Comedians stage 

two days of laughs 

to benefit GAHS

 

AUBURN — Nationally touring comedian Louis Ramey has performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, recorded a half-hour special for Comedy Central and was a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. He’s toured England, Dubai, India, Australia and Hong Kong and on Sept. 5, he’s coming to Auburn for the second annual LAME Comedy Fest. The two-day event will take at the Auburn Fireside Inn with net proceeds benefiting the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society.

 

“When Louis agreed to perform I felt like I hit the lottery. He adds an incredible resume to an already stellar lineup,” said event organizer Mark Turcotte. A Maine comedian himself, Turcotte recently performed at the Maine Comedy Festival and was selected to compete in the Funniest Comic on the East Coast competition at Mohegan Sun in October.

 

Turcotte created the event as a way to showcase New England’s thriving comedy scene while raising money for local charities. The inaugural event sold out both nights and raised $1,646 for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.

 

“Last year’s event surpassed all of my expectations” said Turcotte. “Everyone was so supportive and ready to have a good time. The comics delivered and we were thrilled to present a big check to a great cause.”

 

The event also serves as the official kickoff to a new season of the Comedy Fix fundraising series, which will resume monthly shows beginning Oct. 17.

 

Joining Ramey on Friday’s show will be Tuck Tucker, Michele Mortensen, Jay Chanoine, Jake Jacobson and Ryan Chani.

 

Tucker has been dishing out laughs throughout New England for over a decade. He headlined the 2013 Maine Comedy Festival and was a finalist in HBO’s Lucky 21 Stand-up comedy contest held on Broadway in New York City. He’s also an original member of the improv comedy troupe Running With Scissors.

 

Mortensen began her comedy career seven years ago, after leading a “normal” life as a wife, mother, grandmother, professional musician, and manager of a symphony orchestra. She played clubs from Maine to Florida. She was a finalist in New Hampshire’s Funniest Comic contest and competed in Last Comix Standing at Foxwoods Casino.

 

Chanoine was featured on the Altercation Punk Comedy Tour and his debut album “Come On Feel Chanoine” will be released later this year. Jacobson was a finalist in the 2013 New England’s Best Bar Comic contest and hosts the Lakeside Laugh Lab in Denmark, Maine. Chani is a staple on the New England college circuit.

 

Dennis Fogg will headline the Saturday show. The Portland resident is a 20-year veteran of the New England stand-up scene and the owner of Uncle Andy’s Diner, a family run breakfast and lunch eatery in South Portland. You may have heard of the place, it was the subject of the latest ‘Restaurant Impossible’ episode in which host Robert Irvine asks Fogg to choose between the restaurant and comedy. His answer results in an immediate promotion for his daughter Andrea to take over the family business and prompts Irvine to part with the words “Keep ‘em laughing, Dennis.”

 

“I’ve worked with Dennis a lot in the past year and marvel at his rapid-fire delivery,” said Turcotte. “The fact that his brain can keep up with his mouth still amazes me.”

 

Saturday’s lineup also features Sam Jay, Jeff Koen, Tim Hofmann, Bryce Hanson, Mike Levinsky and Stephen Cloutier.

 

Boston’s Jay who’s been making plenty of noise herself. Following her New York City audition, she’s moved on to the semi-finals in Stand-Up NBC, which has launched many alumni to career milestones including performances on Comedy Central, HBO and the late night circuit. She was the regional winner in Funny Or Die’s ‘Road to Oddball’ and was featured in the Boston Globe.

 

Koen is a comedian/actor who’s toured theaters throughout New England opening for Juston McKinney. He also plays a lead role in the web series Post Office Golf League and starred in the film Heavy Times which has been described as “obscenely funny.”

 

Hofmann, founder of Portland’s Laugh Shack, performs in his home state before hitting the road on a six-state tour spanning Chicago to Greenville, SC. Hanson, a Maine native, is a regular at Boston’s Comedy Studio. Levinsky founded the weekly Portland Comedy Showcase and Cloutier is a local favorite who’s performed at Groucho’s Comedy Club in Melbourne, FL.

 

Advance tickets are on sale at lamecomedyfest.com. Single nights are $12 and weekend passes are $20. Door prices are $15 per night and $25 for the weekend. Seating is general admission.

 

The 8 p.m. shows are for ages 21-and-older. Doors open at 7 p.m. The Fireside Inn is located at 1777 Washington St. For more information, call (207) 513-0742 or email [email protected].