In military communities the fear, stress and craziness that come with fighting a war is often in the air. Sometimes it's good to escape it all and spend a night sharing laughs with loved ones and friends. Most comedy clubs require patrons be 21 years of age or older because alcohol is served on the premises. Both of the comedy clubs in Tacoma serve food. The Puget Sound often hosts a variety of comedic talent. Recently, Steve Martin appeared in town, and last year Jeff Dunham made a pit stop in Washington. While Seattle has the vast majority of comedy clubs in the state, there are a few a little closer to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The Tacoma Comedy Underground hosts a comedy show every Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The shows are only open to adults 21 years old and older. The Tacoma Comedy Underground is located at Big Whisky Saloon in downtown Tacoma. One of the talents at the Tacoma Comedy Underground is Ron Osborne. Osborne is the winner of the Seattle International Comedy Competition. Osborne can be seen in the upcoming movie, "My Date with Drew". http://www.comedyunderground.com/tacoma/

The Tacoma Comedy Club has shows on Friday at 8 p.m. and two shows on Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m. A unique show for the Tacoma Comedy Club is the family friendly "clean" comedy night. The G rated shows run every second Sunday of the month starting at 7 p.m. Opening night is Oct. 15 and the club opens with Kane Holloway and Sean Anderson. The Tacoma Comedy Club is located at 445 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma. http://www.tacomacomedyclub.com/Tacoma_Comedy_Club/Home.html

Other places to look for comedians are local casinos. For instance, "The Last Comic Standing" tour comes to the Emerald Queen Casino Oct. 23, and recently Great American Casino in Lakewood hosted a ladies night of comedy featuring Susan Jones and Nancy Reed. 

Emerald Queen Casino is located in Tacoma at 2024 E. 29th St. The Web site has a tab for entertainment and can be accessed at http://www.emeraldqueen.com. Great American Casino is located in Lakewood on South Tacoma Way or online at http://www.greatamericancasino.com. It is advised that tickets be bought in advance or online for these shows.

The Tacoma Dome also hosts famous comedians. Last September, Jeff Dunham, now world famous for his puppets and comedy, was featured. To find out what shows are coming to the Tacoma Dome and when, visit the Dome's Web site at http://www.tacomadome.org/