AUBURN – Bob Niles, a 20-year Boston comedy veteran, will headline at the Laughing Matters Comedy Club at Fireside Inn & Suites in Auburn Saturday, Jan. 17.

The Fireside Inn comedy shows, which began as monthly installments, have been so popular that promoter Travis Wallace decided to make them a weekly event during the winter.

“We took the month of December off because it’s typically a slow month for comedy clubs, and people kept calling, asking, ‘When’s the next comedy show?’ With the economy being what it is right now, times are tough, but Mainers are a resilient people, and I think most would agree that we could all use a good laugh right about now,” said Wallace.

Niles regularly headlines comedy clubs throughout the Northeast. A man who’s led an unorthodox life, he was just 20 years old when his first child was born. His second child arrived when he was 46. What happened in between comes under scrutiny in his comedy acts.

“I first saw Bob perform about 15 years ago at a comedy club in Boston. I’d met him before the show and he was friendly but relatively reserved, almost quiet. But when he went on stage and grabbed the microphone he just took charge of the room – high energy, smart, zany – he just brought down the house. People can relate to him because he’s got blue collar, working class roots, and he’s a family man,” said Wallace, himself a comedian.

Joining Niles on stage will be comedians Greg Boggis and Kyle Crawford. Boggis is a regular at Boston area comedy clubs; Crawford recently made his debut on Comcast Comedy Spotlight.

The show is at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30. Tickets are $14, $12 with reservation, and may be reserved by calling 777-1777. Fireside Inn & Suites is just off the Auburn exit of the Maine Turnpike. For more information, visit laughingmatterscomedy.com.