All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

This is it -- last weekend of winter! Better make the best of it.

After the jump, we've pulled together a few things going on this weekend we thought might be fun.

Got something else planned? Drop it in the comments so everyone can see.

And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend.

St. Patrick's Day (observed)
St. Patrick's Day is Tuesday, so this weekend will be St. Patrick's Day (observed) at many places around the Capital Region. Here's a roundup of St. Patrick's Day-related events.

The big events this weekend are the two parades in Albany:

+ The Albany St. Patrick's Day parade steps off at 2 pm at Central Ave and Quail Street and then runs downtown (here's a map of the route).

+ The North Albany Limerick Parade starts at 11:30 am at the North Albany American Legion Post #1610 (map).

Here's road closure and route info for both parades.

Genericon
Friday-Sunday: Genericon returns to RPI. Blurbage:

Genericon is a weekend-long, general convention run by the students of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. We feature a wide variety of attractions that run the gamut of geeky hobbies, including science fiction, gaming of all forms, and anime. Our events include panels by guest speakers, video gaming tournaments, role-playing games of both the pen-and-paper and live-action variety, and twenty-four hour showings of both science fiction classics and modern anime fresh from Japan.

It runs Friday evening through Sunday. Tickets are $30.

Capital Region Wine Festival
Saturday: The Capital Region Wine Festival is at Proctors. Sample a wide selection of red, white and sparkling wines and samples of food from local restaurants. Saturday 1-4 pm - $50 / grand tasting $100

Albany Train Show
The Polish Community Center hosts the Albany Train Show with working layouts, interactive trains for kids, and more than 100 vendor tables. Saturday 9 am to 3pm - $5 adults / kids under 12 free

Theater

Souvenir
Friday-Sunday: Capital Rep continues its new production of Souvenir. The comedy with music is based on the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy amateur soprano... who couldn't sing. The production runs through March 22. Friday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

Hedda Gabler
Friday-Saturday Northeast Theater Ensemble presents Ibsen's Hedda Gabler at Steamer 10 in Albany. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm - suggested donation $20

The Hound of the Baskervilles
Friday-Sunday: Curtain Call Theater presents, The Hound of the Baskervilles-- a Sherlock Holmes popular mystery turned farce in which three actors play dozens of roles. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm - $24

Vagina Monologues
Friday-Saturday: RPI Playhouse is hosting a production of The Vagina Monologues. All proceeds go to local domestic violence shelters. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm - $5

Music

Friday: Talea Ensemble at EMPAC
Performing "Speicher," an evening-length concert work by German composer Enno Poppe. 8 pm - $18

Friday: New Riders of the Purple Sage at The Egg
"Cosmic psychedelic country-rock." 8 pm - $29.50

Friday: Snowapple at Caffe Lena
Dutch folk group. With: Fish & Bird. 8 pm - $16

Saturday: Terrance Simien at Massry Center
Grammy-winning Zydeco musician. 7:30 pm - $20 / $10 students

Saturday: Channel 3 at The Low Beat
Old-school SoCal punk. With: Aggressive Response, Capitle, Scuzz, Teenage Shred. 8 pm

Saturday:Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell and Larry Campbell at Helsinki Hudson.
Three singer-songwriters acclaimed for their solo work team up in Hudson. 9 pm - $25

Saturday: Kat Edmonson at MASS MoCA
"[R]etro but completely of the moment." 8 pm - $16 ahead / $22 day of / $10 students

Sunday: Taking Back Sunday at Upstate Concert Hall
Pop punk. The Menzingers, Letlive. 7 pm - $27.50 ahead/$30 day of

Comedy

Theatresports
The Mop and Bucket Company ties on Rhode Island's Whiskey, Wakefield, Whiskey in a one night only theatersports smack down at Proctors Underground. Think, Whose Line is it Anyway -- skits, scenes and songs all made up on the spot and inspired by audience suggestions. Friday at 8pm. $14, $6 for students and seniors.

Burlesque
Saturday: The S.P.A.M. -- Scooter Pie At Midnight -- rock-n-roll burlesque show returns to The Low Beat. 21 and over. Saturday at midnight - $10

Film

Helloooo, McFly!
Saturday: Ballston Spa Film Festival's monthly film classic at Ballson Spa High School is Back to the Future. Saturday 6:45 pm - Free.

True Grit /Donnie Darko
This weekend's Movies and Mimosa flick at The Bow Tie in Saratoga Springs is John Wayne's True Grit. The Insomnia Theater movie at The Bow Tie is Donnie Darko.

Love's Labors Lost
Sunday: The Spectrum is screening the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of the comedy Love's Labors Lost. Sunday at noon - $15 / $12 kids

The Color Out of Space
Saturday: Every Saturday night in March, EMPAC becomes a projection screen for The Color Out of Space, a film commissioned for EMPAC and produced in collaboration with Rensselaer's Hirsch Observatory. "While transforming EMPAC's 8th Street façade into an outdoor cinema that uses the solar system as source material for a speculative film, a site-specific artwork for the Hirsch Observatory will connect the two buildings across campus." It will be viewable from 8 pm to 8:35 pm.

UAlbany playing for a spot in the NCAA tournament
Both the UAlbany women's and men's basketball teams are playing for a spot in the NCAA tournament this weekend:

+ Friday: The women's team takes on Hartford at SEFCU Arena in the America East tournament final. The game is also on ESPNU. Friday 4:30 pm - $10 an up

+ Saturday: The men's team faces Stony Brook at SEFCU Arena in the America East tournament final. The game is sold out, but it will be on ESPN 2. Saturday 11 am

Hockey
The Albany Devils play three games at the TU Center this weekend:

+ Friday: The Albany Devils take on the Worcester Sharks at the TU Center. (It's TU Family Night so $5 and $10 tickets are available with a copy of the Times Union or a newspaper bill.) Friday 7 pm - $14.50 and up

+ Saturday: The Devils take on the Syracuse Crunch. Saturday 5 pm - $14.50 and up

+ Sunday: The Devils face the Springfield Falcons. Sunday 3 pm - $14.50 and up

Disney Junior
Saturday: The Palace presents Disney Junior on tour, "A Pirate and Princess Adventure." Saturday at 1 pm and 4 pm - $28 and up

History

Hart-Cluett House
Saturday: The Rensselaer County Historical Society is offering a tour of the historic Hart-Cluett House . Saturday 2 pm - $10

FDR and America on the Eve of War
Saturday: The NYS Military Museum in Saratoga Springs is hosting FDR re-enactor Gary Stamm. He'll be exploring Roosevelt's perspective on how militarily unprepared the US was at the start of WWII. Saturday 2 pm - free

Proctors Birthday Tour
Sunday: In honor of the birthday of Fredrick Freeman Proctor -- the man for whom the theater is named -- Proctors is offering a free public tour of the theater, complete with a concert on "Goldie," the theater's organ, by Ned Spain. Sunday 1 pm - free

Museums

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. They're also celebrating Pi Day on Saturday with math and pie.

More museums
If you're up for a museum visit this weekend you can check out theState Museum's Shaker exhibit, or pay a visit the new building at The Clark and its "Machine Age Modernism" exhibit. There's also the the "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

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, Helsinki Hudson, The Mop & Bucket Company and The College of Saint Rose advertise on AOA.