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JAMESTOWN, NY (WNY News Now) – The first stand-up performance during the 2022 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival kicked off with the Stand Up Showcase Wednesday night, drawing locals and visitors alike.
The five day festival, which has historically brought thousands of tourists to the Jamestown area, is seeing many visitors both from Western New York and outside the region.
The Stand Up Showcase, drew hundreds to watch up-in-coming comedians, including Jamestown area residents like Chip and Jody Perkins, who are happy to see the influx of people to the area.
“It’s nice to see folks come down,“ explained Chip Perkins. “It’s nice to see the activity in town, things happening and people moving.”
Meanwhile, others like Frewsburg native Dana Nordlund, are just happy for a night out on the town after a two year hiatus.
“I like it,” explained Nordlund. “We come every year ourselves, so it’s just a good thing to see it happening again.”
Many from across the country also are visiting Jamestown, including Scot and Christie Poffendarge from Maryland, who came to see their daughter in Frewsburg.
“It’s a first for us,” explained Scot Poffendarge. “It seems like a pretty nice town.”
In the end, most are excited to see the return of the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.
“We haven’t really gone to any events so far,” explained Tori Poffendarge. “It seems like some really big names are here, so it’s really exciting. I don’t exactly know who’s at this one, but we saw some other people are here and it’s pretty cool.”
So, what’s next for the comedy festival? There will be a block party outside the Reg Lenna starting at 5:30 on Thursday in preparation for Margaret Cho’s show at 7 p.m. tonight.
On Friday night Jeff Foxworthy will take the stage at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and then the SNL Legends: David Spade, Rob Schneider and Kevin Nealon perform Saturday night at 7 p.m., both at the Northwest Arena downtown.
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