>>> IF YOU'RE EVER IN ASHEVILLE AND YOU SEE A HUGE PURPLE BUS
DRIVING BY WITH PEOPLE WAVING WILDLY, FIRST OF ALL, PLEASE
WAVE BACK.
THEY GET A KICK OUT OF THAT.
BUT, SECONDLY, KNOW THAT THE PASSENGERS ARE GETTING ONE HECK
OF A GREAT COMEDY SHOW, HISTORY LESSON, AND TOUR OF THE CITY ALL
IN ONE THANKS TO THE GENIUS OF THE LA ZOOM BUS TOURS.
AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE OFFERING SOMETHING SPECIAL JUST FOR THE
HOLIDAYS.
♪
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WHY NOT TAKE IN SOME OF THE RICH HISTORY
OF HISTORIC ASHEVILLE.
OH, YOU'RE BORED ALREADY?
I'VE GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU.
YOU NEED TO GET ON THE BUS.
♪ ASHEVILLE IS ONE OF THE MOST
ECLECTIC, INTERESTING CITIES AROUND.
SO WHO SAID ITS HISTORICAL NARRATIVE SHOULD BE BORING?
NOT JEN AND JIM LAUZON.
>> I'M FROM MASSACHUSETTS.
JEN IS FROM ILLINOIS.
AND WE MET DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS.
AND WE USED TO ENJOY DOING SMALL COMEDY BITS DOWN THERE TOGETHER,
SOMETIMES STREET PERFORMING.
AND SO WHEN WE MOVED UP HERE AND CAME UP WITH THE BUS IDEA, WE
THOUGHT, LET'S COMBINE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING FUN THAT'S
INFORMATIONAL WITH BITS OF VAUDEVILLE-STYLE COMEDY.
AND IT'S JUST BEEN A HIT.
>> NOW THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, PEOPLE LINE UP FOR LA ZOOM
COMEDY BUS TOURS TO GRASP LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE
TOWN WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF ADULT HUMOR.
>> ♪ YOU GOT YOURSELF A SEAT ON THE BUS LA ZOOM ♪
>> WHOO, WHOO!
[APPLAUSE] >> ♪ AAAAAAAAAH ♪
>> TODAY'S TOUR GUIDE IS BUD INSKI.
HE'S A -- HE'S A NATIVE HERE AND SUPER FUNNY GUY, VERY TALENTED.
>> I USED TO LIVE IN TOMMY'S BASEMENT UNTIL HE FOUND OUT
ABOUT IT.
>> IT IS A REALLY FUN RIDE THROUGH ASHEVILLE.
IT'S PART CITY TOUR AND SKETCH COMEDY SHOW FOCUSED ON THE
HOLIDAYS.
SO YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY CHARACTERS
HOPPING ON AND OFF THE BUS, AND IT'S JUST A TIME OF FUN,
90-MINUTE RIDE THROUGH ASHEVILLE.
>> WAS IST LOS?
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
>> OH, IT'S JUST A LITTLE AFTERNOON FUN TIME.
YEAH.
>> HELLO, SAM.
MY NAME IS SISTER SAUERKRAUT.
GUTEN TAG.
>> GUTEN TAG.
>> I SAID GUTEN TAG!
>> GUTEN TAG!
>> THAT'S BETTER.
>> SOME CHARACTERS GET ON THE BUS.
SOME STAY OFF.
ONE REALLY FUN ASPECT OF OUR TOUR IS THE INTERACTION THAT WE
GET FROM PEOPLE ON THE STREET, WHETHER IT BE WITH SOME OFF-BUS
GUIDE IN A BIG COSTUME OR WITH THE BUS ITSELF.
A LOT OF OUR PASSENGERS WAVE OUT, HOLLER OUT AT PEOPLE.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF INTERACTION WITH FOLKS JUST WALKING BY.
>> HI!
HEY THERE.
IF THEY'RE FROM ASHEVILLE, THEY'LL WAVE BACK.
IF NOT, THEY'RE FROM FLORIDA.
[LAUGHTER] >> PLUS, I DIDN'T MENTION,
YOU'LL GET A FEW HOLIDAY CRAFT IDEAS WHILE YOU'RE RIDING THE
BUS.
WE PASS AROUND SOME SNACKS.
IT'S JUST A FUN, FESTIVE RIDE, AND THERE'S A LIVE MUSICIAN ON
THESE HOLIDAY TOURS.
>> ♪ WELL, UP ON THE HILLTOP ♪ ♪ HE PUSHED THE CART ♪
♪ HE PUSHED IT SO HARD YOU COULD HEAR HIM SNEEZE ♪
♪ TAKE OUT YOUR DUES ♪ ♪ BECAUSE HERE COMES THE GARBAGE
MAN ♪ >> WE DRIVE THROUGH DOWNTOWN,
ALL OF DOWNTOWN.
THERE YOU'LL MEET A SPECIAL CHARACTER.
HE'S A CHRISTMAS TREE THAT'S TRYING TO GET A FAMILY TO LOVE
HIM.
>> I COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE FAMILY THAT WANTED ME AS THEIR
TREE.
>> AND THEN WE VENTURE THROUGH MONTFORD.
IT'S A REAL CUTE NEIGHBORHOOD JUST OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
>> AND A LOT OF THE HOUSES THERE WERE ACTUALLY BUILT BY SOME OF
THE ARCHITECTS THAT CAME HERE TO BUILD THE BILTMORE.
>> THE WANNABE WEALTHY PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED THAT THEY MIGHT
WANDER INTO THE WRONG COCKTAIL PARTY, SOMEBODY COUGH ON THEIR
COSMOPOLITAN, AND THEY'VE GOTTA SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIVES
OUT ON THE PORCH.
SO THEY PASSED A LAW SAYING IF YOU WERE HERE WITH TUBERCULOSIS,
YOU HAD TO HAVE A BIG YELLOW FLAG ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR
HOUSE.
I BELIEVE THE YELLOW STOOD FOR PHLEGM.
>> IT TEACHES YOU A LOT ABOUT THE CITY AND HOW IT CAME TO BE.
IT TEACHES LOCALS THINGS THEY'VE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THE CITY THEY
LIVE IN.
IT'S A LOT OF FUN.
YOU CAN HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
YOU CAN HAVE A LITTLE PARTY ON THE BUS.
YOU CAN DRINK.
YOU CAN BRING FOOD.
IT'S A GOOD TIME.
>> IT'S NOT MY FIRST TIME, BUT WE BRING LOTS OF FRIENDS ON THIS
WHEN THEY COME TO TOWN, FRIENDS, FAMILY.
SO IT WAS GREAT.
THIS WAS THE HOLIDAY TOUR.
SO IT WAS MUCH BETTER THAN -- THAN WE EXPECTED IT TO BE.
>> WHO KNEW LEARNING COULD BE SO MUCH FUN.
FOR "NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND," I'M DEBORAH HOLT NOEL.