Economy
The Serious Mission Behind a $50 Million Comedy Museum
The struggling Western New York city of Jamestown has big dreams for its new comedy museum. Can it live up to the hype?
Every year in Jamestown, New York, the beginning of August brings an invasion of Lucys.
For the past three decades, thousands of people in red wigs and polka-dot dresses have converged here each summer for the five-day Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. These superfans don’t just love Lucy—they’re head-over-heels for her. They compete in a fashion show, buy I Love Lucy memorabilia, and participate in an intense chocolate-wrapping contest, inspired by perhaps Ball’s most memorable scene. Lucy-centric events occur all over town alongside a series of stand-up performances in nearby theaters.