What's up, doc?
Tamera Manzanares
Kevin Fitzgerald is no ordinary veterinarian.
For one thing, he's the star of the cable television show "Emergency Vets" on the Animal Planet.
And when he's not mending hurt paws and broken wings at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, he's making people laugh on stages throughout the country.
"All day I keep animals alive and at night I put audiences to sleep," he said, joking about his two careers.
Northern Colorado residents can catch Fitzgerald's comedy act live on May 23 at the Union Colony Civic Center. Proceeds from his performance will benefit the Humane Society of Weld County.
Fitzgerald's upcoming performance is a signature event for the Humane Society, which receives about one-quarter of its budget, or $700,000, from fund raising each year, said Executive Director Roger Kovar.
Proceeds from the show will go toward the general upkeep and staffing of the shelter, which cares for about 6,000 lost and abandoned pets each year.
The 2003 Leadership Weld County Class, a program of the Greeley-Weld Chamber of Commerce, is organizing the show.
Animals provide funny material for Fitzgerald, who started his colorful career path as a security guard for the Rolling Stones. While on tour with the band, he had a conversation with guitarist Keith Richards about his future.
"He told me I should get a grip on my life," Fitzgerald said about the advice he received to go back to school.
Fitzgerald attended veterinary school at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and has worked as a veterinarian for 20 years. He decided to try his hand at comedy after seeing a friend doing stand-up.
"I thought, `I can be as bad as he is.' My friend laughed at the idea. But I don't think he's laughing now," Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald has headlined his own comedy shows and opened for performers such as the Neville Brothers, Emmy Lou Harris, the Corrs and the Temptations.
He has also performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the House of Blues in Chicago and on TV shows such as the "Maury Povich Show" and A&E's "Comedy on the Road."
"Stand-up is more than a hobby, it's a form of expression," Fitzgerald said. "I can't play the cello, but I can make people laugh."
Fitzgerald said comedy is a nice break from his hectic job at Alameda East – a 24-hour animal clinic where "Emergency Vets" is filmed.
So how does he find time for it all?
"You have to make yourself find time. There's lots of time," he said.
WHAT: Comedian Kevin Fitzgerald
WHEN: 8 p.m. May 23
WHERE: Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th Ave., Greeley
DETAILS: A silent auction and reception with Fitzgerald is at 6:30 p.m.
n $15-$20 adults, $12.50-$17.50 students. Children 2 and younger are free. VIP tickets, with a pre-show reception, are $50. Call 356-5000.
– Proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Weld County.