
Comedian Willie Barcena will host the comedy show "Willie's Comedy Jam" on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 8:00pm at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in San Bernardino, home of the 66ers Minor League Baseball team. " Willie's Comedy Jam" will feature comedians Ruben Paul, Larry Omaha, Robert Zapata, Quinn Dale, Frazer Smith and an opening concert by the City Beat Band.
A pre-show dinner and after show party with DJ, food and drinks are also available. Tickets for "Willie's Comedy Jam" are available at www.ticketmaster.com or through the 66er's Ticket Office at 909-888-9922.
The evening is a benefit for Veronica Spiers, who was diagnosed with colon cancer this past March. Her chemotherapy treatments were recently placed on hold, and the funds raised by this event will act a bridge for the Spiers while they are discussing how to move forward with their insurance company. When Barcena learned of The Situation, he volunteered to bring his Comedy Jam to the Arrowhead Credit Union Park to raise some much need funds for the Spiers.
Redlands, California resident Mike Spiers founded the ABD Academy in 1992, as a way to create more opportunities to young players. It is now recognized as one of the top programs in the country, with 38 teams and approximately 800 players throughout California, Hawaii and Nevada. ABD Academy graduates carry a long line of national titles from college teams to the minor and major leagues. Currently, five former ABD players are in the Major Leagues: Allen Craig (St Louis Cardinals), Greg Dobbs (Philadelphia Phillies), Tommy Hanson (Atlanta Braves), Reed Johnson (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Xavier Paul (Los Angeles Dodgers).
There are 50 plus ABD players in the Minor Leagues, and they have produced 18 Aflac All-Americans since 2005 alone. In addition, the ABD Academy had two 2010 first round selections - Christian Yelich (Marlins) and Peter Tago (Rockies), and had ten more first round draft picks in the last five years, including Jiovanni Mier (Astros) and Matt Davidson (Diamondbacks) in 2009. Spiers not only directs the ABD Academy, he also is a scout for the Boston Red Sox, the West Coast Director for Perfect Game USA and has served as head coach of the Ecuador National Team.
About the performers in "Willie's Comedy Jam"
Host of "Willie's Comedy Jam" will be Willie Barcena, an 18-year comedy veteran who was recently featured as a headliner in Showtime's LOL Comedy Festival at the California Theatre in San Bernardino, and completed a two-year run with "The Morning Show" on KSFM 102.5 Sacramento. During that time "The Morning Show" shot to the number one spot in this highly competitive market.
Willie's talent has garnered him 10 appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Jay even invited Willie to perform for the troops in Afghanistan.
Willie's numerous jobs prepared him for his comedy career. His security guard, plumber, roofer, and limo driver gigs gave him a background for his humor about everyday life. After 12 years of stand-up roadwork Willie is now ready for new challenges. He has written and performed a one-man show entitled "Cry Like a Man." This highly acclaimed performance demonstrates the struggle of a blue-collar comic in today's society.
In addition to being a comedy road warrior, Willie has appeared on many TV shows including: "Moesha," "The Wayans Brothers," and he was chosen to be the host of the popular Si-Tv production "Latino Laugh Festival - The Show." He's also made multiple appearances on tours such as "Que Locos," "Latino Laugh Festival," "Montreal's Just for Laughs," and "Crown Royal Latin All Stars Comedy Explosion." Most recently, Willie had his one-hour Comedy Central receive rave reviews.
Quinn Dahle, a smart, clean and witty stand-up comic with impeccable timing, will join Willie's comedy lineup. With appearances on The Tonight Show, Comedy Central and Carson Daly, Quinn has worked with such names as Robin Williams, Drew Carey, Tim Allen, Dane Cook, Dana Carvey, Norm McDonald, Jon Lovitz, Bill Maher, Frank Caliendo, David Alan Grier, John Witherspoon, Tommy Chong, John Pinette and Harland Williams.
According to Quinn "People told me I should do stand-up since I was a kid." And it just happens that this talented young man comes from a showbiz family. Mr. Dahle Sr. played in the band Copperhead and had an album out in the early 1970's. Mr. Dahle Jr. decided he would rather write jokes than songs.