Laughter on the lakeside

By Rose Sgarlato
SPARTA — “Take my wife...please.”
Henny Youngman would have fit right in last Saturday night at Lake Mohawk Country Club’s Comedy Night where five featured comedians made fun of their significant others, as well as themselves with self-deprecating weight jokes.
A packed house of about 200 LMCC members and guests made for quite the audience on a cold February 3 night. Organized by Lake Mohawk resident and comedienne Missy Allan, the evening was a success, featuring stand-ups: Joe Garsetti, Larry Di Gregorio, Peter Sasso, Allan and headliner Chris Roach.
Garsetti, owner of Sparta Avenue Stage, combines the art of magic with comedy in a routine that engages the crowd with live props featuring a bird. Audience member Tony Corbo got in on the act by giving Garsetti his own $100 bill that magically disappeared and of course reappeared in a crazy place.
“I was amazed and couldn’t figure out how he did it. My $100 bill ended up inside the orange. Joe Garsetti is a great guy and a wonderful magician,” said Corbo. “We have enjoyed several of his shows at Sparta Stage.”
Peter Sasso of Staten Island, NY is known for his deadpan jokes and has written over 1,000 jokes for leading publications such as “Readers Digest.”
“My wife is Italian, but she’s not a good cook — we pray after we eat,” said Sasso for one of his opening lines.
He went on to make fun of his social media skills too: “I went on Facebook for the first time and found out my wife is single.”
The crowd, mostly couples, found the domestic humor very entertaining.
And if people did not know Chris Roach from his character Mott on the CBS show " Kevin Can Wait" they certainly know him now. Roach hails from Ronkonkoma, Long Island and immediately made fun of the LMCC ballroom and makeshift stage.
“What am I playing in a barn? Is this curtain for a puppet? Am I supposed to get on this box (stage)?”
Making fun of his ‘larger’ stature 6'6" build, Roach went on to joke that eating kale is like dating an ugly person because they have money.
Lake Mohawk resident Nicole Garcia and her husband are newcomers to live comedy.
“This was our first comedy show ever. I liked the main event and Sasso too.”
Steve Reedy attended with his wife and neighbors and laughed all night.
“The comics were really good. It was a great evening and absolutely met my expectations,” he said.
Lake Mohawk Country Club was quite pleased with the turnout and crowd response.
“We were delighted to host the Comedy Night. It was a wonderful night for LMCC members and all of our friends from the local community to come together and share great food and great laughs,” said Barbara Wortmann, General Manager of LMCC. “The performers entertained to a sold out crowd for both the buffet and the show. We are looking forward to hosting many more events like this in the future.”
Event organizer Missy Allan added that when putting a show together she focuses on clean comedy and non-offensive humor:
“From the crowd tonight, everything went well. I thank everyone who attended and also Lake Mohawk Country Club, a beautiful and wonderful asset to the community.
And if any school fundraisers or sports teams want to raise money doing a comedy event, please contact me and make a lot of funny money!”
Missy Allan can be contacted at MelissaMollyAllan@Aol.com.