Boob Tour comedy show returns for 10th and final run

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Following its hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns, the Boob Tour comedy show made its return to Strathmore in time for its 10th year.

The show, which was born following in the wake of an event called Relay for Life, aimed to raise $100,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation during its tenure. 

Amy Hampton, one of the four women responsible for organizing the show, was excited to report having sold out entirely for this year’s event.

“It was a long two years, it was a strange two years that we missed it, and I am glad that for our 10th year we get to pack the house with over 300 people,” she said.”

“For our first Boob Tour, we only sold 112 tickets and our comedians worked for free because we couldn’t pay them. Now, we are sold out and we are hoping to hit $100,000 that we have raised over the years.”

The Boob Tour has been hosted in Strathmore on the first Friday of November every year since its launch, and has steadily grown in popularity ever since. 

Shelly Neal, another of the organizers, regarded it has been quite a substantial journey for the team since beginning to organize the Boob Tour. 

“It started in 2007 in Drumheller with Relay for life. A friend of ours had started Relay for Life that year and she was a cancer survivor at that time,” she said.

“She started Relay for Life, and then the team has continued from there. They did Relay for Life for a couple of years in Drumheller, and then it moved to Strathmore. When it closed in Strathmore, we started on the Boob Tour, and we have been doing it every year since.”

Hampton added the team’s motivation for starting the Boob Tour stemmed from wanting to support friends and family who have been impacted by cancer. 

“The majority of people that we know in our lived are either cancer survivors or we lost them. It really means a lot for us to see it grow and that is our biggest motivation,” she said.

All the money raised through the comedy show, the 50/50 draw, and the silent auction is used directly for patient care, such as getting people to the hospital, and comforts once patients are admitted. 

Averaging roughly $10,000 per year, the team was confident they would be able to reach the $100,000 mark this year, at the conclusion of their event. 

“We are hoping somebody will take it over. We don’t want it to just end and be done,” added Hampton. “We are hoping somebody will step up and take over and make their own event and make it go longer and bigger and better.” 

There has not yet been notification as to whether another party has committed to organizing the event next, or in years to come.