All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

Hey, guess what? Only four weekends of winter left! If you can call what we're experiencing winter.

While you ponder that, you can also peruse our list of stuff to do this weekend -- from winter festivals and college hockey to a flower festival to get you ready for spring.

Planning something that didn't make our list? Tell us about it in the comment section. And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend!

New York in Bloom
Friday-Sunday: The annual New York in Bloom show at the State Museum opens Friday and continues through the weekend. "Over a hundred elegant floral arrangements designed by local floral designers, flower enthusiasts and garden club members are on display in the Museum's galleries this weekend. Other activities include demonstrations on floral design, children's activities, cafe, and flower market." Friday-Sunday 9:30 am-5 pm -- $5 admission (cash only)

Mac-n-Cheese Bowl
Saturday: The Marcelle Athletic Complex at Siena College hosts the annual Table Hopping Mac-n-Cheese Bowl, with 30 different varieties of mac 'n cheese made by regional chefs. Taste them and vote for your favorites. Saturday 11 am-2:30 pm -- $20 / $5 for kids 5-12.

Beer Week
Saratoga Beer Week wraps up this weekend with tastings, tap takeovers and more around the Spa City. Here are a couple of events you might want to try:

Cider Night
Friday: The Saratoga City Center hosts a hard cider sampling. Friday 6-9 pm -- $30

Beer Week Summit
Saturday: Sample from more than 200 beers from American craft breweries at the Beer Summit at the Saratoga City Center. Saturday sessions 1-4 pm and 5:30-8:30 pm -- $40 in advance / $50 at the door

Winter Carnival
Friday-Sunday: The Lake George Winter Carnival continues every weekend through the month of February. This weekend's events include a chowder cook off, a dog talent show, dog sled rides , and s'mores and fireworks on the beach. Saturday and Sunday various times -- free admission

Home Expo
Friday-Sunday: The Times Union Home Expo comes to the TU Center and the Empire State Plaza this weekend. "Browse through two buildings of home, garden and food with over 400 booths." Friday 3-8 pm / Saturday 10 am-6 pm / Sunday 10 am-5 pm -- $5-$14

Stage

Ain't Misbehavin'
Friday-Sunday: Ain't Misbehavin' ends its run at Albany Civic this weekend. The Fats Waller review boasts a powerhouse of Capital Region vocalists, including the amazing Barbara Howard. Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm / Sunday 3 pm -- $18

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Friday-Saturday: Home Made Theater in Saratoga presents a production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Friday and Saturday at 8pm -- $24 / $27

I Am My Own Wife
Friday-Sunday: Creative License presents the Tony-winning one-man show I Am My Own Wife this weekend at the Albany Barn. The play explores the true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, "a transvestite and celebrated antiques dealer who successfully navigated the two most oppressive regimes of the past century-the Nazis and the Communists-while openly gay and defiantly in drag." Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm -- $15

Glengarry Glen Ross
Friday-Sunday: Curtain Call theater opens a production of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross -- the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a cutthroat world in which real estate salesmen vie for success. Leave the kids home for this one -- there's lots of adult language. Friday and Saturday 8 pm / Sunday 3 pm -- $24

Bindlestiff's Cabin Fever Cabaret
Saturday: Helsinki Hudson hosts Bindlestiff's Cabin Fever Cabaret -- a combination of circus, burlesque and oddball variety. Saturday 9pm -- $25 advance / $30 at the door

Burlesque
Sunday: The Bing Bamboo Room pays tribute to David Bowie at The Low Beat. Sunday 8 pm (doors open at 7 pm) -- $15 (18+)

Lady Gregory's Rising of the Moon
Friday-Saturday: The Irish American Heritage Museum and the Ard Ri Players present The Rising of the Moon, Lady Gregory's short drama about the conflicting loyalties of an Irish policeman, in the service of the British government, searching for an escaped rebel. Saturday and Sunday 7 pm -- $10

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer
Friday-Saturday: A reading of Eve Ensler's play A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer will be staged at the Grille at 138, on Washington Avenue in Albany. Friday and Saturday 6:30 pm -- $35

Comedy

Ross Bennett's New York "Country" Comedy Tour
Saturday: Headliner Ross Bennett comes to Proctors with his Upstate New York comedy tour. Saturday 7:30 pm -- $20 advance / $25 at the door

Pretty Much the Best Comedy Show
Saturday: Dave Hill, a comedian, writer, musician and This American Life contributor will headline Pretty Much the Best Comedy Show Ever at Proctors this weekend. Hill's band performs the theme song for John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, and his comedy has been seen on Comedy, Central, HBO, BBC America and others. Saturday 8 pm -- $15

Theatersports
Friday: MopCo's Theatersports returns to Proctors this week. Two teams compete against each other creating scenes and songs based on audience suggestions. Think Whose Line is it Anyway?. Friday 8 pm -- $14 / $6 students and seniors

Improv Jam
Saturday: Watch skilled improvisors create scenes, songs and improv games -- or play along with them -- in an improv jam at MopCo World Headquarters (309 Union St. Schenectady). Saturday 8 pm -- $5 or bring something yummy to share

Film

Ziggy Stardust
Friday: It Came From Schenectady hosts a rare screening of the David Bowie's concert film Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars at the Proctors GE Theater. There will be Bowie tributes, Bowie games and prizes, and Bowie-themed drinks. Friday 7 pm -- $9 adults / $6 students

Into the wild
Friday: The NYS Writers Institute is screening Sean Penn's 2007 film Into the Wild at Page Hall on the UAlbany downtown campus. The film is based on Jon Krakauer's book about a young man who cashes in his savings and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. (Krakauer will be in town for a Writers Institute event next Tuesday). Friday 7:30 pm -- free

Oscar-nominated short films
Friday-Sunday: The Spectrum is screening the Oscar-nominated live action and animated short films. (The screenings continue into next week.)

Classics
+ The Saturday and Sunday morning Movies and Mimosa classic at The Bow Tie in Saratoga Springs is North to Alaska.

+ The Friday and Saturday late night Insomnia Theater at the Saratoga Bow Tie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Music

Friday: Consider The Source at The Hollow
Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion." With: Teddy Midnight. 9:30 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Saturday: The Village People at Proctors
"Beginning their 37th year as the 'kings of disco'." 8 pm - $20 and up

Saturday: Bebel Gilberto at The Egg
Contemporary Brazilian jazz -- Valentine's Day is for Lovers" concert. 8 pm - $34.50

Saturday: Shana Falana at The Low Beat
Shoegaze. With: The Black Ships. 8 pm

Saturday: Wild Adriatic at Putnam Den
Recording for a live album. With: Let's Be Leonard. 9:30 pm - $10 ahead / $12 at door

Saturday: Jimkata at The Hollow
Electro-rock. 9:30 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Sunday: The Fab Four at The Egg
Beatles tribute. 8 pm - $39.50

Sunday: Tom Chapin at Caffe LenaFolk singer/songwriter. 7 pm - $25

Sunday: Modigliani Quartet at Union College
Parisian classical quartet. 3 pm - $25

Sunday: The Nellies at Mabee Farm
Part of the Mabee Farm Howlin' at the Moon concert series. 7 pm - $5

Hockey

RPI
Friday-Saturday: It's the last two regular season home games of the season for the #17 RPI men's hockey team. Friday it plays #1 Quinnipiac at Houston Field House Friday. And then Saturday the Engineers face Princeton. Friday 7 pm / Saturday 7 pm - $12

Union
Friday-Saturday: The Union men's hockey team has the same schedule at Mess Rink, but flipped -- Princeton Friday night, and then Quinnipiac Saturday night. Friday 7 pm / Saturday 7 pm - $12

Wrestling
Saturday: The Washington Avenue Armory hosts NXT Live wrestling. Saturday 7:30 pm - $15 and up

Road Trip
Spend a winter day in the Pioneer Valley or Saratoga Springs.

Museums
Winter weekends are great times to wander through one of the Capital Region's museums.

300 Years of Fashion
Saturday: The Schenectady County Historical Society hosts a talk by fashion expert Marilyn Sassi on what people in the Capital Region wore between the 1600s and the 1900s. Saturday 2 pm -- $5

Butterflies
Saturday-Sunday: MiSci's butterfly house is now open. "Discover hundreds of brilliantly colored native butterflies." The exhibit continues through April 19. free with museum admission

Shakers
If you haven't seen the exhibit The Shakers: America's Quiet Revolutionaries at the State Museum, it closes at the start of March. So now's a good time to catch it before it's gone.

Collecting and 50 Objects
You can check out the Masterworks: 225 Years of Collecting exhibit at the Albany Institute. And there'a also The Capital Region in 50 Objects exhibit.

Rockwell
The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls recently opened Norman Rockwell in the 1960s, featuring 21 illustrations and original magazine covers "created by the beloved artist during a decade of change and turmoil." (And while you're there, here are some fun places to eat in Glens Falls.)

+ If you're interested in more Norman Rockwell, you can head over to Stockbridge for the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Eye for Excellence
The Clark has a good permanent collection, and there's currently an exhibit about how works have been added to it.

Skating
There are a bunch of places around the Capital Region for ice skating, both outside (maybe) and inside -- we recently updated our listing and map of ice skating spots.

Farmers' markets
Stop by a farmers market for something local and delicious:
+ Troy Waterfront Farmers Market is inside the Atrium. Saturday 9 am-2 pm
+ The Saratoga Farmers' Market is indoors at the Lincoln Baths. Saturday from 9 am-1 pm
+ The Schenectady Greenmarket is at its indoor location at Proctors. Sunday from 10 am-2 pm.
+ The Spa City Farmers' Market is inside at the Lincoln Baths Sunday from 10 am-3 pm

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