Viewfinder: Area Comedians Help Raise Fun and Funds for Portsmouth High School Band

White's of Westport was the venue Friday night for the first, potentially annual, Portsmouth High School Music Booster's comedy night.

The event was held to raise funds for the Portsmouth High School band. A crowd of nearly 100 people packed the room and enjoyed dinner and cocktails before settling in for a night of hilarity from two of Boston's most well know comedians, who donated their time for a good cause.

Mark Clements, owner of in Portsmouth helped facilitate the  evening, calling on his longtime friends, Bucky Lewis and Dave Russo to provide entertainment for the PHS Music Boosters fundraiser.

Lewis says of his friend, "he is a wonderful person and a force in the community, and before him, there was his dad."

Clements' involvement with the music boosters is long standing, and the comedy night was his idea.

"I wanted to test the waters with a different kind of fundraiser, seeing how much money we could generate. Fundraising gets harder and harder, kids are fighting for the same dollars, and there aren't enough dollars to go around."

Proceeds from the event, which included a raffle and a silent auction, are going to be used primarily toward the new uniform drive for the band's 150 members, which will cost about $100,000.

According to fundraising chairperson,  Greg "Bubba" Shaw, they are about one-third of the way toward their goal, having raised about $37,000.