Krackpots in Massillon, Ohio hosting Lincoln Highway Comedy Festival

MASSILLON − Comedians will descend on Krackpots Comedy Club for the first Lincoln Highway Comedy Festival to entertain and learn about the craft of joke telling at workshops.

The event runs April 30 to May 3.

Krackpots owner Chris Ketler is a veteran of the comedy scene, also running a club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and booking shows for other venues such as Roxy Theatre in downtown Minerva.

But he’s always looking for new ventures, and the Lincoln Highway Comedy Festival is an ambitious undertaking, featuring more than 50 comedians, ranging from emerging talents to veterans. Comedians will be both from the area and outside the state, including Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and California.

“We’re lucky to have such a wide variety of entertainment at our fingertips in Stark County, including standup comedy,” said Tonja Marshall, chief marketing officer at the Visit Canton, also known as the Canton/Stark County Convention & Visitors’ Bureau. “… The Lincoln Highway Comedy Festival at Krackpots is unique because it’s not only entertainment for the general public but also workshops and seminars for aspiring and emerging comedians, adding another layer of appeal for people to travel to the event.”

Here are five things you need to know about the Lincoln Highway Comedy Festival:

1. Why have the comedy festival?

“The festival celebrates not only standup comedy but also the spirit of connection, travel and community that the iconic (Lincoln Highway) route represents,” Ketler said. “Attendees can expect a lively atmosphere filled with nightly shows, special guest appearances and surprise moments that make live comedy a one-of-a-kind experience.”

“We wanted to put Massillon on the map of comedy festivals because this is the next big thing,” he said. “Like every community has an amphitheater. You’re going to see comedy festivals all over, so every little town up and down the highway is going to have a comedy festival eventually.”

2. Who are the headliners?

Featured comedians will be Keith Lenart on May 1 and 2 and Bernice Ye on May 3.

Lenhart, a Detroit native, has toured internationally and has performed standup since the ’90s. He’s also entertained U.S. troops in the Middle East and Japan.

Lenhart appeared on NBC’s “So You Think You’re Funny,” “Comcast Comedy Spotlight” and in the Last Vegas Comedy Festival. He also was featured in the films “American Wedding” and “Vamps.”

Ye was born in China and moved to the United States in 2024, where she graduated from Purdue University and worked in the tech industry before pursuing comedy full-time.

Performing at the Laugh After Dark Comedy Festival and San Diego Comedy Festival, she’s also a comedy rapper and martial artist known for blending high-energy stand-up, original music and physical comedy, her website says.

3. When are the comedy shows?

The Lincoln Highway Comedy Festival Showcase is at 7:30 p.m. April 30. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The Comedy Festival Showcase, headlined by Lenhart, will be at 7:30 and 10 p.m. May 1 and May 2.

The Kill Lincoln Comedy Roast is at 11:45 p.m. May 1. Doors open at 11:15 p.m.

The Comedy Festival One Liner Conest is at 11:45 p.m. May 2. Doors open at 11:15 p.m.

Ye performs at 7 p.m. on May 3. Doors open at 6 p.m.

4. Are there food and drinks?

A full kitchen and bar will be available. Check out the menu at https://www.krackpotscomedy.com/.

The Krackpots sandwich features kielbasa on a butter toasted bun topped with fresh-cut fries, melted cheese, barbecue sauce, coleslaw and a pickled egg. Options also include kielbasa, tacos, baked pasta, chicken wings, a pulled pork parfait and pizza.