{"id":26051,"date":"2018-08-02T09:42:09","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T13:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=26051"},"modified":"2018-08-02T09:42:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T13:42:09","slug":"national-comedy-center-in-jamestown-ny-opens-to-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/national-comedy-center-in-jamestown-ny-opens-to-public\/","title":{"rendered":"National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY Opens to Public"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Local and state officials were on hand for the grand opening of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. Pictured from left to right: George Borrello, Chautauqua County Executive; Howard Zemsky, Empire State Development Director; NY Sen. Catherine Young; NCC board chairman Tom Benson; NCC executive director Journey Gunderson; Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi; NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo; and NY Assemblyman Andrew Goodell. (Image courtesy of NY State Governor’s Office)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

JAMESTOWN – The National Comedy Center<\/strong> is open for business.<\/p>\n

The state of the art, $50 million facility opened its doors to the public for the first time on Wednesday, immediately after a ribbon cutting ceremony was held featuring Gov. Andrew Cuomo<\/strong> along with other local and state officials as well as representatives of the NCC.<\/p>\n

Prior to cutting the ribbon, Gov. Cuomo explained the history behind the NCC and why it\u2019s located in Jamestown.<\/p>\n

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NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the National Comedy Center grand opening. (Image courtesy of NY Governor’s Office)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIn the 1980s the [Arts Council for Chautauqua County<\/strong>] went to Lucille Ball<\/strong> and said, ‘you know we’d like to do a Lucille Ball Comedy Center in Jamestown.’ And she said, ‘look, I think you should think bigger, and not just about Lucille Ball. It should be a national center for the art of comedy. Because that’s what comedy is, and it should celebrate the art, and it should be about not just one person, Lucille Ball, it should be about a national center for the art,'” explained the governor.<\/p>\n

And that started a long, long journey. The governor also explained how the NCC will serve as a catalyst for tourism in Jamestown and the Chautauqua Region, helping to inject much needed tourism revenue into the local economy.<\/p>\n