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 (tiny complaint), to The Travers, to another fair, to animation, to burlesque, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny and 77.

Tuesday: Sunny and 80.

Wednesday: Some sun, maybe some rain. Around 80.

Thursday: Cloudy, maybe some rain. Upper 70s.

Friday: Sunny and 76.

Weekend: Sunny and upper 70s.

Just a touch warmer wouldn't be bad for August.

Travers Week

It's the fifth full week of the season at the Saratoga Race Course -- Travers Week. The ice cream eating contest is Wednesday. And Saturday is The Travers, the biggest race of the season.

It's also "Travers 1864 Restaurant Week" at many restaurants around Saratoga Springs and beyond. Participating restaurants will be offering a prix-fixe meal for $18.64 through Thursday.

Washington County Fair

Fair season continues with the Washington County Fair at the fairgrounds in Greenwich. It runs Monday through Sunday, and touts itself as "New York's #1 Agricultural County Fair."

Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues its annual run at SPAC this week. Wednesday's performance will feature Itzhak Perlman. Thursday: cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Friday: The NYC Ballet. And Saturday is the Tchaikovsky Spectacular.

AnimationFest

Tuesday-Saturday: The annual AnimationFest returns to Proctors. As in years in past, the slate of approximately 20 films is wide ranging: from the recent popular (The LEGO Movie) to comic books (Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher) to the critically-acclaimed (Oscar-nominated short films) to anime classics (Akira).

Multiple films will be screened each day, and each film will get multiple screenings. The schedule includes some kid-friendly morning screenings, too. Tickets for individual screenings are $5 for adults, $3 for kids. Festival passes are $25 for adults, $15 for kids.

Burlesque

Friday: C. Amanda Boutahorse's Cult Classics is back at The Hangar in Troy. This month's show is a tribute to Labyrinth. 9 pm - $15

Music

Monday: Beach Boys at Tanglewood
Going for more than half a century. 7 pm - $26 and up

Tuesday: Chicago + REO Speedwagon at SPAC
25 or 6 to 4, can't fight this feeling. 7:30 pm - $22 and up

Wednesday: Taj Mahal at Helsinki Hudson
Noted blues figure. 8 pm - $85

Wednesday: Almost Queen at Rockin' on the River
Queen tribute. With: Vito 3. 5 pm - free

Thursday: Blotto at The Low Beat
Still kicking. 8 pm - $10

Friday: Titus Andronicus at The Low Beat
Indie rock. With: Liquor Store, Pelican Movement. 8 pm - $12 ahead / $14 at the door

Friday: Oz with Orchestra at Tanglewood
The Boston Pops plays the score live to The Wizard of Oz. 8:30 pm - $22 and up

Friday: Matt Nathanson at Upstate Concert Hall
Singer/songwriter. With: Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, Matt Mackelcan. 8 pm - $25 ahead / $28 day of

Friday: The Wiyos at Helsinki Hudson
Early swing jazz, rural folk, old-time blues, and Appalachian music. 9 pm - $15 ahead / $18 day of

Saturday: Stephane Wrembel at MASS MoCA
Gypsy jazz guitarist. 8 pm - $12 ahead / $16 day of

Saturday: Aaron Lewis at Upstate Concert Hall
The guy from Staind, gone country. 8 pm - $25 ahead / $28 day of

Saturday: Spuyten Duyvil at Caffe Lena
Americana. 8 pm - $18

Saturday: Eastbound Jesus + Lucky Jukebox Brigade at Putnam Den
Two quality local bands. 9 pm - $10 ahead / $12 day of

Sunday: Zac Brown Band at SPAC
Big country act. 7:30 pm - $29.50 and up

Sunday: Blair Crimmins & The Hookers at Caffe Lena
Ragtime. 7 pm - $18

To-do list

1. Tomatoes, preferably heirlooms and other odd varieties grown in someone's backyard.

2. Peaches.

3. Blueberries, that you picked yourself.

4. Corn.
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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

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