Laff City gives back

The comedy scene in Greater Sudbury is alive and thriving. I attended one of Laff City’s comedy shows on Friday, Nov. 18, which was held at Little Montreal on Elgin Street. I’ve attended about four shows now, and have never left disappointed.

Little Montreal is the perfect place for a comedy act. Patrons can get close enough to the comedians to see and clearly hear what is going on, and in some instances, to involuntarily become directly involved in the show; like Friday’s birthday girl, Carly, whom Gilson kept including in his jokes!

Laff City uses other venues in town for their shows, such as the 1500 Pub and Cousin Vinny’s, but Little Montreal has special meaning to them. It is where they debuted, on Feb. 13, 2009.

Laff City is owned and operated by Kyle Long, who currently resides in Guelph, and is promoted locally by Derek Young. And Laff City likes to give back. This show was in support of the Sudbury Food Bank.

Popular comedian Gilson Lubin was in town to offer Sudburians a good dose of laughter. His opening act, Kris Bonaparte, warmed up the crowd.
Gilson Lubin is a Canadian comedic star. You may have seen him on Spike, MTV, Comedy Network or Comedy Central. Both Lubin and Bonaparte delivered many belly laughs to audience members.

It feels good to laugh, and it is good for you. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, our body’s natural feel good chemicals. Laughter also boosts the immune system. We should all get out and be entertained and laugh now that cold and flu season is upon us!

Are you ever told that you should be a comedian? Would you like to give it your best shot on stage? Laff City gives local amateur comedians an opportunity to hone their skills and showcase their talent by sharing the stage with accomplished stars. Sudbury has some really funny people!

The best part about the show was donations were being collected for the Sudbury Food Bank to support the second annual Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive. Edgar would be proud to see how Sudburians have picked up the ball and have continued to honour his tradition of getting involved and helping others.

Edgar Burton was instrumental in starting the Business Employee Christmas Food Drive at Vale (formerly Inco) and ran it for 22 years, until his death in July of 2010.

He started at his workplace and then branched out and collected from over 280 businesses and 24 schools in the community. After that, he launched the Kids Helping Kids Program, an elementary school food collection program. His gift continues to give.

You will see donation boxes for the food bank all over the city at this time of year. Please take a minute to help the less fortunate in our community who are struggling to put meals on the table, let alone gifts. In doing so, you will give yourself a gift — the gift of helping others.

To find out more about Laff City, visit www.laffcity.ca. To find out how you can help the Sudbury Food Bank, go to www.sudburyfoodbank.ca.

Janet Young is an amateur photographer who likes to share community events with Sudburians.