TAHLEQUAH — The Quah Laughs Arts and Comedy Festival will be reappearing for the second time, with added features, in late August.
“I’m very excited to come back to Tahlequah – my hometown – and definitely give everybody a laugh that night,” said Justin Mclemore, owner of Full Blood Productions and leader of the Quah Laughs.
Mclemore said Lance Gouge and his band will be performing, along with six comedians: Sondra Slade, Jordan Jayi, Rachel Rose, Cole Panell, Necoti Dushane, and headliner Matt Ferrel. The first Quah Laughs featured an all-Native American comedian cast; this year’s will offer a mixture of different representations, including local talents.
The comedy show will be for those 18 years and older.
“It’s an adult show, so I’m excited to provide that,” Mclemore said. “Whatever anyone is going through, you will have one night to just relax and laugh, because the comedians I put together this year are on par with a regular looney bin show. These guys are really good.”
Mclemore said he included Lance Gouge as the musical guest because he wanted the entertainment to feel authentic.
“It’s like we’re growing together,” Mclemore said. “We’re doing the comedy show together with a bunch of local established comedians and I want somebody else to grow with us.”
The host for the Quah Laughs Arts and Comedy Festival will be Lanice Belcher at The Venue at 109 W. Willis Road. An art market is being added to the mix this year, with 15 vendors. The art portion will feature everything from beadwork to street art.
“I’m pretty excited for [the art aspect] to mesh with the comedy,” Mclemore said.
Last year’s Quah Laughs brought in around 250 attendees, and many asked when the next comedy show would occur. The queries prompted Mclemore to continue the event.
Quah Laughs set off a chain of events for the organizer to continue bringing the joy of comedy to others. After the first event, Mclemore said, Rezzy Jams – a similar take on the Tahlequah comedy shows – took root in Norman. Rezzy Jams then morphed, allowing Mclemore to run the Norman music festival’s comedy show. Another show at the Blue Whale recently took place, with others asking for Mclemore to host and produce.
“What it comes down to is [The Quah Laughs] is our show,” Mclemore said. “This is the one that started it all. This is the one where we are putting [up] all of the best comedians we have.”
The Quah Laughs Arts and Comedy Festival will take place Aug. 24, with the comedy running from 7–10 p.m. and the doors opening at 6:15 p.m. The art market will take place from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Cover charge is $20 at the door. Other pricing maybe found on the Full Blood Facebook page.
Skyler Hammonswrites for the Tahlequah Daily Press.
