Dear Liza,
For the past few weeks, Auntie Bridgett has been taking Improvisation Comedy classes at a place called Kickstand Comedy and Improv. She is having a great time and meeting lots of nice folks.
On Friday, we walked over to Laurelhurst for a Comedy in the Park evening. It was sponsored by Kickstand Comedy, and featured local and out of town comics. As we approached the park, we noticed that every inch of street
parking was taken. Were all these people going to the comedy?
Yes, they were!
The nice folks from Laughing Planet, one of our favorite locals cafes, were giving away stuff. We got a turntable cover with their logo… and immediately put it so silly use.
The park was full when we got there, but we found a place off to the side for our chairs. The crowd kept growing and by the end of the evening, the official estimate of attendance was over 3,000! That is a record for a show at Laurelhurst, apparently.
Kickstand folks were walking through the crowd with donation buckets, because the show itself was free and they are saving up money buy their own building in order to survive Portland’s increasing rents.
Since it was a family-friendly show, the jokes were funny without being vulgar or foul-mouthed. One fellow told of his search for a pet dog at the shelter. “This dog was listed as a gentle lab mix,” he began. “I told the guy, that’s not a lab mix! It’s 150 pounds… and carrying a gun! That …. is a murder dog.” Even the dogs in the crowd were chuckling.
Another told about his visit to his bank. “I got recognized! Yeah, the teller said, Oh, I know you! You do comedy! How’s that going? I told her, “Don’t be mean, lady, you’re looking at my account balance.”
When our picnic was all eaten and the last Comic stepped down, the crowd of 3,000 applauded, packed up, and headed off. I was very glad we only needed to walk a few blocks… people with cars were going to be waiting a while.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 