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Annual Kootenay Gut Buster bringing standup comedy back to Crawford Bay

Crawford Bay will rock with laughter when the Kootenay Gut Buster comedy festival runs for the third time on July 26 and 27...
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Comedian Daryl Makk onstage at the 2012 Kootenay Gut Buster.

Crawford Bay will rock with laughter once again, when the Kootenay Gut Buster comedy festival runs for the third time on July 26 and 27.

Since moving to Crawford Bay from the Toad Rock Campground (north of Balfour), where it ran for five years, the festival has been a welcome addition to the East Shore’s summer entertainment.

“I think people were surprised at the calibre of the comics that were in front of them,” said organizer Paul Hindson, who owns Kokanee Chalets. “These guys came out and they were good, polished comics.”

This year’s lineup is equally talented, with standup comedians including Pete Zedlacher, a Gemini Award-winner who has toured Afghanistan three times to entertain the troops, Daryl Makk, president of comedy show planner the Planet Tour Inc., and James Moore, who runs Calgary’s Comedy Monday Night, western Canada's longest running comedy open mic stage.

Other names in the two-evening lineup include Matt Billon, Scott Dumas, Andrew Albert, Cory Harding, Noor Kidwai and Ben Proulx, as well as surprise comedy guests and Julia Kinder, who won the KGB comedy contest, held at New Keys Bar in Crawford Bay on July 12. Each night opens with a performance by musical guest Marija and Shadowstalk.

And on Saturday night, Hindson, who started doing standup comedy in Calgary, will likely wind up on the stage, too.

“I’ve been doing standup comedy off and on for years,” he said. “It’s a hobby for me.”

It’s certainly a nerve-wracking hobby, however.

“I still get scared to death every time I go up,” said Hindson. “Even the guys that are doing it a lot, they still get the nerves. … You can’t be afraid to fail.”

The KGB is more than just two nights of comedy — last year, it raised $1,000 for Crawford Bay school’s hot lunch program.

Also important, Hindson said, is the opportunity it provides to draw newcomers to the East Shore, something he does every chance he gets.

“It’s a beautiful area,” he said. “All it takes is for a person to set foot here, and they come back.”

Each night runs from 8-10 p.m., with the gate opening at 7. For more information, visit www.kgbcomedy.com, and for tickets, call 1-800-448-9292.