All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

Congratulations and welcome to the weekend.

In addition to the traditional apples and cider donuts of the autumn, there are tons and tons of festivals, films, shows, and other fun stuff to do. Well, maybe not tons and tons, but a lot. Really. Check out our list after the jump.

Doing something you don't see on our list? Drop it in the comments so everyone can see.

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

1st Friday
Friday: It's 1st Friday in Albany. Shops and galleries are open late with art, music,performances and activities. Here's a taste of what's going on.

+The Opalka Gallery is offering curator's tours of the exhibition From Concept to Console: Art and Aesthetics in Video Game Design from 6-9 pm.

+ Overit Media hosts Organized Sound Artists: Andrzej Pilarczyk, Phil Montelone, Brendan Halayko and bands Immaculate Heart, Stellar Young, and Giant Gorilla Dog Thing.

+ Empty House Studios at 40 Broadway hosts a 1st Friday Masquerade. Food, drink, music, art. $5 donation at the door

+ UAG hosts a sidewalk chalk competition and live playback theater by Albany Playback Theater Troupe.

+ Bryan Brundige and his Piggly Wigglies headline the 1st Friday Swing Dance at the Albany Elks Club.

Here's a look at the full lineup.

Fork in the Road Food Truck Festival
Friday: It's the final Fork in the Road Food Truck Festival of the season in Albany. Trucks will be lined up in Tricentennial Park downtown. Friday 4-8 pm

ArtsFestFridays
Friday: ArtsFestFriday in Saratoga is at Universal Preservations Hall with a night of music and dance: Gospel songs by Heavenly Echoes; and a collaboration between musician/composer Carl Landa and electronic artist DJ Jennifer Haley (Jennifer Maher). Beer tasting by Shmaltz Brewery and wine tasting by Saratoga Winery, food from Fitzy's Food Truck, and apples and cider from Saratoga Apple. Friday 5-7:30 pm - free admission

The Enchanted City
Saturday: Downtown Troy transforms into Queen Maab's Enchanted City for the second annual Enchanted City Street Faire along River Street. Games, music, food, performances, steampunk costumes and more. Saturday 11 am-5 pm - free admission

Drink Albany
Saturday: The Albany Craft Beverage Trail officially launches with Drink Albany in Quackenbush Square. Music from Mirk, North and South Dakotas, and other local bands along with free samples of beer, cider and spirits from C.H. Evans Brewing, Druthers, the Albany Distilling Company, and Nine Pin Cider. Food trucks and other local vendors. Beer, cider and cocktails will also be available for purchase by the glass. Saturday, noon to 5pm -- advance tickets are $10 / $25 VIP ticket / $5 designated driver ticket

Wing Walk
Saturday: Schenectady's Wing Walk is back. Stroll downtown Schenectady and sample wings from a variety of restaurants. Wing Walk comedy shows follow the walk at Center Street Pub, Bombers, and the Backstage Pub and Grille. Saturday noon to 5pm - $10 / $5 for students with ID

Local Harvest Festival
Sunday: Honest Weight's annual Local Harvest Festival is this Sunday in Albany's Washington Park. Over 50 local farms, vendors, businesses and some great local bands. Sunday, Noon to 4 pm -- Free admission

Albany Comic Con
Sunday: The Albany Comic Con returns to the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road. Exhibitors, speakers, artists, (including longtime Marvel artist Joe Sinnott), panel discussions about topics ranging from Star Trek to cosplay, and charity auction of character sketches to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Sunday 10am to 5pm -- $8, family pack ticket that includes admission for two adults and two kids for $20. (Kids under 12 are free with a paying adult.)

Comedy
This is a big comedy weekend in the Capital Region.

Kevin James
Friday: Kevin James will be at the Palace for a stand-up show. 8 pm - $25 and up

Hannibal Buress
Friday: Hannibal Buress will be at Skidmore for a stand-up show. (He played a sold-out show at The Egg earlier this year.) Friday at 8 pm - $20 general public

Dave Chappelle
Sunday: Dave Chapelle brings his stand-up to The Palace on Sunday for two shows. The 7 pm is sold out, but you can still get tickets to the 9:30pm set. Sunday 9:30 pm - $58

Theatresports!
Friday: Think Whose Line is it Anyway? The Mop & Bucket Company returns to Proctors Underground to compete in improv games, creating scenes and songs based on audience suggestions. This week MopCo is on the main stage at Proctors. Friday 8 pm - $14 / $6 students and seniors.

Stage

4000 Miles
Friday-Sunday: Capital Rep continues its production of the dramatic comedy 4000 Miles. "Seeking solace at the end of his cross-country bike trip, 21-year old Leo arrives unannounced at the Greenwich Village apartment of his 91-year old Jewish grandmother, Vera. Instead, he gets a big life lesson from his former outspoken, activist grandma. Over the course of a single month, these two outsiders infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately change one another forever." Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm - various prices

Legally Blonde
Friday-Sunday: Schenectady Light Opera continues its production of Legally Blonde, the musical based on the film of the same name. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm - $22 and up

ConfettiFest
Friday-Sunday: Confetti Stage's annual new play festival, ConfettiFest, presents six plays by Capital Region playwrights. Performances at the Albany Masonic Hall. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2 pm - $15 / $10 students

Proof
Friday-Sunday: Circle Theater presents David Auburn's Proof. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm - $18 / $10 (under 18)

The Commons of Pensacola
Friday-Saturday: Curtain Call Theater production of The Commons of Pensacola closes this weekend. The play, by actress Amanda Peet, is based on the wife of notorious Wall Street scam artist Bernie Madoff. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm - $24

Music

Friday: vhvl + Daedelus + Ikonika at EMPAC
"[A] trifecta of dance-music heavyweights..." 9 pm - $18

Friday: Andy McKee at Massry Center
Acoustic guitarist, Youtube star. 7:30 pm - $25 / $15 students

Friday: Circa Waves at Upstate Concert Hall
British indie rock. With: Kimono Dragons. 8 pm - free (21+ show)

Friday: Lydia at The Hollow
Indie rock. With: Seahaven, Turnover, The Technicolors. 8 pm - $15

Friday: Loudon Wainwright III at The Egg. Singer/songwriter/storyteller. Friday, 8pm - $34

Saturday: Melissa Etheridge at The Egg
New songs and old hits. 8 pm - $59.50 and up

Saturday: The Wood Brothers at Upstate Concert Hall
Americana and blues. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $23 day of

Saturday: Josh Groban at The Palace
With: Lena Hall. 8 pm - $51 and up

Saturday: Henry Butler at MASS MoCA
"A rollicking blend of jazz, Caribbean, pop, blues, and R&B flows effortlessly from his hands." 8 pm - $18 ahead / $25 day of

Saturday: Ryan Montbleau at the Madison Theater
Solo acoustic. 8:30 pm - $15

Fall Fun

Upper Union Street Harvest Fest & Art Show
Saturday: Upper Union Street in Schenectady holds its annual Upper Union Street Harvest Fest & Art Show. Music, food, art, dance, drumming family friendly activities to celebrate fall. Saturday 10 am to 3 pm - free admission

Haunted Hayrides
It's Haunted Hayride season at Double M Haunted Hayrides.

Liberty Ridge Farm's Fall Festival
Friday-Sunday: Pumpkin patch, cornfield maze, and other fall farm adventures at Liberty Ridge Farm's ongoing fall festival.

Schuyler Farms Corn Maze
Friday/Saturday: Schuyler Farms has haunted hayrides every Friday and Saturday night. Friday and Saturday 7pm to 10pm (last ticket sold at 9:15pm. $14

Schuyler Farms Corn Maze
Saturday-Sunday: Schuyler Farms is offering its annual corn maze with hayrides, a petting zoo and gemstone mining a corn maze and more. Saturday and Sunday starting at 10am. -- $8 per person

It also has a haunted corn maze Friday and Saturday night. Friday and Saturday 7-10 pm (last ticket sold at 9:15 pm) - $14

Dine by Design
Sunday: The Junior League of Troy is hosting Dine by Design, a self-directed tour through troy. Tour historic spaces and sample local treats. Sunday, noon to 3 pm -- $25, $15 for kids under 12. Proceeds benefit Junior League programs and educational scholarships.

Saratoga Showcase Of Homes
Saturday-Sunday: This is the final weekend for the Saratoga Showcase of Homes. It's a self-guided tour of homes around Saratoga County. A new addition to the tour this year: food trucks at some of the stops. Saturday and Sunday 11 am-5 pm - $20 (tickets available at any showcase home)

Museums/Galleries

The Capital Region in 50 Objects
The Albany Institute of History and Art recently opened ts new exhibit, The Capital Region in 50 Objects. The show, open through April, is a look at 400 years of Capital Region history through 50 objects, selected with the input of Capital Region residents. Each item is paired with a background image that helps to tell its story. Among the objects included are William Kennedy's Typewriter, the Hoffman's Playland ticket booth, a bust of Henry Johnson, Arrow collars, cannons and Erastus Corning's desk.

Also at the Albany Institute:
Seeing Double, an exhibit with anaglyphs -- stereoscopic images that appear to be 3D when viewed through special glasses.

Local Eats: What Does Your Food Say About You? and
The Schenectady County Historical Society continues its exhibit called Local Eats: What Does your Food Say About You? at the Mabee Farm. It examines how the food we eat relates to politics, technology, and where you come from. $5 / free for students

Also at the Mabee Farm: An exhibit called #schenectadydoesntsuck, featuring a look at the Electric City through the lens of the popular local Instagram account #schenectadydoesntsuck.

Air, Fat, Sugar & CO2 Exhibition
The Arts Center of the Capital Region is hosting an exhibit by Greg Skochko titled Air, Fat, Sugar & CO2 -- an interactive art show. Blurbage: "Part circus act, part self-deprecating stand-up routine and science experiment, Greg Skochko constructs sculptures that function as fantastic mechanical objects, fused with plausible scenarios and characters of his conjuring. Encouraging viewers to participate in the performance spectacle, he collides a child-like playfulness with serious cultural issues such as American Capitalism, classism, and over-consumption." The show runs through October 10.

Film

Asbury Short Film Concert
Saturday: The 34th annual Asbury Short Film Concert comes to The Linda. A concert of award winning short films -- animation, comedy, drama, documentary and experimental -- from the some of the world's best film festivals. Saturday from 8pm - $10

15 Minutes Max
Friday: The 15 Minutes Max film festival returns to the Madison Theater. Ten student films -- no longer than 15 minutes -- will be competing for prizes at the festival, which is organized by the College of Saint Rose. Friday 5 pm - free

The Toll of the Sea
Friday: The NYS Writers Institute Classic Film Series continues this week with The Toll of the Sea. The 1922 film was the first to use two strip Technicolor and stars Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong as a Chinese woman who rescues and falls in love with a shipwrecked American seaman. Friday at 7:30pm at Page Hall on UAlbany's downtown campus - free

Drive-ins
Yep, you can still see a drive-in movie this year. Here's what you can see this weekend:
+ Jericho: Hotel Transylvania 2 / Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
+ Malta: Screen 1: The Martian / Black Mass | Screen 2: Hotel Transylvania 2 / Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Road trip
Spend 12 hours in The Berkshires, The Catskills or visit one of the many state parks in the Capital Region. Or take a hike.

Troy Flea
Sunday: The Troy Flea craft market in Riverfront Park wraps up this weekend. Sunday 11 am to 4 pm - free admission

Farmers' markets
It's one of the best times of year to visit the farmers' markets:
+ 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

Albany Institute, Capital Rep, Honest Weight, The Palace Theater, and The Mop & Bucket Company advertise on AOA. And AOA is a sponsor of The Enchanted City