Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy is a museum at 2 West 3rd Street, Jamestown, New York, dedicated to the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The museum officially opened in 1996 "to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter". Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown on August 6, 1911.
The museum is located just minutes from Lucy's childhood homes in Celoron and Jamestown, and her final resting place in the family plot at Lake View Cemetery.[1][2] The Center for Comedy consists of the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, housing artifacts and memorabilia of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, with a gift shop; consisting of the Desilu Studios, the Tropicana Room, a gift shop, and offices; and a stand-alone gift shop. The Desilu Studios museum contains the replicas of the original "I Love Lucy" TV sets that were created for the show's 50th Anniversary tour, and other artifacts related to the show and its creators and co-stars; the Tropicana Room is a recreation of Ricky Ricardo's nightclub from the show.
Formerly, each May, the museum celebrated 'Lucy-Desi Days' which featured several events included panel discussions with those closest to Lucy and Desi.
As per the original mission thus envisioned by the Arts Council of Chautauqua County in 1991, in August 2011 (which would have been Ball's 100th Birthday) the Center reverted to dedicating itself to the dream envisioned by Lucille Ball, who was supposed to come back to Jamestown in 1989 to give the Commencement Address at Jamestown Community College, and in August 2012, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival was brought back to life and is now held every August. Past festivals have featured Ray Romano, Ellen DeGeneres, Lewis Black, Billy Gardell, Jay Leno, Bill Engvall, Joan Rivers, Paula Poundstone, Kathleen Madigan, Tammy Pescatelli, and more.
The museum is a prime tourist destination and Lucy fans from around the world come to celebrate the life and legacy of Jamestown's favorite daughter.
References
- ↑ "Find a Grave: Lake View Cemetery"
- ↑ "Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center". Find a Grave. Retrieved October 17, 2010.