All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

So long, February! The end of the longest shortest month of the year is at hand. Sure, it's still pretty cold. But it's the weekend, and there's stuff to do.

What is there to do? We're glad you asked.

Well, after the jump we've pulled together a few things we thought might interest you.

Got something planned you don't see here? Drop it in the comments so the rest of us can see.

And whatever you're up to, don't forget your scarf, and have a fantastic weekend.

Troy Night Out
It's the 9th anniversary of Troy Night Out. A few things you may want to check out:
+ Tiffany Glass Tour: Troy has one of the world's largest collections of Tiffany glass. Historian Thomas Carroll of the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway Society is giving Tiffany glass tours from 2-5 pm. Donations to help restore and protect Troy's Tiffany glass are suggested. Reservations are encouraged, info@troybid.org
+ C. Ryder Cooley: Performance artist C. Ryder Cooley's newest production, "Revival," a 20-minute live-cinema performance comprised of re-edited archival film, live music, recorded sound, projections, shadows and movement will be presented at Peck's Arcade. "Wings of Desire meets 4-H club in this surreal dark satire about animal experimentation and disembodiment." $5 suggested donation

Winter Carnival
Saturday-Sunday: If you can't beat winter, you can celebrate it. This is the last weekend of the Lake George Winter Carnival. Motorcycle races, ice diving demonstrations, a chicken wing cook off, dogsled rides, fireworks, and marshmallow roasting are just a few of this weekend's events. Free admission.

Saratoga Home and Lifestyle Show
Friday-Sunday: The annual Saratoga Home and Lifestyle Show comes to the Saratoga City Center this weekend. 120 exhibitors, cooking demonstrations, wine and craft beer tasting, kids entertainment. Friday 5pm to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm - $6 adults / $1 kids

Theater

Souvenir
Friday-Sunday: Capital Rep previews its new production, Souvenir, this weekend. The comedy with music is based on the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy amateur soprano who couldn't sing. Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm and 8pm, Sunday at 2pm - $17 and up

The Complete History of America (Abridged)
Friday-Sunday: Home Made Theater continues a production of The Complete History of America (Abridged), an irreverent "roller coaster ride through the glorious quagmire that is American History." Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 2pm - $24-$27

Waiting For Godot
Friday-Sunday: Confetti Stage opens a production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot this weekend at the Albany Masonic Hall. Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2pm. $15, $10 for students.

Eurydice
Friday-Saturday: UAlbany presents a student production of Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl's modern retelling of the classic story. Friday 7pm, Saturday at 2pm - $10 and up

Comedy

Alf Pacino
Friday: The Mop & Bucket Company presents Alf Pacino at Proctors. Alf explores themes suggested by the audience, making up stories, skits, games and songs in a long form improv format. It's an evening of inspired, theatrical free association. Friday 8 pm - $14 / $6 students & seniors

Comedy's Best Kept Secret Tour
Friday: Comedy's Best Kept Secret Tour hits The Parting Glass in Saratoga this weekend. Dan Frigolette hosts four national touring comedians.Friday 8 pm - $12

Pretty Much the Best Comedy Show
Saturday: Bronx-based actor/writer/comedian James Goff headlines Pretty Much The Best Comedy Show Ever at Proctors with Ethan Ullman and Thomas Attila Lewis. Saturday at 8pm $15.

Local Comedy Night
Saturday: The Madison Theater hosts a night of local stand-up. Saturday 7 pm - $10 ahead / $12 at the door

Music

Friday/Saturday: The Bridge Jazz Festival at Troy Music Hall/Massry Center
Two nights of jazz starting at the Troy Music Hall and then heading over to the Massry Center at Saint Rose. festival pass $60

Friday: Gospel Gala 2015 at the Palace
Featuring gospel groups from around the Capital Region. 7 pm - free

Friday: Two Cow Garage at The Low Beat
Alt-country. With: Grainbelt. 8 pm - $10

Friday: Consider the Source at The Hollow
"Sci-Fi, Middle Eastern, Progressive, Psychedelic, Jamband, Funk, Fusion." With: Lespecial. 8 pm - $12 ahead / $15

Friday: Thruway: A Sing Off at Proctors
Union College a cappella and three visiting college a cappella groups. 7 pm - $15 SOLD OUT

Friday: Thomas Rhett at Upstate Concert Hall
Country. With: Alex Hall. 8 pm - $30 ahead / $32 day of SOLD OUT

Friday: Tom Paxton at The Egg
Folk icon. 7:30 pm - $28

Saturday/Sunday: Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles at Proctors
Long-running Beatles tribute. various times - $20 and up

Saturday: Jimkata at The Hollow
Electro-rock. With: Indie pop singer/songwriter/harpist Mikaela Davis. 9:30 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Saturday: Storyboard P and the Warriorz at MASS MoCA
"Crew of smooth-moving Brooklyn street dancers." 8 pm - $12 ahead / $18 day of

Sunday: North Mississippi Allstars + Anders Osborne at Helsinki Hudson
Southern rock. Playing together. 8 pm - $30 ahead / $35 day of

Film

Oscar-nominated shorts
The Spectrum is screening the Academy Award nominated animated and live action short films this weekend.

Beau Geste
Friday: The NYS Writers Institute continues the William Wellman Film Festival with the 1939 classic Beau Geste with Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, and Robert Preston. Friday at 7:30 pm at UAlbany's Page Hall - free

King Lear
Sunday: The Spectrum is screening a Stratford production of King Lear, starring Colm Feore. Charles Isherwood of the New York Times says, "The play's final scenes are as harrowing as any I've seen." Sunday at noon

Animation at EMPAC
EMPAC continues a series that explores the lines between live film and animation.

Friday: Lucy Raven will present Tales of Love and Fear, a site-specific, cinematic performance developed over many years of work at EMPAC:

"Conceived as a 3D cinema for a single image, the piece splits a stereoscopic photograph into two projectors that will operate from custom-built counter-rotating platforms in the Concert Hall. Using field recordings taken during a screening of a Bollywood horror movie in Mumbai, the surround soundtrack transports the viewer back into this cinematic environment, creating a composite architecture that expands and unifies the viewer's perception of the cinematic beyond the screen."

Friday 8 pm - $6-$18

Saturday: EMPAC presents a program looking at the long history of creating images that blend live action and animation. "This screening program presents Georges Méliès' pre-digital compositing techniques at the turn of the 20th century, Karel Zeman's stop-motion animation, Norman McLaren's mid-century animated live action, along with the contemporary digital compositing of artist collective Flatform, and the industrial experiments with CG in Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim." Saturday 8 pm - $6

Burlesque
Saturday: The Bing Bamboo Room Burlesque with Guy Smiley celebrates 10 years of Albany burlesque with a show at The Low Beat. Saturday 8 pm - $15

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cabin Fever Cabaret
Saturday: The Bindlestiff Family Circus is hosing another of its monthly cabaret shows at Helsinki Hudson, featuring a variety of circus, theater, comedy, and musical entertainers. Each month they have a new lineup, with acts including trapeze, contortion, acrobatic balance, sword swallowing, juggling, physical comedy, and oddball novelty turns. Saturday 9 pm - $15 - $25 ($15 if you come in clown make-up or costume)

Russian Winter Festival
Saturday: The Polish Community Center is hosting a Russian-themed festival including music, art, Russian foods, and vendors. Saturday noon to 5 pm - $6, $3 children, under 5 free

Indian Festival
Saturday: The Tang Museum at Skidmore College is hosting a South Asian Festival with Indian food, dance, music and art making. Saturday 3-6 pm

Hockey
Sunday: The Albany Devils take on the Binghamton Senators at the TU Center. Sunday 3 pm - $14.50 and up

Food

Schenectady Restaurant Week
Friday-Sunday: Restaurant week continues in Schenectady with a bunch of restaurants offering three-course meals for $20.15. Reservations are a good idea.

Heartburn for Haiti Chili Cook-off
Saturday: Sample award-winning chilies at the Heartburn for Haiti Chili Cook-off at St. John's Episcopal Church in Troy. Saturday 5:30 pm - $12, $6 for kids under 12.

Sangria and Tapas
Friday: The Cooking School at Market Bistro is offering a Taste of Spain/Warm Winter Tapas class with homemade sangria, Spanish omelette, cheese and spinach empanadas, and quince and manchego cheese puffs. Friday 6-9 pm - $55, registration required

UAG Black & White Gala
Saturday: Upstate Artists Guild's annual Black and White Gala is at One Six Five at the Normanside Country Club. Music, dancing, art, silent auction ,and more. Saturday 6 pm - $40-$100

Museums
Cold winter weekends are great for catching up on museum exhibits.

Triple Play
Ready for spring yet? The Albany Institute of History and Art recently opened a new baseball exhibit. Triple Play is an exhibit of baseball memorabilia from the major leagues and the Capital Region.

Butterflies
miSci's butterfly exhibit is open. It's an indoor butterfly house with brilliantly colored native butterflies. The exhibit is open through April 19. Free with museum admission.

More museums
If you haven't caught the State Museum's Shaker exhibit, now's your chance. You can also check out the new building at The Clark, or see the recently-opened "Bibliothecaphilia" exhibit at MASS MoCA. And the The Hyde Collection or the Baseball Hall of Fame make good day trips.

Earlier:
+ Day trip: Glens Falls and the Hyde Collection
+ Day trip: Williamstown and the Clark

Ice skating

Empire State Plaza
Bundle up and take a spin around the ice skating rink at the Empire State Plaza. The rink is open 11 am-8 pm daily. Skating is free. Skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids under 12.

More ice skating
We recently updated our list of ice skating spots -- both outdoor and indoor -- around the Capital Region.

Farmers' markets
Winter farmers' markets continue indoors:
+ The Troy Waterfront Farmers Market will be in the Troy Atrium in downtown Troy Saturday from 9 am-2 pm.
+ The Saratoga Farmers' Market will be at the Lincoln Baths on Saturday from 9 am-1 pm.
+ The Schenectady Greenmarket will be inside Proctors on Sunday from 10 am-2 pm.
+ The Spa City Farmers' Market will be in Lincoln Baths Sunday from 10 am-3 pm.

Capital Rep, MopCo, Saint Rose, and the Troy Music Hall advertise on AOA. And AOA is a media sponsor of the ESP ice rink.

Photo:Capital Rep