All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

It's April in the great Northeast, and this weekend Mother Nature wants to make sure we remember that. It will be a good weekend to pack an umbrella wherever you're going.

If you haven't decided what your weekend plans are just yet, you'll find some suggestions after the jump. Doing something you don't see there? Share it with the rest of us please. And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend.

Troy Night Out
Friday night is Troy Night Out. Shops and galleries in the Collar City are open late with performances and exhibits. A few things you might want to catch:

+ The Rensselaer County Historical Society's Hoarding History exhibit will be open for viewing.
+ The Arts Center of the Capital Region hosts its Fine Arts & Craft Festival with works in pottery, metal, fiber, glass, wood, photography and more. $6
+ Jack Casey hosts an open house to celebrate the release of his new CD at 47 2nd Street.
+ Underground Athletics is collecting broken electronics -- from televisions to laptops to cellphones -- for recycling.

Here's the full list of Troy Night Out events.

TAP NY
Saturday-Sunday: Hunter Mountain hosts TAP NY craft beer festival this weekend, with over 70 craft brewers offering samples. Saturday 1pm to 5pm, Sunday noon to 4pm. $73.44 Saturday, $60.48 Sunday, $21.60 for designated drivers.

Grown Up Egg Hunt
Saturday: Update: The egg hunt will be in the Atrium in downtown Troy because of weather. The 3rd annual charity Grown Up Easter Egg Hunt is this Saturday in Troy's Prospect Park. Hunt for eggs filled with gift certificates from $5 to $125. There will also be raffles, music and make-your-own sundaes from Stewart's. Saturday 2:30-4 pm - $15 / free for spectators

Electric City Couture
Saturday: The Electric City Couture fahsion show will be in to Saratoga Springs this year with a show at Universal Preservation Hall. Live music, a DJ and a fashion show featuring six local designers. Saturday at 8 pm - $15 / a post-show party at Javier's is an extra $5

Hopscotch & Slide
Friday: The annual Hopscotch & Slide event, a fundraiser for the Seton Health Foundations is at 90 State Street. Music, food and beverage tastings, raffles and more.Friday 6-10 pm - $95

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Saturday: As many as 600 walkers in high heels are expected to turn out at the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event at the Samaritan Hospital Lally Pavillion in Troy. The annual event raises money for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Saturday 10 am - $20 to participate in the walk (registration is still open)

Theater

Boeing, Boeing
Home Made Theater 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 8 pm, Sunday at 2pm - $23/$26

Of Mice and Men
Hubbard Hall presents, Of Mice and Men this weekend -- based on the John Steinbeck novel. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2 pm

The Price
Curtain Call Theater presents Arthur Miller's The Price, a drama about the price we pay for decisions. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm - $23

Comedy

4th St. Funnies
Friday: The 4th St. Funnies show at Kokopellis in Troy features Dan Frigolette (Artie Lange Show, Hoboken Comedy Fest Founder) this around. Also in the lineup: Lauren Turczak, Jeff Crawford, and Brandon Sager, with hosts Jaye McBride and Ethan Ullman. Friday 7:30 pm - $5

Broadway's Next H!t Musical
Friday: Troy Music Hall hosts Broadway's Next Hit Musical, a totally improvised musical comedy based on audience suggestions. Friday 8pm - $20-$28

Theatersports
Friday: The Mop & Bucket Company is back at Proctors Underground on Friday night with a new season of TheaterSports -- in which teams of improvisors compete based on audience suggestions. (Think Whose Line is it Anyway?) Friday at 8pm - $14 / $6 students and seniors.

Comedy's Best Kept Secret Tour
Saturday: Proctors presents the Comedy's Best Kept Secret tour with three national touring comedians: Dan Frigolette (Totally Biased, Artie Lange Show), Matt Richards (BET, Showtime), and Keven Soldo. Saturday 9 pm - $15

Film

Sweet Dreams
Friday: The NYS Writers Institute's Classic Film Series is screening Sweet Dreams, a documentary following the story of Rwandan women who opened the country's first ice cream parlor with the help of actress and Blue Marble ice cream entrepreneur Jennifer Dundas. Friday 7 pm, with a sweets reception at 6:30 pm - free

Movies that freak you out
The Madison Theater has a horror fest of sorts going on this weekend with screenings of Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Shining. Good luck getting to sleep after that marathon. If you don't want to get quite as scared, they're also showing Gremlins and Frankenweenie.

Creature double feature
The Madison Theater is also screening a pair of local films: Cryptid, about a dangerous creature who escapes a scientific facility; and MeatEaters, an action-horror movie about a group of unrelated people whose stories intersect. Both films were made locally using local talent. Sunday 1 pm

Breakfast at Tiffany's
This week's classics at the Bowtie in Saratoga Springs: Breakfast at Tiffany's (Saturday & Sunday at 11am) and Caddyshack (Friday & Saturday at 11:30pm).

Drive-in
The Hollywood Drive-in is open for the season with The Muppets Most Wanted and Captain America.

Indoor Drive-In Movie Night at The Barn
Friday: The Albany Barn is hosting a family friendly indoor "drive-in" movie, at which kids can decorate their cardboard cars and watch High School Musical. Friday 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm - free

Move Music Festival
Friday-Sunday: The Move Music Festival returns with events through the weekend. There's a kickoff show Friday night at Red Square. And then a bunch of acts playing at venues around Albany on Saturday. And then a handful of performers on Sunday. Friday $10 / Saturday $15

Music

Friday: Markus Schulz at Upstate Concert Hall
Trance music DJ. With: Khomha. 9 pm - $20

Friday: Omar Sosa at Helsinki Hudson
Latin jazz pianist. 9 pm - $25 ahead / $30 day of

Friday: Martin Sexton at The Egg
Singer/songwriter. With: The Brothers McCann. 8 pm - $34.50

Friday: John McCutcheon at Proctors
Hammer dulcimer master. An 8th Step show. 7:30 pm - $26

Friday: Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas at Old Songs
"Long regarded as Scotland's premier fiddle ambassador" + "sizzlingly-talented young California cellist." 8 pm - $25 / $5 kids 12 and under

Friday: Driftwood at Caffe Lena
Americana. 8 pm - $16

Friday: Yes! series at Albany Center Galleries
The final Yes! series event of the season, with "poetry, fiction, and soulful tunes" from Joshua Keller, Nick Matulis, and Jared Schickling. 8 pm -

Saturday: Rodrigo y Gabriela at The Egg
Acoustic guitar metal? Hard to describe, easy to enjoy. With: Bobby Long. 8 pm - $44.50 and up

Saturday: ASO Cirque De La Symphonie at The Palace
Symphony + circus performers. 7:30 pm - $20 and up

Saturday: Down on the Corner at The Low Beat and Pauly's
The Low Beat and Pauly's team up for a one-ticket, two-venue lineup of 7 bands. 7 pm - $7

Sunday: Lark Strings at Albany Center Gallery
Local string quartet playing Ravel, Gershwin, and Piazzolla. 7:30 pm - free

Burlesque
Saturday: Roxxi Tarts 1920's Speakeasy Revue is at Franklin's Tower (it's 21 and over). Saturday 8 pm - $15

Shen Yun 2014
Sunday: Shen Yun uses dance, music and costumes to take the audience on a journey across 5,000 years of Chinese history at at Proctors. Sunday 7:30 pm - $54-$124

Cherry Blossom Festival
Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady is hosting a Cherry Blossom Festival with crafters and vendors, a BBQ lunch, and a farmers' market. Sunday 9 am-2 pm - $15

Henry Johnson -- Hero of Harlem's Rattlers: The Man and the Legend
Friday: Jeffrey Sammons will be at the State Museum to talk about the life of Henry Johnson, the WWI hero (and local boulevard namesake). Sammons is the co-author of the book Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality.. Friday 5:30 pm, Huxley Theater - free

Sammons will also be at the New York State Military Museum Saturday for a talk about the Harlem Rattlers regiment. Saturday 2 pm - free

Maple in April
Saturday-Sunday: If you're up for a ride out to Hadley in Saratoga County, there's a Maple in April festival this weekend with maple treats, big trucks, model railroads, birds of prey, a barbecue and fireworks. Saturday and Sunday 8 am to dusk - free admission

Bird Festival
The Huyck Preserve is hosting its annual Bird Festival on Saturday afternoon with birds of prey and a presentation by a wildlife rehabilitate. Saturday, 1 pm to 5 pm.

Capital Region Homebuyer Fair
Saturday: The Albany Public Library is hosting a fair for homeowners and prospective home buyers. Free credit checks and mortgage qualifications and seminars on owning a home. 10 am to 2pm, APL main branch on Washington Ave - free

Classes

Meatballs
Friday: Deanna Fox will be at Different Drummer's Kitchen heading up a class called "Meatballs Around the World." Friday 6 pm - $65

DIY household cleaners
Saturday: Michelle Boyle of Green Genies will be at Honest Weight for a class about DIY household cleaning agents. "[Y]ou'll make our own plant-based multipurpose cleaner to take home, along with recipes for other simple, safe cleaners for everyday use." Saturday 11 am - free (registration required)

Farmers' markets
Is the final stretch for indoor markets: 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).

Proctors, MopCo, the Arts Center, Troy Music Hall, and HWFC advertise on AOA.

Electric City Couture photo: James Pickett