Mike McGuire and Cody Malbeuf are local comedians who thought offering up their humour to raise money for a good cause would be a great way to bring social distancing entertainment to those looking for something a little different this summer.
McGuire said he got the idea when he heard that his friend Lars Callieou, a full-time comedian in Edmonton, offered fire pit comedy shows to residents in that city to keep working during the coronavirus pandemic.
McGuire took it a step further and decided to donate all proceeds to charity and invited Malbeuf to join the fun.
"We thought we'd donate all proceeds to the Wheelin' Warriors, the team that we're on," McGuire said. "Kyle Sampson from Pacific Western Brewing jumped on board so we show up at your house with a flat of beer, go to the backyard, physically distance, do a 45-minute show and all the money is donated and it gives us all a sense of normalcy back in our lives. People are being entertained in their own backyards."
Malbeuf has been doing stand up for about three years in Prince George.
"It's for a good cause so I wanted to help out with that," Malbeuf said. "I've missed doing standup comedian during this whole thing and it's something I love doing. This is a good opportunity to do that and do some good as well. We're both on the Wheelin' Warriors team and we thought it was a great way to raise some money and take people's minds off the situation right now."
Malbeuf said he didn't know what to expect going into the shows.
"The people who have booked so far have been a ton of fun," Malbeuf said. "They've been great crowds so we've had an absolute blast doing them. We can do shows for any audience - family oriented, too - and it helps out a great cause while everyone has some fun."
McGuire does observational humour and likes to keep his comedy based in reality.
"Every bit that I do has happened to me," he said. "I'm relating a story about experiences that I've had, whether it's my first show or my 528th show, everything in my act is something that has actually happened to me and it takes a funny turn."
McGuire has been supporting Wheelin' Warriors for years. The team participates annually in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, which is a 250-kilometre bike ride over two days that takes place in the southern part of the province. McGuire took on the challenge of doing the long-distance ride last year for the first time and will continue to support by raising money this year as the actual event has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For McGuire it started four years ago when a friend wanted to honour the memory of a friend lost to cancer so McGuire supported him on his journey as a Wheelin' Warrior. Then McGuire supported another inspiring friend who was in crisis herself and McGuire just kept going from there.
"The ride won't be on this year but we're still a team and cancer doesn't take the summer off so neither will we," McGuire said.
The Wheely Funny Garden Parties have quickly grown in popularity and there's 15 on the schedule so far and there's always room for more.
The ask is a minimum donation of $200 with all proceeds going to the Wheelin' Warriors of the North fundraising efforts to be ultimately donated to the BC Cancer Foundation. To book a party contact McGuire at 250-961-4767.
