Nights of laughter for the unemployed

APPLETON - If laughter fuels the soul, the Skyline Comedy Café may just become the pit stop of choice.

"If you can't laugh you can't live," audience member Pam O'Connor of Clintonville said.

"It's a break away from reality, it really is," club owner Cliff Diedrick said. "TV can offer it to a certain extent, but live entertainment just has something else to offer."

Diedrick says he wants to get the city laughing, especially the unemployed.

"We just wanted to do something that would give people a night out where they could go out and laugh for 90 minutes and just kinda forget about things," he said.

Psychologist Frank Cummings says it's a great time for that. He says persistent worries over the economy are filling up his office.

"There's an increase in the need for services and people that can't afford it, so we end up having people that are kind of caught in this trap," Cummings said.

He says people are anxious, depressed and in need of escape.

Skyline may just provide it. The club is now offering the laughs up for free Wednesday through Friday if you're a member of the military or recently unemployed and can prove it. The two-drink minimum still applies.

"But, if its an issue of a budget for people I'll work with them on that too, the idea is just to get people out," Diedrick said.

Cummings says laughter really is good medicine.

"It helps with people who have physical illnesses, but also people who have mental health problems like anxiety, depression, worry or even stress," he said.

Wednesday night audience members say Skyline's idea comes at the right time and will make an impact.

"Hopefully kind of lighten up everybody's morale and help bring a little bit of laughter to everybody's life," O'Connor said.

Skyline did not have any unemployed workers or members of the military on the special's first night. Managers are hoping that will change. The club will continue the offer Wednesdays through Fridays until the end of summer.