All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

This is the time of year when, for a few weeks, we can have at least a little bit of the best of both worlds -- when corn mazes and cider donuts meet soft ice cream and drive-in movies.

Whether you're in summer or fall mode, there's plenty going on this weekend to keep you busy. Skiers, sorry -- you'll have to wait a few months.

After the jump, a few things we thought might interest you this weekend. Got something else planned? Share it with the crowd.

And whatever you're up to on this last full weekend of summer, have a great time.

LarkFest
LarkFest is this Saturday, from 10 am-5:30 pm. Lark Street will be closed from Washington to Madison for music, food, and festival whatnot. Here's the music lineup (which includes some good locals) -- headliners this year are soul singer Ryan Shaw, and World Party.

Keep in mind: No pets, coolers, or outside alcohol are allowed at LarkFest.

Mopco Theatresports
Kevin Marshall is this week's guest judge at The Mop and Bucket Company's new Theatersports competition. Improvisors compete in teams using audience suggestions. Underground at Proctors. Friday 8pm . $14. $6 student/senior.

Showcase of Homes/ Chefs 'Saratoga Style' Southern Chef Tour
+ It's the first weekend of Saratoga's Showcase of Homes, where builders show off some gorgeous homes in Saratoga County. Tours are self guided and are offered on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 5pm - $20.

+ On Friday night from 6pm to 10pm you can sample food from some some of the region's top chefs at each stop, at the "Saratoga Style" Southern Chef Tour. 6pm - 10pm. $35.

Downtown Residential Open House
You can tour newly renovated/newly built apartments and condos in downtown Albany on Sunday at the Downtown BID's Residential Open House. Sunday 11am-2pm - $5

Film

Sleepwalk with Me
Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk with Me opens at the Spectrum Friday. The indie comedy was co-written by Ira Glass and co-produced by This American Life. Because it's an indie, Birbiglia and TAL were urging people to contact theaters this past summer to help get the film picked up -- the Spectrum said it got "a ton of requests."

Short film concert
Saturday at the Linda: a "short film concert" from the Asbury Shorts series in NYC. Among the films on the slate: The Lost Thing, the 2011 Oscar winner for best animated short; and Her Telling Heart, an adaption of Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart by local filmmaker Eli Meissner that was shot in Schodack. 8 pm - $10

Bassoons
Saturday at EMPAC: the world premiere of Rushes, a new work for seven bassoons from composer Michael Gordon. The piece "explores interweaving texture and timbre of a surplus of double reeds." Gordon is the founder of the Bang on a Can collective in NYC. (This is the first live performance of the season at EMPAC.) 8 pm - $18

Music

Friday: Doc Severinsen and the San Miguel 5 at the Massry Center
Trumpeter, Johnny Carson band leader, playing classical Spanish music and gypsy jazz with Gil Gutierrez. 7:30 pm - $30

Friday: Wu-Block at Upstate Concert Hall
Featuring Ghostface Killah. A collaboration between members of Wu-Tang Clan and D-Block. 8:30 pm - $23 ahead / $25 day of

Friday: Sheesham and Lotus & Son at Caffe Lena
Ragtime. They perform in Vaudeville-era costumes. 8 pm - $15 ahead / $17 at door

The Sandy Hackett Rat Pack Show at the Palace scheduled for Saturday has been re-scheduled for next May.

Sunday: Florence + The Machine at SPAC
This had been a pavilion-only show, but the lawn has since been opened up. (By the way: Florence's last name is Welch. We're not sure if the Machine has a last name.) 7:30 pm - $34.00 and up

State Museum
The New York State Museum is back open on Sundays starting this Sunday, from 9:30 am to 5 pm. (The museum's been closed on Sundays -- normally a busy day -- since January 2011 because of budget cuts.) The off-day for the museum will now be Mondays.

Irish 2000 Festival
The Saratoga County Fairgrounds hosts Irish Fest 2000, one of the largest Irish festivals in the country, Friday and Saturday. Irish music, dance, crafts, beers and more at Irish 2000 Fest. Friday 5pm-11pm, Saturday 10am-11pm. $16-$30.

Discover the Hilltowns: Farms & Artisans Tours
There are free, self guided tours of the Albany County Hilltown farms, markets, restaurants, and art studios this weekend. Tours and demonstrations will be available at stops along the way. Saturday and Sunday starting at 10am.

Colonie Harvest Fest
The town of Colonie hosts its Harvest Fest in Crossings Park on Sunday. Music, crafts, food, kids activities. Sunday noon to 5pm. Free.

Theater

+ The regional premier of In the Heights, Tony Award winner for Best Musical, is this weekend at Cohoes Music Hall. In The Heights is a look at life in NYC's tight-knit Washington Heights neighborhood. Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3 &8, Sunday at 3.$25-$35

+ Albany Civic presents Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Friday & Saturday 7:30pm , Sunday 3pm. $15.

+ Beth Henly's dark comedy Crimes of the Heart is at Curtain Call Theater. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm, $23.

+ Shakespeare and Company in Lenox has Satchmo at the Waldorf a one man show about Louis Armstrong. Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 7:30, Sunday at 2.

Capital Region Apple and Wine Festival
The Altamont Fairgrounds hosts the Apple and Wine Festival Arts, crafts, music, wine, NYS food vendors, a haunted house and kids activities. Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. $8, under 15 free with adult admission.

Apples
Apple season has started in the Capital Region. This year's weird weather resulted in large crop losses at many orchards, so some of them don't have pick-your-own this year. But most of those orchards say they'll have apples available for sale in their farm stores.

Corn Maze
Fort Ticonderoga has opened one of the first corn mazes of the season. It's a six-acre maze with clues and a scavenger hunt. Open 9:30-4:30. $17.50 for adults, Seniors $14, kids $8. Under 5 free.

Take a train with the 26th president
The Saratoga North Creek Railway is recreating Teddy Roosevelt's trip from North Creek as he left a family camping trip in the Adirondacks following the assassination of William McKinley -- and set out to become the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt impersonator Joe Wiegand will be playing noted presidential badass T.R.. No word on whether he'll be bringing his badger. The train leaves from Saratoga and goes to North Creek and back, with time in between to check out the town. Round trip fares are $27 coach/$50 dome.

Soak up what's left of summer
The drive-ins are still open -- The Hollywood, Jericho or Malta -- and the ice cream is still being scooped at places such as The Snowman, Kurver and a handful of other seasonal joints.

Farmers' markets
The abundance of great farmers' markets is one of the best things about living in the Capital Region, and this is the best time of year to check them out. Among the markets open this weekend: Troy (Saturday), Delmar (Saturday), Saratoga (Saturday), and Schenectady (Sunday).

Road trip
One of the best things about the anticipated change in season? New Clothes. Try a shopping trip to Northampton . But who needs new clothes when you have good beer and cheese -- maybe a visit to a brewery or cheese farm. Or take a trip out to Western Mass and take in the flowers while you still can at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Live Nation advertises on AOA, as does MopCo. The Downtown Albany BID is advertising its open house on AOA. The Saratoga North Creek Railway also advertises on AOA.And AOA is a media sponsor of Sleepwalk with Me at the Spectrum.