So a Guy Walks Out of a Bar

CATSKILL - So a guy walks into a Greene County Legislature meeting, the other night, wanting to ask for cash for some kind of comedy show or whatever, and figures his chances are slimmer than Slim Whitman.

“They had just been having an intense debate about something and then I was told it was my turn to talk,” says Robbie Chafitz, the co-creator and organizer of the 3rd Annual Catskill Comedy Festival.

The event runs October 16-18 in multiple venues in the river town, within easy strolling distance of each other, drawing top-drawer talent such as Bobcat Goldthwait and Colin Quinn the previous two years.

It has now blossomed into a non-profit entity with proceeds from the festival hosting free comedy workshops, classes, and events for local up-and-comers such as Kids Open Mic and Workshop for ages 7-14.

“We turn Catskill into one big comedy club for a weekend,” says Chafitz, a filmmaker who lives in the county seat. 

“You can walk from a sold-out theatre show on Main Street, to a late set at a nearby bar in five minutes, and the next morning your kid can get on stage for the first time.

"Our mission is simple: bring world-class comedy to the Catskills and make it accessible to everyone,” says Chafitz, also speaking for co-founder Stephan Bradicich.

Simple enough but it is anything but simple, putting together a three-day laugh riot which took him to the legislature, seeking exploding cigars.

Not really. He was hoping for financial support but talk about bad timing…it was like the first guy stepping into the ring with Mike Tyson.

Lawmakers “had just got done with a big, very serious debate about something and the room got pretty quiet,” Chafitz says, smiling.

“It was a tough act to follow so I just went for it. I said, ‘And now, the comedy festival is going to ask for money!’ 

“Luckily, they laughed,” Chafitz says, receiving $3,000 through a legislative resolution stating the county and its tourism department, “supports initiatives that strengthen economic development and tourism.”

The festival “brings people here and gets them to stay here,” legislature chairman Patrick Linger says, with the resolution noting there were approximately 1200 attendees last year.

County dollars will be used for, “essential non‑personnel marketing assets, promotional signage and staging leases,” the resolution states.

“This is purely a labor of love,” says Chafitz, originally from Maryland, serendipitously discovering the Catskills, wishing to pass them on.

Providing a twist to the classic joke that starts with…”so a guy walks into a bar”…the Comedy Festival was born exactly the opposite, according to a Country 21 New West Properties website telling of the tale.

In September 2024, Chafitz, “caught a comedy show at the Avalon Lounge on Church Street [in Catskill] and walked out with an idea instead of a hangover,” the website states.

His sober brainstorm was, “turning the village into a place people traveled to for a laugh. He didn't have a headliner booked. He didn't have a nonprofit filed,” the website states.

“What he had was a folding-chair crowd and a hunch that Catskill's small footprint could hold something bigger than itself.

“If you live here you've probably already seen the tourism-site version of this story: fall foliage, a weekend getaway, comedy under the trees.

“That version leaves out the part that actually explains how a village this size pulls it off, and it's the part worth knowing if you're the one who lives two blocks from wherever the show is,” the website states.

“All true and all amazing,” Chafitz says. “Laughing brings everybody together,” noting the scheduled venues include:

—Catskill Community Theatre (373 Main Street) — home to the festival's opening-night kickoff and to showcases like Squalid Gold.

—Bridge Street Theatre (44 West Bridge Street) — panels, showcases, and student workshop performances.

—The Avalon Lounge (29 Church Street) — the room where it all started, now home to Local Laughs and the festival's improv bookings.

—Left Bank Ciders (150 Water Street) — smaller, workshop-style programming for people who want to try material in front of a live room.

—Foreland (111 Water Street) — additional stage space in its Bookhouse event area.

“Growing up, I was one of those kids who wasn’t into sports and video games. I found my place with theater and comedy,” Chafitz says.

“When I initially came to the Catskills, I loved the energy, the people, the diversity. Now, I want to give back to the youth. Maybe a kid can find a place they didn’t know was there.”

And then there is the one about the guy who walks into a bar with a piano playing frog and a singing mouse…