June 21 - First Annual Comedy Night

The Southbury Community Lion Club will host their first annual Comedy Night fundraiser at the Southbury Firehouse, 461 Main Street South in Southbury, to help support their work in the community.

“Last year’s event was a great success, and we were asked if we were going to have a comedy night again this year,” explained event chair Lion Frank Longo. “There’s not really a lot of evening entertainment for adults in the area, so our comedy show would be a great way to provide a night out and raise some money for our work.”

The Southbury Community Lions found four top-notch comedians to entertain:

Liz Moniz: A comedian and writer from Rhode Island, her work has been featured in BuzzFeed, PBS' Stories from the Stage and on Sirius XM's Rawdog Comedy. Liz was voted Favorite Comedian of 2023 by Motif Magazine. She is a regular performer at the Comedy Connection in East Providence, and has been the opening act for performers such as Big Jay Oakerson, Jim Norton and Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. Despite all of her success, she is most proud of her meatloaf recipe and will share it with you if you ask very nicely.

Ish Grupta: A stand-up comedian from Newtown who has done stand-up all over the country, he’s worked at the Stress Factory, Comix Mohegan Sun, the Hartford Funny Bone, and has been seen on Don’t Tell comedy shows all over the country. His travels have taken him as far as the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, recently performing on Chocolate Sundaes. He’s done various festivals such as Rubber City Comedy Festival and Tower City Comedy Festival. He can also do comedy without swearing.

Maya Manion: Maya Manion grew up in Vermont but moved to Rhode Island to break into show business. Maya was featured on Nick at Night's Funniest Mom in America and recently was runner up in Mohegan Sun's Funniest Comic in New England. Maya travels as far as she can go in a night to perform, because no one will watch her kids for longer than that.

Kstie Arroyo: Our evening's headliner, Katie Arroyo, is aggressively funny and fearlessly honest when it comes to all things relationships. Katie delivers sharp, silly, and unabashed comedy that hits hard and lands soft. A New England-based comic with roots in the Boston scene, she’s a standout from the Boston Comedy Festival and the Rogue Island Comedy Festival. Katie tours internationally with viral sensation Pinky Patel and is currently lighting up stages alongside the iconic Natasha Leggero. Catch her headlining MGM’s Roar Comedy Club—because therapy is expensive, but laughing with Katie is priceless.

The event is “Bring Your Own Everything.” The Lions encourage you to bring in everything from snacks to a full dinner to enjoy during the show, and adult beverages are welcome. “Don’t forget cups, plates and utensils!” reminds Longo.

Tickets are $30 each and are only available online through Eventbrite, 

Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world every day because they share a core belief - to serve their community.

Lions have a dynamic history. Founded in 1917, we are best known for fighting blindness, but we also volunteer for many different kinds of community projects - including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding seniors and the disabled.

Lions give sight. By conducting vision screenings, equipping hospitals and clinics, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease, Lions work toward their mission of providing vision for all. We have extended our commitment to sight conservation through countless local efforts and through our international SightFirst Program, which works to eradicate blindness.

Lions serve youth. Our community projects often support local children and schools through scholarships, recreation and mentoring. Internationally, we offer many programs, including the Peace Poster Contest, Youth Camps and Exchange and Lions Quest.

Our Leo Program provides the youth of the world with an opportunity for personal development through volunteering. There are approximately 144,000 Leos and 5,700 Leo clubs in more than 140 countries worldwide.

Lions award grants. Since 1968, the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has awarded more than US$700 million in grants to support Lions humanitarian projects around the world. LCIF was also ranked the number one nongovernmental organization in a 2007 study by The Financial Times.

Lions help during disasters. Together, our Foundation and Lions are helping communities following natural disasters by providing for immediate needs such as food, water, clothing and medical supplies – and aiding in long-term reconstruction.

Lions are active. Our motto is "We Serve." Lions are part of a global service network, doing whatever is necessary to help our local communities.

For more about Lions Clubs, go to www.lionsclubs.org

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.