All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, you could always hit the yard or the park and play in the recently fallen snow. But maybe you're looking for something a bit less, what's the word... freezing? In that case, we've assembled our collection of stuff to do this
weekend after the jump.

There's plenty to do on the list -- from winter celebrations, snowshoeing and ice skating to cozy warm museums, theaters, and comedy. Pick your favorites, bundle up and weekend.

Got plans you don't see listed here? Drop them in the comments so we can all see. And whatever you're up to, have a great weekend.

1st Friday
It's 1st Friday in Albany. Shops and galleries are open late all over the city. Here are a few things you might want to check out:
+ There's free admission at the Albany Institute of History and Art
+ Upstate Artists Guild presents "Night," an exhibit that explores "light, hues, its revelations, and the feel of this dark time of our days."
+ The Albany Barn presents a cartoon exhibit at Stage 1

Post 1st Friday activities include:
+ The Capital Swing Dance starts at 8:30 at 25 South Allen Street.
+ The Hudson Disco-Tek "Welcome to the Underground" show, featuring Art by Karen Wallo & Emily Dorr and music by Carl Daniels and Jessie Calhoun.
+ The University Club presents "Hey Jude" -- a tribute to the Beatles arrival in NYC. 8pm - $20

Theater

Caroline or Change
Schenectady Light Opera presents the regional premier of Caroline or Change -- Tony Kushner's award-winning musical set in Louisiana in 1963. It's a fascinating story of an African-American maid working for a Jewish family, based on an incident in Kushner's own youth. Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2pm - $18/$22/$28

Boeing Boeing
Albany Civic presents the comedy Boeing Boeing, a farce about how an improved, faster Boeing jet interferes with the romantic life of a swinging 60s bachelor involved with three stewardesses. Friday & Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 3 pm - $15 / $10 students / government employees (with a valid ID) can get 2 tickets for $15

Witness for the Prosecution
Agatha Christie's classic courtroom mystery Witness for the Prosecution opens this weekend at Home Made Theater in Saratoga. Friday & Saturday at 8 pm - $23 & $29

"You are too twisted for color TV"
The Local Actors Guild of Saratoga's production of Steel Magnolias closes this weekend at The Arts Center of Saratoga on Broadway. Saturday at 2 pm & 8 pm, Sunday at 7:30 pm

The Whales of August
Schenectady Civic Playhouse presents a free staged reading of David Barry's The Whales of August. Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm

The Mountaintop
The Mountaintop, Katori Hall's play imagining a discussion from the last night of Martin Luther King Jr's life, closes this weekend at Capital Rep. (Here's a TU review.) Friday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

Good People
Curtain Call Theater presents David Lindsay-Abaire's Good People. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm - $23

Late Night Catechism 3 -- Till Death Do Us Part
he Late Night Catechism audience participation style comedy show is at Proctors this weekend. From the blurbage:

"After teaching countless students about the saints, venial sins, limbo and more, Sister is now offering up hilarious lessons on the Sacraments of Marriage and the Last Rites, including her own wacky version of The Newlywed Game."

Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm - $20-$50

Front Parlor Storytelling Live
Saturday: The Linda hosts an anniversary celebration for the Front Parlor storytelling series, with people sharing true stories. The lineup's special guest is Jeff Simmermon, who has told some of his stories on The Moth and This American Life. Immediately following the show, DJ Trumastr will head up the Front Parlor dance party from 10 pm-midnight. Saturday at 8pm - $12 ** It appears advance sale tickets for this are sold out. A limited number of standing room tickets will be available at the door.**

Albany All Stars Roller Derby
The Albany All Stars are back at the Washington Avenue Armory Sunday afternoon for a bout between the AASRD Brawlstars and the Hill City Rollers Derailing Darlings. Doors open at 1 pm, bout starts at 2pm - $12 / $4 for kids under 12

Comedy

Colin & Brad: The Two Man Group
Whose Line is it Anyway improvisors Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood team up for an evening of improv at Proctors. Saturday at 8pm $29.75, $36.75.

Comfest
The National College Comedy Festival returns to Skidmore Friday and Saturday. The annual event is a showcase for up-and-coming comedy writers, performers, and improv troupes -- and many past performers have gone on to great success. And it's sold out. (There's an outside possibility of tickets at the door.)

Theatersports
The Mop & Bucket Company is back at Proctors Underground on Friday night with their TheaterSports competition -- where teams of improvisors compete based on audience suggestions. Think, Whose Line is it Anyway? Friday at 8pm - $14, $6 students and seniors

Film

Ragtime
Friday: The NYS Writers Institute's classic film series is screening Ragtime, Milos Forman's 1981 film based on the E.L. Doctorow novel about fictional and historical figures whose lives intersect in New York City in the early 1900s. Friday 7:30 pm, UAlbany downtown campus, Page Hall - free

John Hughes Festival
The Madison is screening three classic 80s John Hughes movies: The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink. And for those who were older in the 80s, they're also showing an non-Hughes film, The Big Chill.

"Leisure rules"
The late night Insomnia Theater feature at The Bow Tie Cinema in Saratoga Springs this week is Ferris Beuller's Day Off. Friday & Saturday 11:30 pm

Superman
The Saratoga Bow Tie's Movies & Mimosa flick this weekend is the 1978 version of Superman, starring Christopher Reeve. Saturday & Sunday at 11:30am

Oscar season
A number of the Best Picture nominees are playing locally, in case you want to see them before the Oscars and decide for yourself.

Lake George Winter Carnival
This is the second weekend of the Lake George Winter Carnival. Events this weekend include a giant snow slide, helicopter and balloon rides, a 4x4 truck ice drag, snowmobile rides, a scavenger hunt, a bonfire, a barbecue and fireworks over the lake. The carnival runs every weekend in February. Here's the schedule of events.

Music

Friday: Beth Orton at Helsinki Hudson
"Folktronica" singer/songwriter. 9 pm - $35 ahead / $40 day of

Friday: Dar Williams at The Egg
Folk singer/songwriter. 8 pm - $28

Friday: "It Was 50 Years Ago Today" - A Celebration of the Beatles at Caffe Lena
A bunch of acts performing "authentic and innovative Beatle renditions with classic vocal harmonies and super tight instrumentation performed with panache and reverence for the music." 8 pm - $20

Friday: Adam Ezra Group at Red Square
Roots rock. With: Black Mountain Symphony. 8 pm

Saturday: Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned and The Parlor at Valentine's
Thank you and goodbye -- it's the last show at Valentine's before Howard and company head over to The Low Beat on Central Avenue. 9 pm

Saturday: The Bad Plus at The Egg
Jazz and "avant-garde populism." 8 pm - $24

Saturday: ASO at The Palace
Playing "Bolero" and other works by Ravel, Wagner, and others. 7:30 pm - $19

Saturday: Spiritual Rez at Red Square
Reggae dance. With: Suitable Groove. 8 pm - $7 ahead / $10 day of

Sunday: ASO Raiders of the Lost Symphony at The Palace
A program for families: join Michigan Miller as he travels through the "Door of Time" into the murky musical past in search of the origins of the symphony." 3 pm - $18 adults / $12 kids

Sunday: Tom Chapin at Troy Music Hall Singer/songwriter/storyteller in a show for families. 3 pm - $15

Sunday: Kristin Chenoweth at Proctors
Broadway and TV star performing "an array of her most memorable songs and Broadway show tunes, including music from Wicked, Promises Promises, Glee and songs from her new album, Some Lessons Learned." 7 pm - $20 and up

Sunday: Ruthie Foster & Eric Bibb at The Egg
Blues. 7:30 pm - $28

She Loves You - The Beatles and New York
"She Loves You - The Beatles and New York," a series of events pegged to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' arrival in the United States, in progress. Led by musicologist and Beatles scholar Gordon Thompson, the series includes multimedia presentations this weekend at the Albany Institute (Friday), Schenectady Public Library (Saturday), and Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library (Sunday.)

Bobsledding: An Albany Invention
Saturday: A historian and former deputy director of the US Bobsled & Skeleton Federation, Chris Lindsay, will give a presentation at The Fort Orange Club about the first bobsled races, which, he says took place on Madison Avenue in Albany New York. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the New York State Library. Saturday at 2-4 pm - $10

Museums

Grand Central Terminal: 100 years of a New York Landmark
Sunday: Anthony Robins, author of the new book Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark, will be at the State Museum for an illustrated lecture about the engineering, design and history of the terminal and how it figured into the planning of Manhattan. Sunday 3 pm, Huxley Theater - free

Butterflies
The indoor butterfly house opens this weekend at MiSci.

Draw Like an Egyptian: Artistic Conventions in Ancient Egypt
Sunday: Melinda Hartwig, an associate professor of ancient Egyptian art and archaeology at Georgia State University, will be at the Albany Institute to talk about how Egyptian artistic conventions reflected their world view. Sunday at 2pm - free with museum admission

The Wandering Veil
MASS MoCA recently opened an exhibit of the works of Izhar Patkin. The mural-sized paintings on tulle fabric were inspired by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali's writings on memory, love, loss and exile. Here's more on the exhibit from the Boston Globe.

Great Northeast Home Show
Over 300 home improvement experts, seminars, art, cooking and interior design demonstrations and kids activities will be at this weekend's Great Northeast Home Show at the TU Center. Friday 3pm to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm - $8

Clifton Park Winterfest
Saturday: Clifton Park's Winterfest is at Clifton Park Center. Music, community groups, a best soup contest, and a Clifton Park Idol music contest. Saturday 11 am-4 pm - free admission

Albany Winter Brewfest
Saturday: A group of New York State crafter breweries will be offering samples at Albany Winter Brewfest at the Washington Avenue Armory. Saturday 1 pm and 6 pm (separate sessions) - $37 ahead / $47 at door / $12 designated driver tickets

Valentine's Desserts
Saturday: pastry chef Corinna Selby teaches a hands-on class on Valentine desserts at Different Drummer's Kitchen. Saturday at noon - $65

Ice skating
The ice skating rink on the ESP has a very high fun:cost ratio. It's open all weekend from 11 am to 8 pm, weather permitting -- be sure to check before heading out. $4 adults / $3 kids / free on Friday

Snowshoe Walk to High Point
Saturday: There's a three mile snowshoe hike to High Point in Thacher State Park. Snowshoes will be available to rent. Saturday 10 am at the Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center -- registration required (872-0800)

Farmers' markets
Indoor markets are open in Troy (Saturday at the Atrium), Saratoga (Saturday at the Lincoln Baths in Spa State Park), Schenectady (Sunday at Proctors), and the Spa City Farmers Market -- at the Lincoln Baths in Saratoga Springs (Sunday at the Lincoln Baths).

Capital Rep and the Albany Institute advertise on AOA. And AOA is a media sponsor of the Front Parlor event.