All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

There's a lovely spring weekend on tap with plenty of stuff going on to keep you busy. Sunday may be a little wet, so plan accordingly. After the jump, our list of things we thought might be fun.

Got something else going on? Share with the group.

And, as always, have a fantastic weekend!

Tour of the Battenkill
The annual Tour of the Battenkill cycling race (races, actually) is this weekend in Washington County (as mentioned). The events include a pro/am (Saturday) and a pro race (Sunday). Also: Greg LeMond will be there.

Roller Derby
The Albany All Stars have a double header lined up Saturday night at the Washington Avenue Armory. First, the derby women take on Roller Derby Manchester. Then there's a men's bout between the Capital District Trauma Authority and the Bomb Quads. Doors open at 5, first whistle at 6.$12, under 12 $4.

Food

Cooking with the Calamari Sisters
At Proctors Thursday-Sunday: "Hilarity, failed dishes, and food fights ensue during this "live broadcast" of a public access cable cooking show hosted by two larger-than-life Italian sisters, Delphine and Carmela Calamari." check for times - $27

Korean Food Bazaar
On Saturday at Albany Sarang Fellowship Church, taste Korean bbq beef (bulgogi), stir-fried noodles (japchae), spicy beef soup, dumplings, Korean seaweed rolls (gimbap), and more. Eat in or take out. Proceeds will support international mission work and the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) 11 am-5 pm

Laughs

MopCo.
MopCo.: You never know. The Mop and Bucket improv company has a new show Underground at Proctors. It's a mix of short-form scenes and improv games, and it's different every week. Friday at 8 pm - $14, $6

Billy Gardell
Star of Mike and Molly on CBS -- AKA, the guy you see in promos sometimes with Melissa McCarthy -- will be at The Egg Friday night. 7 pm - $32.75

Nobodies of Comedy
A national tour featuring five up-and-coming comics at Proctors Saturday night. "You've never heard of them, but hey, they've never heard of you either!" 8 pm - $20 and up

Dirck Toll
Sunday afternoon at Caffe Lena's black box: "Riveting Complexity," a performance by humorist/monologist Dirck Toll. 2 pm - $10 / $8 students

Pitchapoolza
The Pitchapalooza tour -- in which aspiring authors get to pitch their book ideas to a panel of judges, American Idol style -- will be at St. Rose Sunday (as mentioned). For a chance to pitch, you have to buy a copy of the organizers' book (the "Book Doctors"). 2 pm - free to watch

Garage to Glory
Local bands compete for the Garage to Glory title for a third year tonight at the Center for Communications and Interactive Media Center at Saint Rose. It's free but you'll need to have a ticket.

Music

Friday: Albany Music Coalition launch at Valentine's
With: Matthew Carefully, Michael Eck, Tom McWatters and the Philo Beddoe Band. 7:30 pm - $7

Friday: Rhett Miller at Helsinki Hudson
Of the Old 97's. 9 pm - $15 ahead / $18 at door

Friday: Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds at Putnam Den
With: MaryLeigh and the Fauves. Later that night: DJ Trumastr. 9 pm - $10

Friday: A Silent Film at Jillian's
A "piano rock" band from the UK. They sound like Keane. 8 pm

Friday: The Brubeck Brothers Quartet at Skidmore's Zankel Music Center. Chris and Dan Brubeck, Chuck Lamb and Mike DeMicco play spontaneous improv jazz. 8 pm - $12

Saturday: Rosanne Raneri and Bryan Thomas at Steamer 10
Two singer songwriters. 8 pm - $13 ahead / $15 at door

Saturday: Marco Benevento at Red Square
Pianist and "sound sculptor." 8 pm - $13 ahead / $16 day of

Sunday: Strunz & Farah at Troy Music Hall
Two guitarists playing a blend of music from around the world. 7:30 pm - $20 and up

Film
The Writer's Institute is screening the 1926 version of Faust tonight at 7:30 at UAlbany's Page Hall - free.

Theater

24Hour Berkshires/Capital Region Theatre Project
WAM Theatre and MOPCO present the second annual 24 Hour Berkshires/Capital Region Theatre Festival. This weekend actors, writers,designers and stage managers gather to produce five plays-- all written, rehearsed and performed in 24 hours. Performance is Saturday night at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox. 8 pm - $15

Sunset Blvd.
"Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up." Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of the classic film by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett opens this weekend at Cohoes Music Hall. Tonight at 8 pm, Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm. Sunday at 3 pm - $25-$35.

Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir
Saturday at the Sanctuary for Independent Media: Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir -- "wild anti-consumerist gospel shouters." 8 pm - $10

National Theatre Live: She Stoops to Conquer
The Spectrum is screening London's National Theater production of Oliver Goldsmith's comedy She Stoops to Conquer. Sunday at Noon $15, $12 for kids.

The Metropolitan Opera: La Traviata - Live
If you've ever wanted to give opera a try, this may be a good chance. Regal Cinema at Crossgates is screening La Traviata, live from The Met on Saturday at 12:55 pm.

Museums/Galleries

Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen
A new exhibit at the Albany Institute -- Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen: Objects from the vault -- opens this week. Some of the items that will be on display, from the blurbage:

Stunning Chinese lacquer, intricately carved Japanese netsuke, and eighteenth-century English porcelain statuettes reveal the cosmopolitan breadth of the Institute's holdings. While other collections like patent models and human hair jewelry demonstrate the ingenious and quirky sides of human creativity. The exhibition also includes unusual clocks, a chronology of mirrors, folding fans, British and American pianos, and riches from the library.

Earlier: What you can't see at the Albany Institute of History and Art

Canstruction
Using donated cans of food, teams designed and constructed a zoo at the NYS Museum for this year's Canstruction project. The can animals (canimals?) were built this week and will be on display through April 28. Then they'll be broken down and given to the Food Pantries of the Capital District. (You can also bring canned good to vote for you favorite.) free

OUTPUT
Albany Center Gallery celebrates its 35th anniversary with the first OUTPUT Graphic Design Regional Saturday from 5-9 pm.

Invisible Cities
The new exhibit Invisible Cities opens Saturday (and Michael Oatman's All Utopias Fell reopens).

Tulips
Don't wait for the festival, some of them are up now -- and there are no crowds. Take a walk through Washington Park and treat yourself to gelato at Crisan afterwards.

Baby animals
Awwww. Yep, the Baby Animal Days have begun at Hancock Shaker Villiage. What's it like? Check out Dawn's visit from a few years ago. Tours Daily from 10 am-4 pm

Road Trips
Saturday could be an especially good day for a 12 hour excursion. A ride out to Columbia County to check out the fields sculptures at Art Omi or a shopping trip to Northampton could be fun.

Drive-in
It seems a little chilly yet, but apparently it's already drive-in movie season. The Hollywood is screening Wrath of the Titans and The Hunger Games. The Malta is showing The Hunger Games and 21 Jump Street on one screen and The Three Stooges and Wrath of the Titans on the other.

Ice cream
Kurver Kreme, The Snowman,Jack's Drive In in Wynantskill, and Jumpin' Jack's and lots of other seasonal joints are now open. Go to it!

Farmers' markets
Winter farmers' markets are open this weekend: Saturday in Troy and Saratoga, and Sunday in Schenectady.

Brunch
It's one of the best ways to spend a lazy weekend morning. Here are a few fun brunch options and some great diner breakfast stops.

MopCo. is an AOA advertiser
AOA is a media sponsor for the Albany All Stars
Proctors advertises on AOA as well

photo: A Mengel