All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and there are plenty of ways to unofficially celebrate.

After the jump, a few things we thought you might want to know about. Got other plans? Share, please.

And no matter what you're up to, have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend.

TNO
Tonight is Troy Night Out. Collar City shops, galleries and restaurants are open late with music, art and performances. The Albany Berkshire Ballet is performing at The Arts Center of the Capital Region, CAC Woodside artist Mike Millspaugh will be a featured artist at the Vacant Storefront Artist Project (272 River Street Block 11) and Chris Neumann and Simple Machines perform at Design It Together's new space at 291 River St. Then hit the Official Unoffical TNO after party at Daisy Baker's.

Memorial Day Parades
The Albany Memorial Day Parade starts at 9:30 am Monday morning at Partridge and Central Ave and heads down Washington to the review stand at the State Education Building.

A few other parades slated for this weekend:
+ Lansingburgh: Monday at 11 am
+ North Greenbush: Monday at 1:15 pm
+ After originally being canceled, the Saratoga Springs Memorial Day Parade is back on this Monday morning at 10 am on Broadway

USS Slater
This would be a great weekend to check out the USS Slater, the WWII destroyer escort turned floating history museum. The museum is open Saturday and Sunday, and will also be open on Monday for Memorial Day. 10 am-4 pm / special Memorial Day observance at 8 am on Monday - $7, $6 for seniors, $5 for 6-14 / under 5 free.

Laughs
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

Theater

Avenue Q
Yes, there are puppets, but there's also "full frontal puppet nudity" and songs like "It Sucks to Be Me" and "Schadenfreude," so leave the kids at home for this one. The Local Actors Guild of Saratoga presents the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q this weekend at the Saratoga Arts Center. Saturday at 2 pm & 8 pm, Sunday at 2 pm - $20

A New Brain
Class Act Productions presents A New Brain, William Finn and James Lapine's musical about a songwriter's near death experience. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm / Sunday at 2 pm

God of Carnage
This is the last weekend to catch Yasmina Reza's comedy God of Carnage at Capital Rep. Tonight at 8 pm, Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm, Sunday 2 pm - $20-$60

Carnival
Ride the Ferris Wheel, eat cotton candy and play some midway games. There's a carnival midway Friday and Saturday night at the Halfmoon Town Hall, and 20% of the price of all tickets support the Relay for Life. Friday and Saturday 6-10 pm

Oh, Canada
A new exhibit at MASS MoCA opens this weekend: Oh, Canada. From the blurbage:

The largest survey of contemporary Canadian art ever produced outside Canada, Oh Canada features work by more than 60 artists who hail from every province and nearly every territory in the country, spanning multiple generations and working in all media. MASS MoCA's curator Denise Markonish spent the last three years crisscrossing Canada to view hundreds of exhibitions in museums and galleries, visiting over 400 artists' studios, and making connections with a full range of artists working in Canada today.

The opening reception is Saturday at 6 pm -- $10 for non-members. There's also a dance party later that night with Brendan Canning, one of the founders of Broken Social Scene (Canadian, of course) -- $15 / $20 with museum admission / $10 students.

Also now up at MASS MoCA: Invisible Cities.

Williams College Museum of Art
And while you're out that way, you might stop by the Williams College Museum of Art. It's open on Saturdays and Sundays -- and it's free.

Fantastic Taiwan 101
The Fantastic Taiwan 101 show at The Egg tonight is sold out.

Music

Friday: Nine Votes Short at Valentine's
Local punk. An album release party. With: The Knee Benders, GrandEvolution. 8:30 pm

Friday: Black Mountain Symphony at Jillian's
With: The Ameros.

Friday: Atlas Arrows at Hudson River
Indie rock from Binghamton.

Saturday: The Wood Brothers at Helsinki Hudson
Folk funk. Includes Chris Wood, of Medeski Martin & Wood. 9 pm - $20 ahead / $25

Saturday: Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius & Heard at Caffe Lena
"New World" piano jazz. 8 pm - $15 ahead / $17 at door

Saturday: Rebecca Cline and Nicki Denner at Union College
"The Caribbean Side of Thelonious Monk" from duo pianists. Emerson Auditorium 8 pm - $15 / $5 students

Sunday: The Kooks at Upstate Concert Hall (nee Northern Lights)
English pop rock. A bit unexpected: their LaBlogotheque Take Away Show is one of the most ever watched -- more than 3 million views. With: Northern Faces (formerly Around the World and Back). 8 pm - $18 ahead / $20 day of

Road trip
A lot of people have three days off this weekend, and an extra day is always a good excuse for a little road trip. A ride out to Columbia County to check out the field sculptures at Art Omi or a shopping trip to Northampton could be fun.

For the birds
The Berkshire Bird Paradise is open for the season. As long as you don't have any Tippi Hedren-like phobias, this place is really neat. There's clucking and squawking and colorful feathers. It's a fun diversion on a trip out to Grafton Lake.

Geneology
The New York State Library is offering a tour on Saturday morning that could help people interested in researching their family history. The tour highlights published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, United States and New York State Census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories and more. Registration is required.

Beach time?
Yep, the beach at Grafton Lake State Park opens this weekend. On Saturday at 2:30 pm there's a program exploring "The Mysterious World of Bugs"and on Monday there's a Memorial Day Sand Sculpture Contest at noon.

The beach at Moreau Lake State Park also opens this weekend.

Ice cream

Tour de Hard Ice Cream
Daniel B's Tour de Hard Cream is this Saturday. It starts at 11 am at The Farmer's Daughters' Drive In in Saratoga (be sure to read his page with all the details). Bring your appetite.

Moxie's
Moxie's in Wynantskill is open for the season. If you like ice cream, you owe it to yourself to go at least once. They make six different types of vanilla -- and you can get them all in a sampler!

Grilling
There should be enough good weather to fire up the grill sometime this weekend. Maybe you need to stop at Rolf's on your way home, or visit the farmers' markets this weekend. Or both.

Farmers' markets outside
The outdoor season for farmers' markets are in swing in Troy (Saturday), Saratoga (Saturday), and Schenectady (Sunday).

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.

Capital Rep, Mop & Bucket Company and The Arts Center for the Capital Region all advertise on AOA.

photo via The Kooks Facebook