Greater Wichita YMCA purchases historic campground, plans to keep its legacy alive
8 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A beloved Wichita comedy club is closing its doors.
If you have been to a comedy show at The Loony Bin Comedy Club, then you have probably run into the familiar face of manager Ron Shively. He has been with The Loony Bin for the entirety of the club’s existence, 23 years.
Shively, a comic himself, believes that the club has represented more than just making people laugh.
“I mean, how many people have had a first date or how many families are there in this world because two people fell in love laughing together at one of our shows,” said Shively.
Known as “Mr.Biggs,” Shively told us that he would love to see another comedy club be formed in place of The Loony Bin.
After The Loony Bin’s co-owner Jeffery Jones passed away in 2022, Larry Marks was already contemplating retirement and decided it was time to post the building for sale. The building was then purchased, and the new owners have no plans to keep the location as a comedy club.
The Loony Bin will host an all-local comic show called “We’re All Closers Now” next Wednesday, July 12. The show is already sold out.
“It’ll be a bittersweet day. I think we’ll all have a lot of fun, and I think we’ll all be able to reminisce and stuff a lot. It’s going to be a great night. It’s a sold-out show,” said comedian Katie Gette.
The Loony Bin will close its doors on July 15 after three nights of shows by comedian Steven Rogers.