Comedians Mick Lazinski, Doug Stone Kick off Landmark’s Winter Comedy Club

“Laughter is the best medicine” is an old adage that applies to many of the less-than-stellar circumstances or seasons of life. Perhaps none as daunting as winter on the Door Peninsula.

This is “truly something more for the locals,” said Jeff Larson, the organizer of the Comedy Club at the Landmark Resort. The humor-inducing event has been entertaining audiences for 15 years and while Door County provides a variety of entertainment options, live comedy is something that is unique to the Landmark.

Mick Lazinski

While popular events such as live music at a local bar or attendance at a theatrical outlet begin to wane, the comedy club is the perfect seasonal bridge between fall and spring.

For locals, it is a “nice break after the busy season,” Larson said. The Comedy Club provides something for locals who often don’t have the time for fun during the summer/fall months when work is a constant and businesses are catering to visitors of the peninsula.

The event starts Nov. 12 and will continue the second Thursday of every month through May.

The evening kicks off with a buffet dinner at 6:30 pm and the show begins at 8 pm. Every performance features two comics and the cost is $22 for both dinner and the show, or $15 for just the show.

Performers from across the country entertain at the Landmark every year and come from a variety of comedic backgrounds. Some have Wisconsin roots and are well versed in the humorous nuances of Wisconsin culture.

“I talk about indigenous activity,” said comedian Mick Lazinski. “I’m from Wisconsin (and) I know how to joke about the Packers, I know how people behave towards the Bears, I’m a Midwesterner.”

Lazinski will perform along with Doug Stone on the first show of the season.

Lazinski’s love of comedy was forged as a theater major at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He would attend comedy shows and realized that entertainment venue would best utilize his talents as a performer. The Wisconsin-bred comic has traveled the world and opened for prolific comedians such as Joan Rivers and George Carlin.

Lazinski knows Door County well and worked at Gordon Lodge in Baileys Harbor in the summer of 1973. Knowledge and experiences of life on the peninsula will be assimilated into his routine.

Doug Stone

“I’m very anecdotal,” Lazinski said. “I do some impressions. I will be indigenous to Door County, state colleges, the people from Chicago that go up to Door County.”

A Michigan native, Fred Potter has been tickling funny bones across the country since 1989.

“I come from a family of entertainers,” Potter said. “I always admired the art of comedy; it is a big high when done correctly.”

Potter will headline the club’s second show when he performs with Dave Johnson on Dec. 12.

Potter has opened for comedic greats such as Bernie Mac, Sinbad and Steve Harvey.

“I always wanted to be as smooth as Jerry Lewis, who is a true entertainer,” Potter said. “My show is primarily my family topics that we can all relate. (I’m) looking forward to the show in October.”

Scheduling dates for performances can be found at thelandmarkresort.com/calendar/comedy-club.