As the nation celebrates men and women in uniform, one stand-up-comedy legend is honoring them with a free show in Valdosta, Georgia, next week.
Gallagher is inviting veterans and their guests to catch his act.
In a phone call to WJCT Wednesday, he said, “This is Gallagher, the watermelon-smashing comedian. I’m calling on Veterans’ Day to help celebrate.”
Gallagher is performing at Valdosta’s Mathis Auditorium Thursday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m.
“At 7 ‘o clock, I’ll be in the lobby to handle all of this, taking pictures and signing autographs,” he says.
He’s worked it out so people who show up with a military ID get free admission for themselves and a friend. Gallagher says it’s personal for him to give back to the troops.
“My dad was in World War II, and I was born at the Army hospital in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1946,” he says. He has also traveled the world performing for Navy sailors stationed across the globe.
For non-veterans, tickets to Gallagher’s Valdosta showare $20 for general admission and $40 to sit in the watermelon “splash zone.”
The Mathis Auditorium is at 2300 N. Ashley St. in Valdosta.