Courtesy Gil Lopez
LONG ISLAND CITY — A stand-up comedy group from Sunnyside will be hitting the stage at Flux Factory Friday night to raise money for an urban farm in Long Island City, part of a three-day fundraiser for the neighborhood green space.
Sunnyside Comedy, which started hosting monthly comedy shows in the neighborhood last year, is organizing the event to benefit the Smiling Hogshead Ranch, a community farm on Skillman Avenue and Davis Court.
The show will feature seven comics, including Ted Alexandro — who’s performed on Comedy Central and “Late Night with David Letterman” — and Joyelle Johnson, who’s opened for big names like Dave Chappelle and Maria Bamford, according to a press release for the event.
All proceeds from the $20 tickets will go to Smiling Hogshead Ranch, an urban farm where one of Sunnyside Comedy’s founders, Colin Anton Samuel, is a board member.
The event is the first fundraiser the comedy group has thrown for a Queens organization.
“The whole point of Sunnyside Comedy is to bring laughs and promote all that’s wonderful in western Queens,” said Samuel, who started Sunnyside Comedy with fellow comic Lindsay Goldwert. “This fundraiser is the perfect embodiment of everything Lindsay and I want to do.”
The show is part of a three-day event to raise money for Smiling Hogshead Ranch, called the “Hogshead Hoedown,” which will kick off Thursday with a variety show and end Saturday with a potluck dinner.
There will also be raffles with prizes like a private tour of MoMA PS1, free tickets to shows at The Secret Theatre and growlers of beer from local breweries like Big Alice and Rockaway Brewing Company.
Money from the events will go to covering the cost of insurance at the Ranch, which the farm is required to carry as part of its deal to grow on MTA-owned land, according to founder Gil Lopez.
The funds will also help the farmers continue to offer free programs, like composting, a neighborhood clean-up and growing workshops, Lopez said.
The comedy fundraiser “Funny by Nature” will take place Friday, March 27 at Flux Factory, 39-31 29th St. in Long Island City. Tickets can be purchased online for $20 or for $25 at the door.
