open on Sundays from noon to five.

In the event of inclement weather, updates on the events will be posted on the Comedy Center’s Facebook page at facebook.com/nationalcomedycenter.

NCC Executive Director Journey Gunderson said the first week’s theme is Buddy Comedies like Wayne’s World and Cheech and Chong with the second week focusing on Comedy in the Workplace like “The Office” and 30 Rock, “The Healing Power of comedy, Animation and Cartooning in comedy, Slapstick comedy, we do a week focused on Legends of Comedy’s History, and then the final week of the seven weeks series is a spotlight on the impact on comedy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.”

Riverside Saturdays will feature free movies and live music in Comedy Center Park on the Jamestown Riverwalk. Gunderson said reservations will be needed even though it is free, “Because, technically, we do have to control capacity to ensure our ability to social distance. If anyone has seen the expansive, beautiful, green space lawn in Comedy Center Park facing the Chadakoin, you know it’s a pretty large space, so we don’t anticipate having to turn many people away.”

Gunderson added that Gebbie Foundation CEO Greg Edwards, who is a member of the group working on the forthcoming Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan, said the series will help to introduce more people to the Chadakoin River Basin, “He said that this summer event programming in Comedy Center Park is a perfect compliment to the implementation of that plan and that activating that area with night-time entertainment will introduce residents and visitors to a beautiful setting that is really destined to become a signature downtown location.”

For more information on the Summer Fun series, visit comedycenter.org/summerfun.

According to the report, the council has highlighted 27 regional priority projects across Western New York, with a total cost of $235.7 million, $30 million of which would be funded by New York State’s Empire State Development program. In addition, the council has included dozens of other projects as well.

Of the 27 projects, six are in Chautauqua County, with five in the greater Jamestown area.

One project involves the National Comedy Center using $2,000,000 in funding for construction of the facility, while another project focuses on $325,000 in state money being used to further develop the National Comedy Center Park, which is connected to the River Walk. Also, more than $985,000 in state funds would also go toward expanding JCC’s Manufacturing Technology Institute.

Other projects that were featured in the report include proposed resort hotel in Celoron which would receive more than $2,000,000, a $200,000 expansion to the South County Industrial Park in the town of Ellicott, and the E-Works program in Dunkirk would receive $33,000.

Projects that were included in the report as state priority projects that also scored 20 points, included:

• Frewsburg Water System Planning Study – $50,000
• South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer Districts POTW Improvements – $2,500,000
• City of Dunkirk New York Main Street Program – $500,000
• Ellery Sno-Cruisers’ Class A Trail Groomer for Snowmobile Trail Maintenance – $176,000
• Jamestown Renaissance Corp. STRIVE Jamestown – $500,000
• JRC Wintergarden Plaza Phase II – $111,297
• Westfield Welch Trail Recreation Area – $200,000
• Fredonia Technology Incubator – $375,000
• B& Club of Northern Chaut. Co. – Workforce Development – $42,000
• Reg Lenna Marquee Upgrade and WRFA Studio – $93,820

The projects and total funding outlined in the regional economic development council’s report are only recommendations at this point. They will go to Albany for review by the state board, with final project allocations to be announced later this year.