All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

Don't put your Wellies and umbrellas away yet. It's going to be kind of a soggy weekend. But if you're looking for stuff to do, we'll, that we've got plenty of, from theater and music, to Oktoberfest, to apples and corn mazes.

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

And whatever you're up to, have a fabulous weekend.

1st Friday
Tonight is the 1st Friday arts walk in Albany. Here are a few things you might want to check out. At 5:30 there's a flash mob (is it really a flash mob if they tell you about it ahead of time?) on the steps of the NYS Museum, Albany Center Gallery's Layer and Line show is inspired by Japanese art, and Ken Ragsdale's Cars, Trucks and Campers show is at the Massry Center at The College of Saint Rose, along with Ellen Driscoll's Core Sample show(more on that below). Afterwards there's the Capital Swing Dance at 25 South Allen, dancing at Hudson Disco-Tec, and the Todd Nelson Trio at The University Club. Here's the full schedule of 1st Friday events.

Oktoberfest
Wolff's Oktoberfest block party is this Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm in North Albany. Beer tents, Dauchshund races, a stein holding competition and more. $7 -- free if you wear lederhosen or a dirndl

Chowderfest
The annual Chowderfest is this Sunday in Troy. Restaurants from around the Capital Region will offer $1 samples of their soups and chowders in Riverfront Park. Sample as many as you like and vote for your favorites. 10 am-3 pm

Comedy

MopCo TheaterSports
MopCo's improv comedy smackdown is underway. Teams of improvisers play against each other, making up scenes based on audience suggestions in the "Whose Line is it Anyway" style. Underground at Proctors on Friday night at 8PM. $14, $6 for students and seniors.

Shut Up, Sit Down and Eat
Part one man stand-up comedy show, part Broadway play. "When a therapist fails to arrive on time for a group therapy session, four impatient Italian Americans take their issues into their own hands and invent a new type of therapy - Italian therapy." Friday at 7:30 pm at the GE Theater at Proctors - $42.50. It's also at The Egg on Saturday, 7:30 pm - $42.50

Theater

Pride@Prejudice
This is opening weekend for Pride@Prejudice, an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in which the cast shifts from character -- both from the story and from outside -- folding in context about the story and Austen's life. The production runs through October 28. various times - $20 and up

Mary Poppins
The touring company of the Broadway version of Mary Poppins continues its seven-day run at Proctors this weekend. (By the way: the script for this show was written by Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downtown Abbey.) various times - $20 and up

How To Train Your Dragon
Also kid-oriented this weekend: The "How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular" at the TU Center, running through Sunday. various times - $22.50 and up, depending on day and time

Sip some whiskey
Albany's new distillery -- the Albany Distilling Company -- opens for tastings and tours Friday afternoon.

Core Sample
Friday at St. Rose: sculptor and RISD professor Ellen Driscoll will be giving a talk about her exhibit currently on display at Massry Center: Core Sample, which "features a suspended sculpture assembled from recycled plastic bottles, large-scale works on paper and handmade books." reception at 5 pm (Massry Gallery), talk at 7 pm (St. Joseph's Hall Auditorium) - free and open to the public

Miriam
Friday and Saturday at EMPAC: Miriam, a dance-theater performance from choreographer and dancer Nora Chipaumire. 8 pm both days - $18 / $13 students

Jerry's Map
Saturday at MASS MoCA: a reception with artist Jerry Gretzinger about his ongoing, hand-drawn map of an imaginary town -- it covers 2,000 square feet. The map is currently on display at MASS MoCA, and Gretzinger has set up his studio there temporarily. 5 pm - $5

MoHu
The second MoHu arts festival starts this Friday and runs through next week. The festival is aiming to put a spotlight on arts around the Capital Region, highlighting events at more than 100 venues.

From the Top
The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is hosting Christopher NPR radio host Christopher O'Riley's "From the Top" with guest Matt Haimovitz. The show, focused on young classical performers, will be recorded for broadcast. (There's a pop-up show with O'Riley and Haimovitz on Friday morning around 11 am in the window of Market Block in Troy.)
The Troy Music Hall show is Friday at 7:30 pm - $25- $55

Music

Friday: Cuddle Magic at Caffe Lena
"[T]hey perform deftly crafted, lush, whimsical songs with wide-ranging instrumentation including strings, percussion, vibraphone, trumpet, clarinet, keyboards, guitars, and many voices." With: Rosary Beard. 8 pm - $14 ahead / $16 at door

Friday: The Growlers at Valentine's
California psych rock. With: Denney and the Jets, Sean Bones. 8 pm

Friday: Dada Life at Upstate Concert Hall
Electro house from Sweden. With: 12th Planet, Alex English. 9 pm - $27.50 ahead / $32 day of

Saturday: Medeski, Martin & Wood at The Massry Center
Jazz fusion, acoustic this time. 7:30 pm - $30

Saturday: Wild Belle at Valentine's
Brother and sister act, with sort of a 70s thing going on. With: Emily Sprague. 8 pm - $9

Saturday: Capital Area Indie Fest at The Egg
Exit Factor winner Molly Durnin joins Stellar Young (nee The City Never Sleeps), The Hearing Aides, Tor Loney, High Bridge North, Jodi Shaw, Sandy McKnight, Liv Cummins, Christina Dellea. 7 pm - $15

Saturday: It Came from the Underground at Putnam Den
Mitochi, Rawhead, Ben Karis-Nix, William Hale, Racing City Ghosts. There's another lineup for Sunday: Sun Burdens, Mr. Owl, Disposable Rocket Band.

Saturday: Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen at Caffe Lena
Americana. 8 pm - $12 ahead / $14 at door

Sunday: Robert Glasper Experiment at The Egg
Hip-hop jazz. 7:30 pm - $24'

Sunday: Sultans of String at Caffe Lena
Flamenco/gyspy jazz. From Canada. 7 pm - $18 ahead / $20 at door

LEGO
The Albany Institute of History and Art holds its annual Lego Building Challenge this weekend. Contestants compete in teams. Basic blocks are supplied but you can also bring your own. Saturday, Sunday and Monday. $20 per team (up to 4 people of any age).

Film

Avalon
The NYS Writers Institute is showing Mamoru Oshii's 2001 film Avalon Friday night at Page Hall on the UAlbany downtown campus. "Made with a Polish cast and a Japanese crew, the film employs digital versions of vintage, sepia-tone photographs to create a battle simulation game set in Eastern Europe in the mid-20th century." 7:30 pm - free

The Way we Were
The Ballston Spa film festival people present a free screening of the movie that was filmed in the town (and at Emma Willard) back in 1972, The Way we Were. Ballston Spa High School auditorium. Saturday at 6:45 pm - free (bring your own Kleenex)

Sleepwalk with Me
Mike Birbiglia's new film Sleepwalk with Me, produced by Ira Glass, continues its run at The Spectrum.

Pooch Parade
Saturday from 10 am to noon in Congress Park in Saratoga, walk your dog to raise awareness and funds for domestic violence programs. $5 for each dogs, people are free

Souped Up on Guilderland
Altamont Orchards is hosting a soup cook-off and car show on Saturday. It's a PTA fund raiser for Guilderland school athletics programs that have been cut. $10 for the car show, $5 to get into the soup tent. Saturday from 10am-2pm

Columbus Festival
Colonie is hosting a Columbus Day weekend festival on Saturday and Sunday with Italian Food, Music, Dancing, craft vendors, rides for the kids, face painting and more. Saturday and Sunday in Cook Park. noon to 8 pm - free admission

Cider donuts
The 2012 FUSSYlittleBLOG Tour de Cider Donut has come and gone. But now that you have the results, you can go check them out for yourself.

Apples
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 store.

Corn Mazes
+ The giant corn maze at Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke is now open. Admission $10.50.

+ Wander the corn maze at Fort Ticonderoga. 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.

+ Samascott has a corn maze at its farm store in Kinderhook.

Carnival in a Cornfield
Indian Ladder Farms has a carnival set up in the corn field all weekend. You can buy tickets per ride or pick up a wrist band good for the whole day.

Farmers' markets
Farmers' markets are outdoors for just a few more weeks. Among the markets open this weekend: Troy (Saturday), Delmar (Saturday), Saratoga (Saturday), and Schenectady (Sunday).

Road trip
Fall is a great time of year for a road trip. 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. And there's still time to take in a few flowers at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Take a walk
The colors are changing and it doesn't last long. Between the showers this weekend, take a walk and appreciate it. Before you head out, check out some of our favorite autumn walks.

The Troy Music Hall advertises on AOA, as does Capital Rep. AOA is a media sponsor for Sleepwalk with Me at The Spectrum.

photo: Sebastien Barre