All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

What do retro horror movies, Irish Festivals and corn mazes have in common? They're all part of this weekend's slate of stuff to do in the Capital Region.

Our full list is after the jump.

Doing something you don't see here? Drop it in the comments below and share with the rest of us.

And whatever you're up to -- have a fantastic weekend!

FantaCon
The horror/comic books/special effects convention FantaCon will be at Marriott on Wolf Road this Saturday and Sunday. It includes appearances by a bunch of artists, actors, and practitioners of the gory. The convention also includes a series of films at the Palace Theatre in Albany:
+ Friday: the original Friday the 13th
+ Saturday: Zombie Fest, featuring three zombie films

Irish Fest
The 17th annual Irish 2000 Festival is this weekend at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds. Irish music -- from celtic punk to traditional -- food, and crafts. Friday 5pm to midnight, Saturday 10am to 11pm. $16 in advance, $20 at the gate, $26 two day pass. Under 12 Free.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration At The Plaza
Saturday: A celebration of Latin music, arts, crafts and food on the Empire State Plaza. Music lineup headlined by Grammy-winning merengue musician Toño Rosario. music starts at 3 pm - free

Apple and Wine Festival
The annual Capital Region Apple and Wine Festival returns to the Altamont Fairgrounds this weekend. Crafts, a haunted house, kids activities, music, a market and, of course, apples and wine. Saturday 10 am to 6pm, Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. $8, under 15 free with an adult.

Theater

Ghost The Musical
Ghost, the new musical based on the Oscar winning film opens a week long run at Proctors on Saturday. Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday at 2pm. $20-$80

One Slight Hitch
The Curtain Call Theater production of Lewis Black's One Slight Hitch continues this weekend. It's a comedy about a family and a wedding day gone wrong. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm - $23

Big Maggie
Albany Civic Theater closes its production of Big Maggie, the story of an Irish widow and her efforts to control the lives of her children. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm - $15, students and government employees can get two tickets for $15 with a valid ID

Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah
Barrington Stage is winding down its season with the world premiere of Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah: "In 1937, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, famous authors and frenemies, meet in Hollywood at the notorious Garden of Allah apartment complex. A humorous and heated exchange ensues about the cost of love, friendship and the price of being a writer." Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday 4pm & 7:30 pm, Sunday 3 pm - $40 and up.

Comedy

Lisa Lampanelli
Friday-Sunday: Comedian Lisa Lampanelli will be at Proctors for a "developmental production" of her new one-woman show Skinny Bitch: NOT A Stand-Up Comedy Show. Blurbage:

The production, which is written by Ms. Lampanelli and 700 Sundays writer Alan Zweibel, will be helmed by Tony Award-winning® director John Rando. In her first theatrical production, Lisa will reveal the woman behind the comic, and her struggle with food, men and body image. In turns hilariously funny, surprisingly touching and totally relatable, Skinny Bitch: NOT a Stand-Up Comedy Show will show a side to Comedy's Lovable Queen of Mean that few would guess exists.

Lampanelli played two shows in one night at The Egg earlier this year, and at least one of them sold out. various times - $25 and up

Comedy for a Cause
The Comedy Works in Albany hosts a slate of local comedians in a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters on Saturday night. Doors open at 7:30pm, show at 8pm. $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Improv returns
+ After a summer hiatus, the Mop & Bucket Company returns to Proctors with Chortal Combat, in which teams of improvisors compete by creating scenes and songs using audience suggestions. Friday at 8pm - $14 for adults, $6 students/seniors.

+ Mop & Bucket returns to The Comedy Works on Saturday at 8pm with a night of improv games based on audience suggestions. Saturday 8pm - $15 advance, $20 at the door.

Basilica SoundScape
Friday-Saturday: The Basilica in Hudson has lined up Basilica SoundScape, "a carefully curated weekend program featuring a wide range of music, visual art, and literature that aims for specific connections and overlaps instead of 'festival'-style overload." It's presented in collaboration with Pitchfork. The two-day music lineup will finish with "a large-scale sound piece" produced through a collaboration between Pitchfork editor Brandon Stosuy, artist Matthew Barney, and composer Jonathan Bepler. 7 pm both days - $60 weekend pass / $35 each day

Music

Friday: The Guggenheim Grotto at the Linda
Folk pop from Ireland. With: M.R. Poulopoulos. 8 pm - $17

Friday: Tim Eriksen and the Trio de Pumpkintown at Caffe Lena
Pumpkintown is "a fictional village where the soundscape is 18th and 19th century sea ballads, fiddle tunes and afro/celtic gospel." 8 pm - $16

Friday: North & South Dakotas at Putnam Den
Nee Headband Jack. 10 pm

Friday: Big Malk & Sime Gezus at Red Square
Album release show for the hip hop duo. 8 pm - $10

Saturday: Stellar Young at Putnam Den
With: This Renaissance, Premier, Beaked Whale. 8 pm - $7

Sunday: The John Scofield Ãœberjam Band at the Massry Center
Jazz. Featuring Andy Hess, Avi Bortnick, Tony Mason. 7:30 pm - $30 / $15 students

Sunday: Fancytramp at Valentine's
Grungy pop rock from Nashville. With: Boxer Brown, Mutarortot.

Football
Saturday: UAlbany will be opening Bob Ford Field, its new 8,500-seat football stadium on the uptown campus with a game versus Rhode Island (it will also be UAlbany's first game in its new conference). Fireworks follow the game. 7 pm - $5 and up

Revisionaries: America Loves You
The Arts Center of the Capital Region begins its Revisionaries film series this weekend:

Revisionaries is a new film series at The Arts Center that re-interprets a wealth of material as to how we see ourselves, how we wish to be seen, how we like to see others, and how others can change the way we see ourselves. From documenting one-legged tap dancers to painstaking single-frame animations, this series aims to re-envision the ways in which cinematic consciousness can be curated to re-define identity and norms. Revisionaries is curated by 99 Hooker and Bro. Russell Scholl, who are film/video archivists and curators based in New York City.

The first program in the series is America Loves You, billed as a "dark and joyous look at americana, with film of circus sideshows, rare exploitation film trailers, vaudeville, newsreels, wartime propaganda and more" to show viewers what it was like to be American in the 20th Century through the lens of pop culture and moving pictures. Saturday at 7pm - $10, $8 for Arts Center members.

Retro weekend at the drive-in
The Hollywood Drive-in is hosting a retro double feature this weekend with screenings of Back to the Future and Jaws. Bonus points if you come in a DeLorean. Friday and Saturday. Gates open at 6:30 - $9 adults, $5 5-11

Film
The Saratoga Film Forum
is screening the thriller The East this weekend at the Saratoga Arts Center. Friday and Sunday at 7:30 pm - $7, $5 for members.

Burlesque
Roxxi Tarts 1920's Speakeasy Revue comes to the Saratoga Arts Center on Saturday night. Doors open at 8pm, show at 9pm. $20.

Art In The Park
Saratoga's Art in the Park festival is this Saturday in Congress Park. Over 70 artists and crafters.10am to 4pm - free admission

Harvest Fest
The Town of Colonie will host its annual Harvest Fest Sunday at the Crossings. Music, food, crafts, kids stuff. Sunday noon-5 pm - free admission.

Museums
Here's what you can see at some of the region's museums right now:

Georgia O'Keeffe
This weekend is your last chance to check out The Hyde Collection's exhibit of Georgia O'Keeffe's works from Lake George. It closes on Sunday.

MASS MoCA
A few weeks left to see Xu Bing's Phoenix -- a giant bird made of materials harvested from construction sites in China -- at
MASS MoCA (it closes near the end of October). You can also check out Five Sets Five Reps, a solo exhibit by painter Joseph Montgomery.

Robotic Dinosaurs
There are only a few weeks left to see the giant robotic dinosaurs at MiSci in Schenectady (the exhibit closes near the end of this month). While you're there you can check out the planetarium and other exhibits.

Apples and cider donuts
Orchards around the Capital Region are starting pick your own season. Check the website of your favorite (or give 'em a call).

Also in season: cider donuts. Pick an orchard or farm stand and get them while they're still warm. Perhaps the Tours de Cider Donut can inspire your choice.

Corn Maze
The giant maze at Fort Ticonderoga is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm -- free with admission to the fort. And the corn maze at Samascott's Garden Market in Kinderhook is now open -- 11 am to 5 pm Saturday-Monday, $7 per person (kids under 4 free).

Farmers' markets
It's the best time of year to take a trip to one of the local farmers' markets. Markets are open in Troy (Saturday), Delmar (Saturday), Saratoga (Saturday), Schenectady (Sunday), and the new Spa City Farmers Market -- at the Lincoln Baths in Saratoga Springs (Sunday).

Ice Cream
For those not yet ready to let go of summer, some of places on the Tour de Soft Serve and the Tour de Hard Ice Cream and the Tour de Gelato are still open for just a few more weeks.

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