More than 300 people gathered at the Russell County Auditorium Complex on Friday for an evening of good, clean family fun as humorist Carl Hurley took the stage.

Hurley's comedy act mixed good humor with a sense of the optimistic, rather than the cynical nature comedy often takes. In a style reminiscent of Jerry Clower, Hurley spun down home stories of Aunt Mavis and Uncle Arlo as well as other family.

Known as "America's Funniest Professor," Hurley seemed to have earned an A+ from the crowd Friday in a show that lasted an hour.

Hurley, who hails from Lexington, was born and raised in nearby Laurel County. After earning a Doctorate in Education from the University of Missouri in 1971, Hurley returned to be a professor and coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University.

He so successfully entertained what would have been an otherwise boring school conference; Hurley began receiving invitations to speak at other events.

Eventually Hurley would hang up the mortar board in 1982 and begin lecturing and performing his comedy routine full time.

Hurley is the author of "We Weren't Poor… We Just Didn't Have Any Money," and distributes his folky brand of humor by DVD at www.carlhurley.com. His comedy skits play frequently on XM Radio's Laugh USA, channel 151 and on Sirius Radio's Blue Collar Comedy on channel 131.

The Russell County Auditorium Complex is dedicated to bringing great entertainment for the whole family, according to the facility's director, Susan Melton.

Thursday, May 19 promises to be a standing room only show as nationally recognized country music artist Justin Moore will be on hand to entertain. Moore recently released his second album and a hit single that carries the album's name "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" is currently #11 and rising on Billboard's Top Country Songs.