All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

A holiday has been declared throughout the land.

OK, not exactly throughout the land. Just here at AOA. We are starting the weekend a little early. We hope you can do the same.

And speaking of the weekend, here's your weekend tasting menu of stuff to do. There's a pretty wide variety this week, from racing and beer festivals to county fairs and drive-in movies. There's lots of mid-summer stuff going on and a lovely weekend ahead.

Got something planned that you don't see here? Drop it in the comments for the rest of us to see. And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend.

The Track
Friday-Sunday: The Saratoga Race Course opens for its 147th season. The Track will have horse racing every day through Labor Day (except Tuesdays, of course). Among the highlights of opening weekend: Friday (and every Friday) there will be a Taste New York craft beer tent with an opportunity to sample NY beers from noon to 5pm. This Sunday is the annual hat contest. Here's info about admission and hours.

Hats Off to Saratoga Festival
Friday/Saturday: Coinciding with opening weekend is the annual Hats Off festival in Saratoga. Shops will be open late and there will be music and strolling performers all over the city. Grab a spot on a patio and enjoy the show. Friday and Saturday, 7pm to 11pm.

Saratoga County Fair
Friday-Sunday: County fair season is underway. The Saratoga County Fair opened this week in Ballston Spa. It runs through Sunday. Tuesday-Sunday 9 am-midnight (amusements open later in the day) - $10 admission / unlimited rides $20

Capital Region Craft Brewers Festival
Saturday: The annual Tri-City ValleyCats Capital Region Craft Brewers Festival returns to Joe Bruno Stadium on Saturday. More than 30 brewers from around the Northeast will offer samples. Catered buffet also available. Saturday from 2:30pm to 6:30pm, $25 - $47

Mabee Farm CanalFest
Saturday: Mabee Farm Historic Site in Schenectady hosts CanalFest, a celebration of the Erie Canal. Games, music, storytelling, crafts, tours, boats, blacksmithing and free ice cream. Saturday 11am to 4pm -- Free.

Blueberry Festival
Sunday: The 16th annual Old Austerlitz Blueberry Festival on State Route 22 in Austerlitz. Craft demonstrations, antiques, music, entertainment, kids activities, animals and of course, all things blueberry. Sunday, 9am to 4pm -Free admission.

Grand Street Community Arts Fundraiser
The Grand Street Community Arts Center is hosting a fundraiser at The Barn 56 North 2nd Street) in Albany. Performers, African percussion, storytelling, light hors d'oeuvres. Saturday 7:30pm to 10pm - $5 suggested donation.

Stage

We're in the thick of summer theater season. Here are a few shows you might want to try:

Murder for Two
Friday-Sunday: Capital Rep continues its production of Murder for Two. Blurbage:

Everyone is a suspect in MURDER FOR TWO, a hilarious musical murder mystery with a twist: one actor investigates the crime, the other plays all of the suspects and they both play the piano! A zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery, this 90-minute whodunit is a highly theatrical duet loaded with killer laughs.

It runs through August 9.

Tuesday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

The Merry Wives of Windsor
Sunday: The Adirondack Theater Festival presents Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor at the National Museum of Dance. Sunday at 3pm. $20; Students, seniors and veterans - $17, 12 -- age 7 and under are free.

WTF
Friday- Sunday: The Williamstown Theatre Festival continues its production of Kinship (starring Cynthia Nixon, Penny Fuller, and Chris Lowell) through Saturday. And Paradise Blue (starring Blair Underwood, De'Adre Aziza, and Andre Holland) continues this week -- it's the play's world premiere.

Love's Labour's Lost
Friday-Sunday: Saratoga Shakespeare Company presents a free production of Love's Labour's Lost in Congress Park. Friday and Saturday at 6pm, Sunday at 3pm -- Free.

Clever Little Lies
Friday-Sunday: Curtain Call Theater presents the opening of Clever Little Lies, Joe DiPietro's comedy about marriage, family, love and divorce. Call ahead for tickets, the show has been selling out, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm - $24

The Taming of the Shrew
Friday-Sunday: Classic Theater Guild presents Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew at Indian Ladder Farms Friday through Sunday at 7pm.

Park Playhouse
Friday-Sunday: Park Playhouse's production of Singin' in the Rain closes on Sunday.

Anything Goes
Friday-Sunday: The Not So Common Players present Cole Porter's Anything Goes Friday through Sunday at 8pm - Free.

Comedy

Sorry Not Sorry
Saturday: Improv Night at the Madison Theater featuring Sorry Not Sorry with guest host Sam Gorenstein. Saturday at 9pm - $10 in advance, $12 at the door

Pretty Much the Best Comedy Show
Saturday: Pretty Much the Best Comedy Show returns to Proctors with featured guest Shuli Egar from Howard Stern. Saturday at 8pm - $15

Kevin Meaney & Guests
Friday: Actor and comedian Kevin Meaney is appearing at The Comedy Works in Albany this weekend. Shows on Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and 9:30pm.-- $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

MopCo
The Mop & Bucket Company is at the Comedy Works in Saratoga on Sunday night with a sort form improv comedy show. 7:30pm. $15 to $45.

Film

Bride of Frankenstein
The Bow Tie Cinema in Saratoga is screening the Boris Karloff classic, The Bride of Frankenstein for its Saturday and Sunday morning Movies and Mimosa classic and its Friday and Saturday late night Insomnia Theater feature.

Life of Brian
The Madison Theater is screening Monty Python's The Life of Brian starting Friday.

Drive ins
+ Jericho: Pixels / Ted
+ Hollywood:Minions / Pixels
+ Malta: Screen 1 - Minions / Pixels Ant-Man/ Terminator Genisys

Music

Friday: Cold War Kids at Upstate Concert Hall
Indie rock. With: In the Valley Below, Civil Twilight. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Friday: Old Crow Medicine Show at Brewery Ommegang
Outside at the brewery. With: Sturgill Simpson. 5 pm - $40

Friday: Bettye LaVette
Soul queen. 9 pm - $37

Friday: Def Leppard at SPAC
With: Styx, Tesla. 7 pm - $25 and up

Friday: Seth Glier at Caffe Lena
Folk pop. With: Gracie and Rachel. 8 pm - $18

Friday: Rosary Beard at The Tang Museum. Acoustic show with Matthew Loiacono and Hunter Sagehorn on the roof of the Tang Museum at Skidmore. Part of the Upbeat on the Roof concert series. 7pm. Free.

Saturday: Bahamas at The Linda
A guy, not the islands. With: The Sea The Sea. 8 pm - $15

Saturday: Sheppard at The Hollow
Australian electro-pop. 8 pm - $16.55

Saturday: Bang on a Can All-Stars at MASS MoCA
"he electric Bang on a Can All-Stars team up with brilliant theater director David Herskovits for Michael Gordon's oratorio, exploring the life and restless soul of Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh." 8 pm - $24 / $15 students

Sunday: The Decemberists at Brewery Ommegang
Outside at the brewery. With: Lucius. 5 pm - $35

Sunday: Brad Paisley at SPAC
With: Justin Moore, Mickey Guyton. A GE Kids in Free show. 8 pm - $30 and up

Sunday: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba at Music Haven
"[A] true master of the ngoni, an ancient West African lute." With: Baye Kouyate and les Tougarakes. 7 pm - free

Sunday: Shuggie Otis at The Egg
Blues/R&B. 7:30 pm - $29.50

Sunday: We Are Harlot at the Hollow
Hard rock. 7 pm - $15.50

Sunday: Sonny & Perley in Congress Park. Jazz standards. Part of Saratoga's Summer Concert Series. 7pm - Free.

Swim

Swimming pools
Many municipal pools are now open for the season. Here's a list.

Beach
The beaches at Moreau Lake State Park and Grafton Lakes State Park are open for the season.

Art

Van Gogh and Whistler
The Clark recently opened a Van Gogh exhibit focused on his paintings of nature. The exhibit runs through September 13.

Also at The Clark: Whistler's Mother: Grey, Black, and White. "The painting serves as the centerpiece of the exhibition Whistler's Mother: Grey, Black, and White, which also features a selection of Whistler's prints and drawings, Japanese woodblock prints that inspired the artist, and ephemera that explore the image's role in popular culture." It's on display through September 27.

The Late Drawings of Andy Warhol
The Hyde Collection presents an exhibit featuring some of Any Warhol's drawings created between 1973 to 1987, one of Warhol's most prolific periods. Many of the drawings are on view to the public for the first time. Through September 27 as part of regular museum admission. Closed on July 4th

Yard sale for Whiskers
Saturday/Sunday: Shop a yard sale and help the animals. Whiskers is hosting a giant yard sale this weekend at 9 Weymouth Street in Albany (Near Central and Osborne Road), with all proceeds to go to the rescue and care of animals. Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm.

Farmers' markets
Capital Region farmers' markets are outdoors:
+ The Troy Waterfront Farmers Market will be on River Street Saturday from 9 am-2 pm.
+ The Saratoga Farmers' Market will be in High Rock Park. Saturday from 9 am-1 pm
+ The Delmar Farmers Market is open for the season at Bethlehem Central Middle School. Saturday 9 am-1 pm
+ The Colonie Farmers Market is at the Crossings. Saturday from 9 am-1 pm
+ The Schenectady Greenmarket will be around Schenectady City Hall. Sunday from 10 am-2 pm.
+ The Spa City Farmers' Market will be outside the Lincoln Baths Sunday from 10 am-3 pm

Capital Rep advertises on AOA.

photo:Crystal Capritta