Christian comedian Chonda Pierce coming to Cape Girardeau

~ The event, "Girls' Night Out," is a fundraiser for Hoops for Life

The Richard P. Kinder Performance Hall will be the site of laughter and inspiration on Friday when award-winning comedian Chonda Pierce takes the stage for the "Girls' Night Out" fundraiser.

"There's no better way to celebrate life than with laughter," Pierce said in a telephone interview from Nashville, Tenn. "I know it's going to be a great night."

With an abundance of Southern charm and a laser-sharp wit, Pierce entertains audiences with her brand of clean, Christian-based humor. However, she is the first to say that all comedy is subjective.

"What some might view as clean will have others praying for my soul," Pierce said. "Some of it might have my mother rolling around in her grave."

Chonda Pierce

Pierce's career in comedy was an unplanned venture. A preacher's daughter born in Covington, Ky., she spent her childhood in wooden pews and listening to "hell-fire" preaching.

"It probably did a little damage," Pierce said. "That's where I get my warped sense of humor."

When she was 15, Pierce moved with her family to Tennessee where she faced a series of tragedies that were anything but humorous. Pierce's older sister died in an auto accident, and her father, who had struggled with a bipolar disorder, abandoned not only his ministry but also his family. After that, things got worse when another sister was diagnosed with leukemia and died a month later.

"I think comedians are drawn to laughter because of what's happened in our lives," Pierce said. "I've had enough dark days so I can appreciate the bright ones."

After high school, Pierce enrolled at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tenn., and majored in theatre. Needing a job to help pay for tuition, she auditioned at Opryland's "Country Music USA" music and dance show in Nashville.

"I could sing but I couldn't dance," she said. "They tried to teach me but I had two left feet."

Knowing she had to do something, Pierce found a home in the show by doing an impersonation of legendary country comedian Minnie Pearl.

"To get the feel for her act, I went to see Minnie perform and I was mesmerized. I saw people laughing and responding to her. I thought maybe I could make people laugh, too."

Pierce performed as Minnie Pearl at Opryland for six years, something that she remembers as "good clean fun." Already married to her high-school sweetheart David and the mother of their daughter, Pierce left the act to have a son. But in 1996, Pierce made her way back into the world of comedy at, of all places, her church.

"There weren't many comedy clubs in the Bible Belt," she said. "But when I was asked to discuss how my faith had helped me through difficult times, it was a turning point. I did it with funny stories that made people laugh. I thought I could do that and make a living."

Since that time, Pierce has made a living by turning her gift for storytelling into a multifaceted career. Her performance DVDs are strong sellers on tour and in retail stores, and she is a frequent guest on the famed Grand Ole Opry. Pierce also has served as host of the Christian Music Hall of Fame Awards as well as co-hosting the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards in 2012. She received five Daytime Emmy nominations for her work co-hosting "Aspiring Women," a talk show on the Total Living Network, and her first nationwide television special, "This Ain't Prettyville," appeared on Country Music Television. She has appeared on "Life Today," "The Wanda Sykes Show" and "The Mike Huckabee Show," as well as ABC's popular "The View." In addition, Pierce's comedy is regularly featured on XM and Sirius satellite radio.

"I'm so grateful to have lasted as long as I have and to have the fans that I have," she said.

The "Girl's Night Out" fundraiser featuring Chonda Pierce is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Richard D. Kinder Performance Hall on the campus of Cape Girardeau Central High School. Tickets are on sale for $18, $20, $23, $25 and $30 and can be purchased by calling 800-965-9324 or by visiting itickets.com.

The fundraiser is presented by Cape Public Schools Foundation and Hoops For Life, an initiative to raise awareness and funds in the fight against pediatric brain cancer. It was started by Shannon and Amy Aldridge of Cape Girardeau, the parents of Sahara Aldridge, who at age 13 died from a malignant brain tumor.

"Chonda has been a close friend of our family for a long time," said Shannon Aldridge, president of Hoops for Life. "When Amy was in the recording industry in Nashville, we got to know Chonda, who was just starting out, very well. She was at the hospital with us the day Sahara was born, and it's a joy that she's going to be performing here."

Hoops for Life also will be holding its fourth annual 5K run and walk at 8 a.m. Saturday in Kiwanis Park.

"We're at 490 entries for the race right now and I know we're going to break 500," Aldridge said on Wednesday. "This will be the first race in Southeast Missouri history to have 500 participants three years in a row."

Entrants for the 5K run and walk can obtain a registration form online at hoopsforlife.net or register at Kiwanis Park the day of the race until 7:45 a.m.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address: 1000 Silver Springs Road, Cape Girardeau, MO