All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

Happy August. You know, August -- the month where you've still got plenty of summer but you start to fear the calendar is running out it?

It's not how much time you have, it's how you use it. If you haven't made plans for this weekend yet, you'll find some suggestions after the jump. Got something planned that isn't listed here? Let us in on it.

And however you're using your time this weekend, have fun.

1st Friday
Shops and galleries around Albany will be open late tonight for 1st Friday. A few things to see:
+ The Albany Barn's Stage One gallery has an exhibit called I Am Albany -- a collection of self portraits taken by students at Arbor Hill Elementary School.
+ At Crisan, artist Yoon Lee is exhibiting her creations made from things like fondant, ramen noodles, rice cakes and Korean characters.
+The creators of the giant Sculpture in the Streets clogs (including Elizabeth Zunon) will be at a Downtown BID event in Tricentennial Park. Food from The Merry Monk, beer tasting, cash bar and glass blowing demonstrations by artists. Free but you have to register.

Post 1st Friday events include:
+ The monthly Capital Swing Dance at the Albany Elks Club, with Reggie's Red Hot Feet Warmers ($15)
+ Roxie Tart's Burlesque show at Paradiso.

Ballston Spa Film Festival
Short films from across the US and around the world, along with locally-made shorts, will be screened this weekend at the annual Ballston Spa Film Festival. Films will be shown at Ballston Spa High School and outdoors in Wiswall Park (bring your own chair) on Friday and Saturday nights, beginning at 6:30. Here's the full slate of films and the schedule. free

Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC
The UPhiladelphia Orchestra's summer residency at SPAC is underway.
+ Friday is "Cirque de la Symphonie Family Night", which combines circus performers with music. Also: free ice cream, balloon animals, and other kid-friendly activities.
+ Saturday's program includes Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and the whole evening will have an Arabian Nights program with belly dancers, story tellers and exotic foods.

The Track
Sunday is "Galloping Grapes" -- wineries from around the state will be at The Track offering samples, from noon - 5 pm. A separate ticket is required for this event. Tickets are $20 ahead / $25 at the door. The event is a benefit for the Times Union Hope Fund.

Theater
The packed summer theater festival season continues. A few highlights for this week:

+ The students of Park Playhouse II open with Hairspray this weekend at the Washington Park Lakehouse in Albany. We've seen the cast, and if it's any indication, it should be fun. Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. Free.

+ This is the last weekend to catch Berkshire Theater Festival's terrific production of A Class Act. The show is made up of wonderful songs written by A Chorus Line lyricist Edward Kleban. The piece was pulled together by a group of Kleban's friends. The show was nominated for five Tony Awards in 2001 and is rarely performed. Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm - $45

+ Broadway veteran Tina Fabrique plays Ella Fitzgerald in Ella at Capital Rep. Friday at 8, Saturday at 3PM & 8PM, Sunday at 2PM

+ The Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of The Elephant Man -- starring Patricia Clarkson, Bradley Cooper and a few other actors you might recognize continues this weekend (tickets are very hard to come by). Opening this weekend: a new adaptation of the Russian comedy A Month in the Country.

+ The Classic Theater Guild continues its production of The Durang Hour, an evening of one act comedies by Christopher Durang at Indian Ladder Farms' Helderberg Theater Festival. Durang's plays have pretty mature themes, so you probably don't want to bring kids to this one. Saturday at 2PM. Free.

+ The Heldeberg Theater Festival is also doing The Merry Wives of Windsor on Friday at 8 pm and Sunday at 6 pm and Cinderella on Saturday at 7 pm Sunday at 2 pm. Free.

+ The Spectrum is screening theRoyal Albert Hall 25th anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Sunday at noon. $15, 12 and under $12.

Museums
A bunch of exhibitions at regional museums will be closing in the next month or so. Now's a good time to see them -- or you might miss them.

Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen: The Albany Institute's exhibition of pieces from its collection that are rarely on theldisplay closes August 26.

The Clark: Many of the exhibits related to the Clark's display of artifacts from China close during either August or September.

Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region: The UAlbany Art Museum's exhibition of regional artists closes September 8.

Fence Select: This year's Fence Select show at the Arts Center of the Capital Region just opened -- but it closes August 31.

African American Family Day at the ESP
Saturday at the Empire State Plaza: music, art, dance, and other family-oriented activities celebrating the traditions and contributions of the African American community. Music from The Ohio Players ("Love Rollercoaster") and Evelyn "Champagne" King. And Nannie's Double Dutch Team will be performing. noon - 7 pm

Comedy

Paula Poundstone
She's at The Egg Saturday night. 7:30 pm - $32 ahead / $35 day of

Sandra Bernhard
She's at Helsinki Hudson Saturday night. 9 pm - $45 ahead / $50 day of

Mop and Bucket Company is back underground at Proctors on Friday night. A new show every week based on audience suggestions. Friday 8PM. $14, $6 students and seniors.

Touring the Vale
Sunday: Schenectady Museum archivist Chris Hunter will be leading a tour of the Vale Cemetery about "the lives of the scientists and investors that made Schenectady 'the city that lights and hauls the world'." The tour leaves from the caretaker's house at 907 State Street at 2 pm. $7 donation / free for kids

Schoharie County Sunshine Fair
Music, fair food, rides, a midway and other stuff you find at a fair. Friday and Saturday at the Schoharie County Sunshine Fair on South Grand Street in Cobleskill.

Music

Friday: Brian Patneaude Quartet at Upbeat on the Roof at the Tang
Jazz on the roof. 7 pm - free

Friday: Sonny Landreth at Helsinki Hudson
Clapton reportedly called the blues guitarist "the most underrated musician on the planet and also one of the most advanced." With: Jim Keller Band. 9 pm - $30

Saturday: DJ Jazzy Jeff at Vapor Nightclub in Saratoga. DJ Jazzy Jeff for those who grew up thinking "Parents Just Don't Understand". Doors open at 9 pm. $10.

Saturday: Girl Walk // All Day at MASS MoCA
Screening of the "long-form dance music video set to Girl Talk's album All Day in which three dancers move across New York City, turning its sidewalks, parks, and architecture into an evolving urban stage." Also: a dancer from the film with new work, and DJs. 9 pm - $15 ahead / $19 day of

Sunday: Diego Garcia at Music Haven in Schenectady's Central Park
Drawn back to the Capital Region again. 7 pm - free

Baseball
The Tri-City ValleyCats are at home all weekend -- and on Saturday, if you bring your Time Warner cable bill to the box office you'll get a four pack of tickets and vouchers for a free hot dog and soda.

The Waterford Cultural Festival
The Waterford Cultural Museum is hosting its annual cultural festival on Saturday with music by Hair of the Dog, craft beer tasting, dance performances, historic canal tours, history and genealogy lectures, a tug-of-war competition, food, arts & crafts and more. Saturday from noon-9PM at the Harbor Visitors Center. Admission is free.

Bazaar/Fireworks
If you haven't had your fill of fireworks for the summer, you can catch a display on Saturday night in Cohoes. The Cohoes-Waterford Elks Lodge is hosting its annual bazaar this weekend with food, games and raffles tonight and Saturday from 5-10 pm. Fireworks Saturday night only.

Writer in the Window
This Saturday writer Amy Halloran will be creating poetry in the window of Market Block Books in Troy. Then, based on the poems, ukulele player Julia Alsarraf (you might remember her) will improvise songs on the spot. 11 am - free

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

Troy Flea
Troy Flea, a new TightKnit Saturday market that includes "handmade, vintage and antique art and goods," is open for the season. It's on the block of River Street in Troy south of the farmers' market. Saturday 9 am-2 pm.

Ice Cream
Check out one of the 12 staples at The Ice Cream Man, or the winners of Daniel B's Tour de Hard Cream or one of these stops on the AOA Ice Cream Tour.

Road trip
Get out of town: a shopping trip to Northampton could be fun. Or maybe a visit to a brewery or cheese farm. Or take a trip out to Western Mass and stop in at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Swimming
It's going to be hot this weekend -- highs around 90. Pick a pool or a beach, grab a towel and a good book, and you're good to go.

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.

SPAC advertises on AOA.
MopCo is also an AOA advertiser
Capital Rep has advertised on AOA in the past
AOA is a media sponsor of the Ballston Spa Film Festival