ORANGE — The Orange Merchants Group is again arranging a stand-up comedy show to raise money to keep the tradition of downtown holiday decorating alive and well.
“OMG! Laughs to Light Up Orange 2025” will be held at the Ellinwood Country Club at 1928 Pleasant St. in Athol on Friday, Sept. 19. Tickets are $25 and doors open at 6 p.m., while the show starts at 7. Proceeds will go toward the commercial-grade holiday lights that decorate Memorial and Riverfront parks.
“I ask that if you can come, please come, because we need to raise enough funds to continue to light the park,” Selectboard Chair Tom Smith said at the end of a recent Selectboard meeting. “The current amount we have left will not do that this year.”
Smith is the office manager for Witty’s Funeral Home, an Orange Merchants Group member. Tickets are available at the funeral home, located at 158 South Main St., and at Over The Top Bakery at 90 New Athol Road in Orange.
The Orange Merchants Group is again working with Funny 4 Funds, a Rhode Island company that provides three-person comedy shows to help raise money for groups and causes. It is unknown which comedians will be coming to Orange on Sept. 19, as Funny 4 Funds books shows based on a requested date, not on the availability of specific talent. Each show consists of a host, a featured act and a headliner.
The first Funny 4 Funds show spearheaded by the Orange Merchants Group was held three years ago, for the same cause. The idea came from Fran and Mike Bates, who own Over The Top Bakery as well as Bates Down Under and Flea Market. Fran Bates explained she became familiar with Funny 4 Funds after attending a benefit show for a friend whose husband had died unexpectedly and she later arranged a show to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
“It’s just a great thing,” Fran Bates said of the organization.
She mentioned the Orange event in 2022 was a big success.
“It was a very funny show, and everybody was thanking us for bringing it to town,” she recalled. “They loved it.”
The show, though consisting solely of clean comedy, is for ages 18 and older. There will be light snacks, a cash bar, a 50/50 raffle, and live and silent auctions.
Tickets can be purchased and donations can be made online at funny4funds.com/events/omg-laughs-to-light-up-orange-2025/1628.
