All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (hot, hot, hot), to the county fair, to ballet, to McEnroe, to Pygmalion, to writers, to the circus, to Bob Dylan and Wilco, to a bunch of music. And the Track opens...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny and 91.

Tuesday: Again.

Wednesday: Again.

Thursday: Again.

Friday: A touch cooler, maybe some thunderstorms.

Weekend: Continued chance of thunderstorms, low 80s.

Hot, hot, hot.

Saratoga County Fair

Tuesday-Sunday: Local county fair season starts with the Saratoga County Fair at the fairgrounds in Ballston Spa. Here are the daily fair schedules. general admission $10 / children smaller than 52 inches free / active military members with ID free / unlimited rides ticket $20

Ballet

The National Ballet of Canada is at SPAC for multiple performances this week. The highlight of the run are performances of Giselle on Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday-Thursday - $24 and up

World Team Tennis

John McEnroe will be playing at UAlbany's SEFCU Arena this week on one of three dates for the New York Sportimes as part of World Team Tennis: Monday (James Blake will be playing), Tuesday, and McEnroe will there Thursday. 7:30 pm each day - $15 and up (the McEnroe match is $39 and up)

Theater

Pygmallion
Wednesday: A production of Pygmalion opens at Williamstown Theatre Festival, starring Robert Sean Leonard and Heather Lind. You probably know Leonard from House (and Dead Poet's Society). Lind has been a recurring character on Boardwalk Empire and she's been cast in a pilot for a new AMC series -- she's also from Guilderland. Pygmalion runs through July 27 at WTF.

Spring Awakening, Spamalot
This is the last week for Our Own Prodcutions' Spring Awakening at The Egg. The Sparkley Clean Funeral Singers continues at Cap Rep. And Spamalot continues its run at the Park Playhouse in Albany.

Arts and sciences

Writers Institute
This week's slate for the NYS Summer Writers Institute visiting writers reading series includes: Amy Hempel and Honor Moore (Monday), Russell Banks and Chase Twichell (Tuesday), Rick Moody and Tom Healy (Wednesday), Mark Strand and Peg Boyers (Thursday), and William Kennedy (Friday). 8 pm Palamountain Hall at Skidmore - free

The Searchers
Monday: Proctors' AFI 100 series is showing the John Ford and John Wayne classic The Searchers. And the old westerns -- with those wide landscapes -- are probably best seen on a big screen. Monday 5 pm and 7:30 pm - $5

Solomon Northup Day
Saturday is Solomon Northup Day in Saratoga Springs. If you're not familiar with Northup's story, it's worth taking some time to read about him. An African-American man from Saratoga Springs born free in the 1800s, Northup was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Northup eventually regained his freedom, and his experiences were told in the famous memoir Twelve Years A Slave. A new film about Northup's story -- starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, and many other notable actors -- is set to be released later this year.

On Saturday there will be a celebration of Northup's life at Skidmore's Filene Hall from noon-4 pm. Historians will be talking about Northup and the times in which he lived, and more than 40 of his descendants are scheduled to be there. it's free and open to the public.

Circus

Thursday-Sunday: The Zoppé Italian Family Circus will be at Proctors under a big-top tent. Blurbage: "clowns Nino and Pepino return with a full cast of careening canines, hilarious horses, terrific trapeze artists and more daring feats than you'd ever think possible." multiple performances - $25 and up

The Track

Friday is opening day for the season at the Saratoga Race Course. This is the 150th season at the Track. There will be racing everyday -- except Tuesdays -- through Labor Day. (The Travers -- the biggest race of the season -- is August 24.)

Opening day is also the first of the "Family Fridays" series at the Track. Another highlight from the opening weekend: the annual hat contest on Sunday.

Grey Fox

The annual Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival is Thursday through Sunday in northern Greene County. The festival includes a big lineup of acts, including the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Keller Williams with the Travelin' McCourys, Chris Thile and Michael Daves, and the Infamous Stringdusters. full festival tickets are $190 / Thursday, Friday, Saturday single day $65 / Sunday single day $30

Bob Dylan and Wilco

Sunday: The Americanarama Festival of Music will be at SPAC. The show's headliner is Bob Dylan, and also includes Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Ryan Bingham. Sunday 5:30 pm - $40.50 and up

Music

Tuesday: Dash Rip Rock at Valentine's
Southern rock. With: Grainbelt. 8 pm - $10

Wednesday: Elastic Bond at The Linda
"A retro-futuristic combination of folkloric rhythms and electronic beats" from Miami. With: Olivia Quillio. 8 pm - $15

Wednesday: Throw Vision at Red Square
Indie hard-to-describe "electro soul."

Wednesday: Bayside Tigers at Rockin' on the River
90s tribute band. 5 pm - free

Thursday: Odd Future at Upstate Concert Hall
As mentioned. Announced lineup includes: Tyler, Hodgy, Leftbrain, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Jasper, and Taco. 8 pm - $25 ahead / $27 day of

Thursday: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas at Alive at Five
Alive at Five will be honoring Jerry Jennings this week with "a special dedication ceremony, fireworks, additional live entertainment, t-shirt giveaways, a photo booth and the opportunity to sign a commemorative mural for the Mayor." With: Wild Adriatic, Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra. 5 pm - free

Thursday: Enter The Haggis at Helsinki Hudson
"World fusion" rock. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Friday: Alice Cooper at the Palace
Mark him down as not a fan of Mumford and Sons. 8 pm - $24.75 and up

Friday: Younglbood Hawke at Upstate Concert Hall
Alterna pop from LA. With: San Cisco (indie pop from Australia, covering Daft Punk above), Lunic, Small Pools. 8 pm - $10.27 ahead / $12 day of

Friday: Stellar Young at Upbeat on the Roof
Indie rock on the roof of the Tang. 7 pm - free

Friday: Luciano at Putnam Den
Reggae singer. 9:30 pm - $22 ahead / $27 day of

Saturday: Mayhem Festival at SPAC
Lineup features: Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, and others. 1 pm - $35 and up

Saturday: Mac Miller at Upstate Concert Hall
Rapper, hip hop producer, Donald Trump antagonist. With: Vince Staples, Internet. 8 pm - $30 ahead / $32 day of

Saturday: Lucy Kaplansky at Caffe Lena
Folk. With: Milton. 8 pm - $22

Sunday: Mona at Putnam Den
Rock, in part originally from Dayton, Ohio, USA. 1 pm - free thanks to WEQX

Sunday: Ana Egge Band at Music Haven in Schenectady
"A folk Nina Simone." 7 pm - free
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These are a just a few things for this week. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

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