’Tis the season for Greco and Golub

Seven years ago, Youngstown singer-songwriter Kenny Greco began playing a marathon show the week before Christmas to raise money for local food banks.

The annual shows have raised tens of thousands of dollars.

This year, he’s doubling down on the tradition by playing back-to-back nights. Greco will play from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday and 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, both at Bean’s Petri Club, 3650 Shady Run Road, on Youngstown’s South Side. The beneficiary is Gleaners Food Bank. The shows have become a homecoming ritual for a lot of folks and draw big crowds.

But why expand to two shows? Two reasons. So that those who have a Christmas party or other commitment can still make it. But mainly because it’s the highlight of the year for Greco, and he likes to keep upping the ante and beating the previous year’s donations.

There might also be a third reason. “It’s a challenge to me personally to see if, at 44 years old, I can pull off two marathon shows in a row,” said Greco.

GOLUB AT QUAKER STEAK

Los Angeles-based comedian-actor Bob Golub will return to his hometown of Sharon, Pa., on Friday to do his standup act at Quaker Steak and Lube at 8 p.m.

Golub’s hard-edged and hilarious act springs from his western Pennsylvania steel-town upbringing. He recently wrote and starred in a very dark comedy film called “Die Laughing,” which he’s trying to develop into a TV series.

Golub will also appear in the Jan. 16 episode of CBS series “Scorpion.”