Comedian and actor Mark Curry, best known for the ABC sitcom Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, is headed to Hardeman County. Curry will headline the Green Book Comedy Tour in Toone on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Sassafras Farms. The event runs from 2 to 7 p.m. and mixes stand-up comedy with music, a film screening and a book signing.
The Hatchie Press reported the Toone stop on Thursday. The tour is presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest.
Green Book Comedy Tour in Toone: Event Details
When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2 to 7 p.m.
Where: Sassafras Farms, 315 Hill House Road, Toone, Tenn.
Headliner: Mark Curry
Host: Jae Henderson
Special musical guest: blues singer Melvia “Chick” Rodgers
Film screening and book signing: Steve Capers
Afterparty music: DJ Dolla Bill
Tickets: available at thegreenbooktour.com. Prices were not included in the announcement.
More Than a Comedy Show
The tour describes itself as a mix of comedy, history, music and culture. It takes its name and spirit from the era of the original Green Book, the travel guide Black motorists relied on during segregation to find safe places to eat, sleep and buy gas. The tour’s theme line is “Same Roads. New Stories. Bigger Laughs.”
The original guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book, was published by Victor Hugo Green, a New York postal worker, from 1936 to 1966. Each edition listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses that would serve Black travelers, including many across Tennessee and Mississippi. The guide stopped publishing after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in public accommodations. The tour uses that history as a backdrop for a night of laughs and conversation.
Each stop includes live comedy, a fireside chat, a movie screening and a book signing. According to the Hatchie Press, the Toone stop focuses on culture, legacy and community connections.
The tour’s comedians have performed at the Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest. Curry built his career in stand-up before he starred as Mark Cooper on Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper in the 1990s.
Plan Your Visit
Toone is in northern Hardeman County, north of Bolivar. Because the show falls on Halloween afternoon, families should plan around any evening trick-or-treat events. Buy tickets ahead of time, and check thegreenbooktour.com for updates on parking, seating or schedule changes before heading out.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
