New England’s “King of Comedy” Bob Marley will return to the Orion Performing Arts Center March 3 to put on a performance that not only should leave audience members’ sides aching, but will also help fund a safe Project Graduation for the Mt. Ararat High School Class of 2013.

Marley will perform at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, to help raise money for the Mt. Ararat Class of 2013 to celebrate graduation with a chemical-free trip to Mt. Cranmore in New Hampshire. Comedian “Krazy Jake” will open for Marley. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Michaud’s Market in Topsham, from a Mt. Ararat High School senior, in the Mt. Ararat Middle School front office, or at the door the night of the show. Organizers urge people to buy their tickets now; don’t wait.

Before taking the stage a year ago at the Orion Performing Arts Center to benefit Mt. Ararat’s Project Graduation 2012, Marley told The Times Record he has been doing the special Project Graduation benefit shows for at least a decade and has done as many as 80 shows in a year. He said he does it because Project Graduation is a great program and, in his opinion, “a great cause.” Having graduated from Deering High School in 1985, Marley said, “Come on, we never had Project Graduation.” He recalled students who were involved in horrible accidents that could be attributed to drug or alcohol abuse in the name of celebrating graduation.

“The day you graduate, (there is) an absolute different feeling than any other day, so people tend to get really ramped up and excited, and they let those inhibitions down a little bit — those walls down a little bit — and act a little crazier than they normally would,” Marley said. Statistics prove that Project Graduation is effective, he said, adding that he likes to help with Project Graduation because it is tangible.

During the shows, “I like to invite the kids graduating during the show — ask them what they’re doing for Project Graduation, that’s a big part of the show,” Marley said. “So I get them involved, and drag the school’s mascot into it. … I try to do a lot with the kids.”

The Orion Performing Arts Center is located next to Mt. Ararat Middle School at 50 Republic Ave. in Topsham. For more information, contact Steve and Sherry Emmons at 729-4214.

To learn more about Bob Marley, visit at www.bmarley.com or follow him on Facebook at bobmarleycomedy.

dmoore@timesrecord.com