By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Business owners and city leaders throughout Shelby County got a clean laugh Oct. 20, as the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce hosted Comedienne Joy, the Queen of Clean, during its Fall Festival luncheon.

Joy, an Alabaster resident who has performed at the Southern Women’s Show and the Comedy Club Stardome, brought a lighthearted feel to the luncheon at the Pelham Civic Complex.

While speaking, Joy joked about living in Shelby County and having a child at Thompson High School while using her catch phrase “prodocious,” which means “whatever you want it to mean,” she said.

“The taxes are cheaper in Shelby County, people in Shelby County stores are nicer,” she said. “I love being in Shelby County, but we’ve got to learn to be happy with ourselves and not compare ourselves to other cities.”

Joy’s daughter is on the THS colorguard, and the comedian drew thunderous laughter when she joked about the price of being involved in a high school band.

“My daughter is on the Thompson High School colorguard, and she came home one day and told me her uniform was going to be $1,000,” Joy said. “I went to the colorguard instructor, and she said they needed those uniforms so they could look like Hoover. Can’t we pay $300 and just look like a Birmingham city school?”

Joy also drew laughter when she explained the cost associated with attending a high school football game.

“I want to go and support the football games, but it’s $5 to park and then $7 to get in. That’s too much of a financial investment,” she said with a laugh. “I usually just text my daughter and say ‘did y’all win?’”

Much of Joy’s routine focused on day-to-day situations, like helping children with homework and attending church.

“Sometimes my daughter will bring home homework that I don’t know the answers to. One day, the teacher sent home a question about cell phone towers,” she said. “Do I look like I work at Verizon Wireless?

“And we don’t want our kids to know that we don’t know the answers,” she said. “I think if teachers send homework with the kids, they should send us the answers.”

Joy lit up the room again when she joked about the cultural difference between black and white churches.

“I’ve discovered that there is a difference between black churches and white churches. Y’all go to church and get out on the same day,” she said. “We go on a Sunday morning, and it’s Wednesday night before we get out.

“And I’m going to tell you that we don’t know the words to some of those songs,” Joy added. “Sometimes we just make it up as we go. We’ll break into the remix version.”

Joy, a single mother, also found humor in dating, and told the crowd the Chamber luncheon was the perfect place to find a date.

“This is a great place to find a date, because you all have everything all women want. A job,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how old anyone is. Senior citizens get discounts everywhere. You can eat good at Waffle House for $5.”