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Comedy and music will intertwine at Caroga Lake on Sunday afternoon as the Caroga Arts Collective presents “Alex Moffat & Friends: A Comedy and Music Block Party.”
The event, which will be at Sherman’s Park, will feature a number of comedians and musicians, including former Saturday Night Live cast member Alex Moffat, indie folk-pop duo The Sea The Sea, and local comedian and singer Erin Harkes.
“I’m excited, I think it’s going to be really fun,” said Kyle Barrett Price, founder and artistic director of the Caroga Arts Collective, a not-for-profit organization that began in 2012 to bring arts to the Adirondacks and promote community involvement. “It should feel pretty relaxed and fun and kind of an Adirondack afternoon while getting to spend time with your family and watch these amazing performers.”
Sunday’s show is one of the first events of this year’s Caroga Lake Music Festival, an annual summer showcase of multi-genre music and art. Moffat, who curated the block party, says there will be something for everyone, including improvisational and stand-up comedy, carousel rides and good music.
“I’ve always loved the sort of block-party vibe,” said Moffat, who became involved with the organization after attending a show last summer with his family. “So I was like, yeah — comedy, music, everybody having a ball, eating ice cream and drinking beer, let’s do it.”
This event also marks the first time that the Caroga Arts Collective has presented a comedy show, an effort to expand the types of art it presents to the community.
“Although our roots are as a music festival, our nonprofit umbrella name is Caroga Arts Collective, and part of this is to show the ambition to grow beyond just music into other art forms and have engagement throughout the year,” Price said. “Alex’s show is a great example of how music can then feed into comedy and other art forms and, really, they play off one another.
“I think it’ll be fun to get our feet wet in the comedy world and hopefully have it be a recurring thing in the future.”
This arrangement is particularly ideal for artists who perform in both mediums — such as Harkes, who will be doing both a stand-up set and performing with her cover band, Hark, on Sunday.
“I’m always happy to bring the band out for something like this, but to be able to have the opportunity to do both — and to do it with somebody of Alex’s stature — is a huge coup for me, so I’m really excited,” Harkes said. “I think it’s going to be a great event and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
For the rest of the season, which will continue through September, the Caroga Lake Music Festival will welcome acts like The Gibson Brothers, Utica Dance, and Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra, experiences that Price promises to be “intimate” and “impactful.”
“When people come to Caroga Lake, what they experience is something that is essentially unique in the sense that it’s up close, it’s personal, it’s emotional in the best way that art can be,” Price said.
“Alex Moffat & Friends: A Comedy and Music Block Party” will take place at Sherman’s Park in Caroga Lake starting at 3 p.m. Tickets start at $23.18, with free general admission for students and those under 17 years of age, and can be purchased online or in-person.
“The block party vibe should really just be like a party, so even if people are not rapped by the comedy, they’ll come away from it going ‘That was a great way to spend a Sunday,’” Moffat said.
