Local comedian CJ Alexander says the Edmonds nightlife scene is no joke — and to prove it, he has teamed up with Demetri’s Woodstone Taverna on the waterfront to produce a monthly live comedy show, complementing the Downtown Edmonds Art Walk every Third Thursday night.

Tickets are still available for the first show this Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m., starring Seattle International Comedy Competition winner Kermet Apio. A nationally touring crowd favorite, Kermet is also a local resident and produces an annual comedy fundraiser for the Edmonds School District.

“We believe that Edmonds will support more high-quality live entertainment, and we’ve booked some amazingly high-caliber comic talent for this show,” Alexander said. “This isn’t open mic at a bar, or a showcase of comedy amateurs — these are nationally-touring professionals, like you’ve seen on Comedy Central or the late night talk shows.”

“Edmonds deserves a high-quality show, so we’re guaranteeing 90 minutes of wall-to-wall laughter, headlined by the type of pure comedy pros who could get laughs out of Mt. Rushmore.”

As the former the General Manager of Snap Fitness 24/7 of Edmonds, a local gym, Alexander has seen the city’s demographics gradually change. “Lots of young professionals and first-time homebuyers have been moving to Edmonds,” he said. “It wasn’t very long ago that downtown Edmonds had three bars and ten antique stores; now it’s the other way around. We believe that Edmonds will amply support another high-quality live entertainment option — and that we can finally put a rest to all the jokes about Deadmonds. Although.. I’ll probably still make a couple, at the show.”