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Humane Society of Clarksville – Montgomery County (HSCMC) Beneficiary of Recent Comedy on the Cumberland Benefit

Written by HSCMC President Stacey Hopwood

Humane Society of Clarksville – Montgomery County (HSCMC)Clarksville, TN – On Tuesday night, October 12th, the place to be in Clarksville was the Roxy Regional Theatre.  Four hilarious comedians rocked the house with laughter as the Humane Society of Clarksville-Montgomery County benefited from a gala night.

Comedy on the Cumberland was the brainchild of Clarksville talk show host and comedian Hank Bonecutter, who saw a demand for stand up comedy in the Clarksville/Fort Campbell community. “With the help of sponsors like F&M Bank, Wendy’s, and Wyatt Johnson, we knew we could affect change in our community”, said Bonecutter. “All of the proceeds generated through the show’s ticket sales go directly to the charity, so people can make a tax deductible donation and enjoy a great show”.

Comedy on the Cumberland organizer Hank Bonecutter presents HSCMC Programs Director Amy Shaver with $3420 in proceeds from ticket sales for the October 12th COTC benefit show.
Comedy on the Cumberland organizer Hank Bonecutter presents HSCMC Programs Director Amy Shaver with $3420 in proceeds from ticket sales for the October 12th COTC benefit show.

The October 12th show was the third Comedy on the Cumberland benefit, and as with previous editions, Bonecutter served as host for the evening, a fitting gig since he is the host of Clarksville’s longest running morning radio show, “The Bone Show,” presented daily on WJZM, a Clarksville based radio station owned and general managed by Bonecutter.

Roxy Regional Theatre Managing Director Tom Thayer and Artistic Director John McDonald have opened their doors and their hearts to Comedy on the Cumberland for the first three benefit shows, providing a wonderfully cozy space for stand up comedy in downtown Clarksville. The Roxy continues to prove itself as a committed community partner.

This edition of Comedy on the Cumberland was a combined effort of many sponsors, including F&M Bank, Wendy’s, Wyatt Johnson, the Roxy Regional Theatre, WJZM, CDE Lightband, Clarksville Online, Discover Clarksville, Clarksville’s Best Buys, and Ad One Advertising. With the support of these sponsors, all expenses for the event were underwritten, allowing the Humane Society to reap 100% of the ticket sales.

Thanks to our wonderful media sponsors, a touching video presentation was put together, describing the HSCMC’s programs and featuring many of our volunteers and adoptable pets, both those already adopted and those still in need of their forever home.  This video was shown at the beginning of the evening, and emphasized to those in attendance exactly what their ticket money was being spent to accomplish.

Keith Alberstadt, Brother Preacher, X-Man, Dan Whitehurst, and Hank Bonecutter
Keith Alberstadt, Brother Preacher, X-Man, Dan Whitehurst, and Hank Bonecutter

Following the video presentation, X-MAN (Xavier Reginald King) took the stage, showing why he won his first comedy contest in 1983. King’s humor made a laughing matter out of racial differences and stereotypes, and served to get the evening off to a good start.

Next to the stage was the “World’s Funniest Cop” Dan Whitehurst. Formerly an armed robbery detective on the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department, Whitehurst was able to make good use of some on-the-job stories to hilarious effect.  Anyone who saw his performance will never think of a “smoothie” the same way again.

Third onstage was Gary Lee, aka Brother Preacher. Lee’s persona was that of a much maligned minister, but of what no one could be sure. His performance was all over the place and fast paced, leaving much of the audience looking at each other as if to say “what was that?”, while laughing the whole time.

The audience was then treated to a special surprise, as the cast of the Roxy’s production of “Dracula” serenaded us with the beautiful “Points of Light”. Hats off to these young performers for giving up their night off to attend this event and perform for the Comedy on the Cumberland crowd.

The Cast of Dracula the Musical
The Cast of Dracula the Musical

Then came the highlight of the evening, headliner Keith Alberstadt. It’s easy to see why Alberstadt has performed on David Letterman and is a contributing writer for “Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update” and Jimmy Fallon’s “Late Show.”  He is genuinely funny and able to ad lib quickly on his feet based on interaction with audience members.  His self depreciating mockery of himself was good fodder for material; and if you have any doubt how to say his last name, just remember that it is pronounced Jenkins.

Keith Alberstadt
Keith Alberstadt

All four performers stayed after the show and mingled in the lobby, joking around, signing autographs, and posing for pictures with their new fans. The side-splitting entertainment provided by these comics was well worth the price of admission, even if it had been a for-profit show.

Knowing that all the laughs were had in support of the Humane Society of Clarksville – Montgomery County and our programs only sweetened the enjoyment for the crowd. The HSCMC was fortunate to have been chosen by Comedy on the Cumberland as the charity of choice for this event and we were very excited to collect over $3400 through ticket sales for the show.

We look forward to supporting Comedy on the Cumberland’s future benefit shows, as they continue to provide this unique opportunity for local non-profits. We encourage the community to be on the lookout for the next show, as it promises to be a rollicking good time. The website is www.comedyonthecumberland.com.

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