The belly laughs are coming to Downtown Manteca.
With work underway on the Deaf Puppy Comedy Club and a mural taking shape along the south-facing wall that will greet motorists as they pass through town, Chris Teicheira is optimistic that the heart of the city that he loves so much will soon be alive with the laughter and enjoyment that other regions like the Bay Area and Sacramento have leeched from places like Manteca for decades.
Now he just wants to get to September when he can introduce the comics that he already has lined to entertain his favorite people.
“It’s pretty much become a daily flood of every emotion - all gusseted with stress and anxiety,” Teicheira said. “The support is overwhelming, and this list of people to thank is as long as Highway 99.
“Standing downtown underneath the murals, facing the corner of Main and Yosemite where my friends and I used to cruise in high school, is surreal. Old timers, of which technically I’m one of now, love being nostalgic about ‘Their Manteca.’ Mal’s Billboards, The Scoop, Mendoza’s, etc. – the bones are all still there. It’s just time for a new generation to pick up the baton and inject life into this beautiful old city.”
Teicheira is hosting an informal gathering tonight at 6b p.m. in the Bedquarters parking lot next to what will be the site of the Deaf Puppy Comedy Club near the corner of Main Street and Yosemite Avenue at 6 p.m.
Teicheira will be showcasing the mural work being completed by artist Cameron Moberg – known professionally as Camer1SF – that pays tribute to Manteca’s agricultural past and the things the city is known for. The event, billed as Murals and Linguica, is open to the public.
What started as a dream for a ragtag group of comics trying to make inroads into more established comedy scenes is now coming together – literally – in the heart of the city. Construction crews are busy converting what was at one time a baby store into a place where comics of all stripes will hone their skills entertaining the masses in the heart of California’s Central Valley.
A lifelong Manteca resident, Teicheria knows all too well the reputation that the city has among young people who like to proclaim that there isn’t ever any entertainment worth their time – doing everything he can to destroy that myth once and for all.
“New restaurants, breweries, businesses – it’s all falling into place. If you provide fun and desirable options, people will join in,” Teicheira said. “We have to shelve that old adage ‘there’s nothing to do in Manteca’ because here we come – and all ages can hop on board.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Manteca’s downtown revitalization. What else do I have do?”
And while having his deaf cattle dog Banshee serve as the mascot not just for his comedy crew but the club they will call home was a thrill for Teicheira, seeing her likeness adorn the wall of a building that faces the heart of the city is something that literally brought him to tears – recognizing the hard work and dedication that went into getting to this point after purchasing the downtown building over a year ago.
And the motivation behind the mural that is currently being painted reflects Teicheira’s deep roots in the community and the love he has for it.
“The murals look amazing, and the response has been incredible – even the ones that hate it kind of like it. We went with an artistic spin but tried to have each section of the mural still represent a part of Manteca history,” Teicheira said. “A Cattle Dog is being painted to honor the cattlemen and dairymen that founded Manteca not to mention Moffat Feed Lot – a massive cattle lot that butted up to Spreckels Sugar in the 40’s and 50’s.
“The cattle would eat the processed beet pulp renderings adding to the smell of the are – this is where the nickname “Manstinka” originated, as it permeated the Hwy 99 corridor from Austin Road to Yosemite Ave.
Joining the mural panes that include Banshee and watermelons – a nod to the generational families like the Perrys, Van Groningens, Fonsecas, and Cardozas – will be a serape intended to pay tribute to the area’s history as well as a mural pane of butterflies.
While Teicheria is known for telling his fair share of jokes, his ability to weave those jokes in with the city’s history makes it hard at times to tell whether it’s actually a thoughtful rendering of the city’s past or a joke that simply went over your head.
“I’m told that when founding father Joshua Cowell happened across this piece of land we call Manteca many years ago, he was greeted by a rolling pasture of butterflies and decided he’d make this home,” Teicheira said. “Is that story true? I’m not sure. But who doesn’t like butterflies?!”
That’s not to say it has been an easy road to get to this point.
Teicheira took over the building a year ago and had plans to open up the comedy club within a few months – not realizing the tempo of the gears of government and the amount of work that goes into converting a space like the one that will soon be full of laughter.
But as a realistic September grand opening comes into focus and seems beyond attainable, Teicheira said he can’t but be excited for the opportunity and grateful for the help he has received to get to this point.
“It was a year ago that the building was purchased and I get a good laugh now at my ‘it’ll be open in a few months belief’ – who would’ve known I couldn’t just throw out a few bales of hay, a stage, and a cart of drinks and food?” he said jokingly. “It’s been a valuable learning process, and the city has been instrumental in guiding me along the way.
“I still discover new obstacles every day but have a team of Old Manteca’s Finest giving advice.”
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
