All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

Winter took a sort of mid-week nap, but it's back in time for the weekend, so layer up and make some plans. After the jump you'll find all kinds of indoor and outdoor options, from chowder tasting and snowshoeing to Oscar nominated movies and ... outhouse races.

Got something planned that's not on our list? Share it in the comments below.

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

1st Friday
Yep, it's the second 1st Friday of 2013 already. Shops and galleries are open late all over Albany on Friday. The Albany Institute of History and Art has free admission tonight, the Albany Barn has an "Up and Coming- Artists to Watch" show at Stage One gallery and the Steuben Athletic Club will have a pop-up vintage shop in the lobby. Post 1st Friday there's the monthly Capital Swing Dance at 25 South Allen with headliners Sonny & Perley and Vinylmania will be spinning tunes from 40s through the 70s at Elda's.

Chowderfest
The annual Saratoga Chowderfest is this Saturday from 11 am - 4 pm in downtown Saratoga Springs. There are more 70 establishments scheduled to compete. Each sample is $1.

Winter Carnival
Temperatures have been fluctuating but it looks like the Winter Carnival in Lake George is a go. Opening ceremonies for the annual winter celebration get going on Saturday at noon at Shepard's Park Beach. The weekend's events include outhouse races, a parade, a chili cook off, and a bonfire on the beach with music and marshmallow toasting. Here's the full schedule of events.

Theater

Race
Race -- David Mamet's drama about three attorneys, two black and one white, charged with defending a man accused of a crime against a black woman -- continues its run this weekend at Capital Rep. The production stars local actor/director Kevin Craig West. Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm - $20-$60

The Last Five Years
The Last Five Years is a two person song cycle musical explores a five year relationship between a novelist and a struggling actress. One tells the story backward and the other forward. Troy Civic presents the show this weekend at The Arts Center of the Capital Region. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm - $15, $13 students/seniors

Three Tall Women
Edward Albee's Three Tall Women is at the Schenectady Civic Players this weekend. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2:30 pm - $15

Dracula
Director Steve Fletcher presents Dracula at Curtain Call Theatre. Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm - $23

Comedy

Marc Maron
Comedian Marc Maron will be at The Egg Friday for a stand-up show. In addition to his standup, Maron has gotten a lot of attention in recent years for his popular podcast WTF with Marc Maron. 8 pm - $27.50

Lisa Lampanelli
Comedian Lisa Lampenelli will be at The Egg Saturday for two shows. Lampanelli is an insult comic and self-described "queen of mean" (the url for her website: insultcomic.com). The 7 pm show is sold out, but it looks like you can still get tickets for the 10 pm performance - $37.75

Spontaneous Broadway
Mop and Bucket Company's Spontaneous Broadway season opens on Friday night, underground at Proctors. Using only suggestions from the audience, the improv company makes up an entire Broadway-style musical. Friday 8 pm - $14 adults, $6 students and seniors

Improv at The Comedy Works
Mop & Bucket opens a weekly short form improv comedy show on Saturday night at The Comedy Works on Northern Blvd in Albany. Think Whose Line is it Anyway. 8 pm - $15-$20.

Globetrotters
Sunday at the TU Center: the Harlem Globetrotters, the lineup for which includes former Siena star Tay Fisher. 1 pm - $24 and up

Brassy
This weekend at the Zankel Center at Skidmore: a brass festival featuring New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet. Multiple events on Saturday and Sunday, including a performance by the quintet Saturday night at 8 pm ($8), a performance Sunday at 3 pm featuring the quintet and students ensemble (free)

Music

Friday: Tift Merritt, David Wax Museum at The Linda
Alt country, roots/indie rock/"Mexo-Americana." 8 pm - $18

Friday: Company of Thieves at Bayou Albany
Playing acoustically. With: von Grey. $20 ahead / $25 day of

Friday: Martin Sexton at Helsinki Hudson
Folk/soul rock. BriWi fave. 9 pm - $45 dinner tables available

Friday: Albany Pro Musica's High School Choral Festival at Troy Music Hall
Albany Pro Musica, the Empire State Youth Orchestra Repertory Orchestra, and high school choirs from around the Capital Region. 7:30 pm - $10

Friday: Kung Fu at Red Square
Funk. "Imagine 70's funk-fusion meets a modern dance party." 8 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Friday: Cliff Eberhardt at Caffe Lena
Folk veteran. With: Louise Mosrie. 8 pm - $18

Saturday: Beat*Shot Spins for JDilla at Red Square
An annual tribute to the influential producer, featuring a bunch of DJs. 8 pm - $10

Saturday: Superhuman Happiness at MASS MoCA
"Physical, cinematic, dance rock." 8 pm - $12 ahead / $16 day / $10 students

Saturday: Greg Brown at The Egg
Folk. 8 pm - $24

Saturday: Jack Landron at Caffe Lena
The first act to ever headline Caffe Lena. 8 pm - $18

It Came From Schenectady
The It Came From Schenectady folks are back this weekend with films on Friday and Saturday night. Friday at 7 pm it's a Godzilla double feature, and on Saturday starting at 2 pm there's a spaghetti western double feature showing the original un-Tarantino'ed Django films. There will be games, prizes and other surprises. $9 / $6 for students

Museums
Here are a few things you can see this weekend.

Gordon Parks photography at the NYS Museum
The New York State Museum's exhibit of photos by Gordon Parks continues this weekend. Gordon Parks: 100 photos -- a collection of work by the famous photographer/director and Life magazine's first African American staff member -- highlights photos taken in Harlem and Washington DC during the early 1940s, "when both cities were going through significant changes--arising from post-WW II urban migration, the expansion of the black press, concern for children's education, and entrenched segregation and economic discrimination."

Moonrock
Only a couple of weeks left to gawk at the moon rock at the NYS Museum.

Hudson River School
The Albany Institute of History and Art's a new exhibit of work from the Hudson River School is now open. It includes works from the institute's collection as well as works from private collections. The exhibit runs through August 18.

Mythic past
Sunday at the Albany Institute: Northeastern University historian Harvey Green on "how Americans created a vision of our nation's birth and history rooted in fact, the artifacts of daily lives, and popular fiction." 2 pm - $10 / $8 students and seniors

Phoenix
If you go to MASS MoCA, look for the new exhibit "Xu Bing: Phoenix," which opened in late December.

Someday is Now
A new exhibit featuring work by Corita Kent is currently at the Tang Museum at Skidmore. The Tang is open noon-5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Art or Evidence
This show at the Mandeville at Union College features the work of international photojournalist Gilles Peress, from the conflicts in Northern Ireland, Iran, Rwanda and Bosnia. Here's more on the exhibit. 10 am to 6 pm Friday through Sunday. Free.

Watch the game
There will be plenty of places to watch the Super Bowl this weekend. If you're throwing a party or going to one and you've been thinking about those Super Bowl cupcakes that Anderson Cooper passed up, we tried them for you.

Don't watch the game
If the Super Bowl isn't you're thing, but you're looking for a place to hang out on Sunday, The Confectionery is hosting a TV-free anti-Super Bowl party with wine and beer specials, a special menu, and a half-time art show.

Ice skating
With cold but sunny conditions, this should be a great weekend to hit the ice skating rink at the ESP. Regular hours are 11 am-8 pm. Here are other ice skating spots around the Capital Region. Be sure to dress for the weather.

Snowshoe walks
Camp Saratoga at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Thacher Park are both offering guided snowshoe walks on Sunday from 10 am-2 pm. Check for websites for meeting places and conditions.

Hockey
+ #18 Union hosts #16 Darmouth at Messa Rink Friday night. 7:40 pm
+ RPI hosts Harvard on at Houston Field House on Friday. 7 pm
+ And Saturday is RPI's annual Big Red Freakout -- Dartmouth heads over from Schenectady to Troy for the game. You may want to brush up on your RPI hockey etiquette before this one. And say hi to Puckman. 7 pm

Comfort food
Find delicious things that keep you warm. Like hot chocolate, dukbokki, or mac & cheese.

Troy Music Hall, Live Nation, Skidmore, and Proctors advertise on AOA.

photo: Dmitri von Klein