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Happy birthday to Sophie Jayne Hoover!

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Happy birthday to Landon James Dietterick!

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; With Pennsylvania-related jokes and improvisational crowd roasting, comedian Scott Bruce had a packed house rolling Feb. 27 as people gathered in support of a worthy cause.</p><p>Collaborating with Bruce, proprietor of Wise Crackers Comedy Clubs, &#8220;Team Kirby&#8221; of the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/504425/leadership-wilkes-barre-event-raises-money-for-brandons-forever-home" target="_blank">Leadership Wilkes-Barre </a>Class of 2016 held a comedy fundraiser at Wise Crackers inside Mohegan Sun Pocono to benefit Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s fondly thought of outdoor recreation space Kirby Park.</p><p>Patrons paid $20 for a ticket, a portion of which was donated to &#8220;Team Kirby,&#8221; and made additional donations through basket raffles and silent auctions. Bruce primed the audience with 30 minutes of hilarity before introducing featured comedians David James and Stephanie Peters.</p><p>Kingston native, current Plains resident and &#8220;Team Kirby&#8221; member Danny Lynn was pleased with the community support for the park during the event. Earlier in the day, he spoke about his connection to the place.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;d always go to Kirby Park for the Fourth of July because that was the big thing back in the day,&#8221; Lynn said. &#8220;My mom used to take me ice skating on the pond. That was always a blast because they always had bonfires going. And of course, sleigh riding down the hills in <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/483065/measures-taken-to-improve-kirby-park-natural-area" target="_blank">Kirby Park</a>. You could get a heck of a long ride off the dike. I used the park for everything, spring, summer, winter, fall.&#8221;</p><p>Lynn said funds from the benefit will go toward three major areas of improvement in the park. &#8220;Team Kirby&#8221; intends to install a sign on Market Street indicating the entrance to the park. Team members also plan to repair and refinish about 20 park benches and work with the city of Wilkes-Barre to accomplish a park cleanup before the spring and summer seasons.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre resident Ralph Hughes was on hand to support both the cause and his son, &#8220;Team Kirby&#8221; member, Ian Hughes.</p><p>&#8220;I remember Kirby Park when I was a kid,&#8221; Ralph Hughes said. It was totally different. There was more nature.&#8221;</p><p>He said the fundraiser was a proactive way to begin reclaiming a space that&#8217;s been unkempt and underutilized.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a great area not used properly,&#8221; Hughes said.</p><p>Richard Santasania was in attendance with his family and recalled taking his daughter fishing in Kirby Park when she was a child.</p><p>&#8220;You have to keep Kirby Park up to date,&#8221; Santasania said. &#8220;There&#8217;s nothing else for the kids to do. Where are they going to go? Where else can they sleigh ride in the winter and play softball in the summer? It&#8217;s one of the last free things for kids to do and not get in trouble.&#8221;</p><p>As laughter and nostalgia ruled the evening, Lynn praised Bruce and <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/4773/wise-crackers-comedy-club-event-benefits-blue-chip-farms-animal-refuge-in-dallas" target="_blank">Wise Crackers </a>for being valuable community partners in the benefit.</p><p>Bruce said Wise Crackers hosts about 150 fundraisers yearly and the events make sense for community and business.</p><p>&#8220;It was a natural marriage,&#8221; Bruce said. &#8220;I have this big room with lots of seats and, rather than have them empty, why not have groups sell tickets so they can make some money and I have fuller houses.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You have the added bonus of, when people walk out, they&#8217;ve just gotten done donating to their favorite charity and they&#8217;re going, &#8216;That was the best time I ever had.&#8217; How do you beat that, raising money while laughing?&#8221;</p><p>Hearty laughs for Kirby Park were heard all night and Lynn put in perspective just how much of a jewel the place is.</p><p>&#8220;The gentleman who designed Kirby Park actually designed Central Park in New York City,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If you think of it that way, that is pretty significant.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A large crowd packs the Leadership Wilkes-Barre fundraiser for &#8216;Team Kirby&#8217; at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_3-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>A large crowd packs the Leadership Wilkes-Barre fundraiser for &#8216;Team Kirby&#8217; at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wise Crackers Comedy Club emcee Scott Bruce entertains the crowd during a fundraiser for Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Kirby Park cleanup project at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_1-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wise Crackers Comedy Club emcee Scott Bruce entertains the crowd during a fundraiser for Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Kirby Park cleanup project at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A stage-side group of women from the Berwick area laughs at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_2-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>A stage-side group of women from the Berwick area laughs at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Feature comedian David James entertains the crowd at Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s &#8216;Team Kirby&#8217; fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Feature comedian David James entertains the crowd at Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s &#8216;Team Kirby&#8217; fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Feature comedian David James entertains the crowd at Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Team Kirby fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_5-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Feature comedian David James entertains the crowd at Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Team Kirby fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Alicia Al-Saigh, right, of Wilkes-Barre, and Nichole Malinovitch, of Hanover Township, join others in looking over raffle baskets for Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s &#8216;Team Kirby&#8217; fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816ComedyFundraiser_cp_mm_6-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>Alicia Al-Saigh, right, of Wilkes-Barre, and Nichole Malinovitch, of Hanover Township, join others in looking over raffle baskets for Leadership Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s &#8216;Team Kirby&#8217; fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption5><photoCredit5>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Leadership Wilkes-Barre, Wise Crackers come together to support Kirby Park</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Matt Mattei</p><p>mmattei@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651 or <a href="mailto:Twitter@TLArts">Twitter@TLArts</a></p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Leadership Wilkes-Barre holds comedy fundraiser at Wise Crackers Comedy Club in Mohegan Sun Pocono to support Kirby Park