All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (rain now, sun later), to The Track, to the fair, to the stage, to the orchestra, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Cloudy, rainy. Mid 70s.

Tuesday: Cloudy, maybe rain and a thunderstorm. Mid 70s.

Wednesday: Sunny and 82.

Thursday: Sunny and 86.

Friday: Sunny, maybe some thunderstorms. Upper 80s.

Weekend: And so on.

Rain now, sun later.

The Track

It's the second full week of the season at the Saratoga Race Course. Monday is a gate giveaway day: a Saratoga duffle bag. And the headline race of the week is The Whitney on Saturday. (And, of course, there is no racing on Tuesday.)

Sunshine Fair

Monday-Saturday: The Schoharie County Sunshine Fair continues at the fairgrounds in Cobleskill. The schedule includes agricultural displays, games, a demolition derby, and performances -- Sawyer Fredericks is performing on Saturday. Monday-Saturday various times -- $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (age 62 and up), free for children 2 and under (tickets includes fair admission, grandstand and grounds shows, and unlimited rides from noon to closing)

Baseball

Monday: The ValleyCats are at The Joe for a game against Lowell -- it's "Around the World in 9 Innings" night, and there will be fireworks afterward. (The 'Cats have a morning game Tuesday and then they'll be back in town Saturday for another home series.) Monday 7 pm -- $5.75 ahead / $7 day of (and up)

Stage

A Night with Janis Joplin
Tuesday-Sunday: This is the last week for Capital Rep's production of A Night with Janis Joplin. (It closes August 7.) Tuesday-Sunday various times - $25 and up

Williamstown Theatre Festival
Tuesday-Sunday: The Williamstown Theatre Festival's season continues with the new musical Poster Boy on the Nikos Stage (it runs through August 7). And a production of Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter starts Wednesdays on the main stage. various times -- $40 and up

National Night Out

Tuesday: It's National Night Out, an annual event focused community building and fostering police-community relationships. Communities around the Capital Region have participated in the past with public events. An example for this year: Albany has community events at a handful of sites around the city.

Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to SPAC for another summer stay. This week's schedule:
+ Wednesday: Opening night, Hannibal's One Land, One River, One People and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (you know, the ode to joy one).
+ Thursday: Featuring violinist Sarah Chang
+ Friday: Featuring a new work by Michael Torke and dancers from the New York City Ballet
+ Saturday: Ratatouille In Concert -- the Pixar film with live score

Wednesday-Saturday 8 pm -- $40 and up

Music

Tuesday: Motion City Soundtrack at Upstate Concert Hall
Farewell tour for the alt rock/pop punk band. With: A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Rozwell Kid. 7:30 pm -- $25 ahead / $28 day of

Wednesday: Caroline Rose at Rockin' on the River
Rockabilly-inspired singer/songwriter, the last Rockin' on the River of the season. With: Rabbit in the Rye. 5 pm -- free

Thursday: Molly Hatchet at Alive at Five
Last Alive at Five of the season. With: Tumbleweed Highway. 5 pm -- free

Friday: Robert Randolph and The Family Band at Helsinki Hudson
Pedal steel guitarist, funk and soul. 9 pm -- $45

Friday: Slaid Cleaves at Caffe Lena at the Grove
Singer/songwriter. 7 pm -- $22

Friday: Red Haired Strangers at Upbeat on the Roof
Country/blues/bluegrass. 7 pm -- free

Saturday: Sounds of Blackness at ESP Black Arts and Cultural Festival
Also on the lineup for the festival: the Jubilee Choir, the Wassa Pan Afrika Dance Ensemble, Def Poetry Jam Reunion, and Albany's own Young Noble Gentlemen. various times -- free

Saturday: Scott Sharrard at Madison Theater
Blues rock guitarist. 8 pm -- $15

Saturday: The Honey Dewdrops + The Sea The Sea at Caffe Lena at the The Grove
A duo of duos. 7 pm -- $18

Saturday: Mariachi Flor de Toloache at MASS MoCA
"Trailblazing Latin Grammy nominees Mariachi Flor de Toloache are New York City's first all-female mariachi band. They infuse the classic ranchero sound with bursts of hip-hop, soul, jazz, salsa, and are about as much fun as it gets." 8 pm -- $16 ahead (and students) / $22 day of

Saturday: International Blues Challenge at The Linda
Local blues acts competing for chance to compete at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. 7 pm -- $12

Sunday: Snoop Dog + Whiz Khalifa at SPAC
Rap stars. With: Kevin Gates and Jhene Aiko, Casey Veggies and DJ Drama. 7 pm -- $26 and up

Sunday: Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood
"With its artistic director Yo-Yo Ma, the Silk Road Ensemble returns to Tanglewood for another fascinating and wide-ranging traversal of music both traditional and new..." 8 pm -- $22 and up

Sunday: Anders Osborne Band at Helsinki Hudson
Roots rock. 8 pm -- $35

Sunday: DakhaBrakha at Music Haven
"Adventurous Ukrainian 'folkdrone Björkpunk' quartet." With: Tavche Gravche. 7 pm -- free
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To do list

1. It's August now. Do all the summer things you wanted to do. Don't wait.

These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

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photo: Douglas C. Liebig