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 (very summer), to baseball, to strawberries, to swimming, to neighborhood history, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Maybe some rain and thunderstorms. Mid 70s.

Tuesday: Same.

Wednesday: Sunny and 76.

Thursday: Some sun, maybe thunderstorms. Low 80s.

Friday: Cloudy, maybe thunderstorms. Mid 80s.

Very summer.

Baseball

Monday: The ValleyCats wrap up their first home stand of the season with a game against Vermont. Monday 7 pm -- $5.75 and up

Swimming

Pool season is here. Pretty much all the public pools and spray pads and beaches are now open for the season.

Strawberries

We're at the height of the first rush of strawberry season in the Capital Region. Here are a bunch of farms where you can pick your own.

And keep an eye for the impending arrival of cherry season. It only lasts a week or two.

WTF

The Williamstown Theatre Festival opens it new season this week with productions of The Roommate (starring S. Epatha Merkerson Jane Kaczmarek) and The Model American (by playwright Jason Kim). Tuesday-Sunday various times - various prices

Arts and sciences

The Riddle of the Invisible Dark Matter
Tuesday: The Science on Tap series stops at MopCo in Schenectady for a talk about dark matter. "We are sure that it exists! Searches for this mysterious "dark matter" have gone on for decades, but discovery still eludes us. Please join Dr. Matthew Szydagis, Assistant Professor of Physics at UAlbany, at MOPCO Theatre where he will discuss the status of these searches." Tuesday 7 pm -- free admission

Pine Hills
Wednesday: Akum Norder -- author of the upcoming book The History of Here: A House, the Pine Hills Neighborhood, and the City of Albany -- will be leading a history walking tour of Albany's Pine Hills neighborhood. (The Pine Hills Neighborhood Association recently posted an app-guided walking tour of the neighborhood that she created.) Wednesday 5:30 pm -- free, but registration required

Free summer concert series

Free summer concert season continues...

At The Plaza
Wednesday: The Summer at the Plaza series of events at the ESP opens with Reggae Night featuring Freddie McGregor with Anthem. Wednesday 5 pm -- free admission

Rockin' on the River
Wednesday: The Rockin' on the River series in Troy's Riverfront Park has Alex Torres y Su Orquesta with Heard. Wednesday 5 pm -- free admission

Made in the Shade
Wednesday: The Made in the Shade series of lunchtime shows outside The Egg has The Big Takeover. Wednesday at noon -- free admission

Alive at Five
Thursday: The Alive at Five series at Jennings Landing on the Albany riverfront has The Outlaws with The Steppin Stones. Thursday 5 pm -- free admission

Brown's Summer Sessions
Thursday: The Brown's Summer Sessions series behind the brewpub in Troy has Eastbound Jesus with Black Mountain Symphony. Thursday 5 pm -- free admission

Freedom Park
The schedule for the summer concert series at Freedom Park in Scotia has The Zucchini Brothers, The Screaming Orphans, Bluz House Rockers, and Maria Z & Alegria this week.

Music

Tuesday: Lucero at Helsinki Hudson
Country/soul/bar rock. With: Banditos. 8 pm -- $25 and up

Tuesday: Orchard Project: Julian Fleisher & Friends at Putnam Den
"Internationally renowned singer, songwriter, producer, and WNYC Radio personality Julian Fleisher - currently serving as Director of Cabaret and Musical Theatre at the Orchard Project - has invited some of his closest friends to come to Saratoga Springs for one night only. Featuring TV's Mo Rocca, native son pianist Tedd Firth and a bevy of surprise celebrity guests, Fleisher will bring his signature style to the second "golden age" of American popular song: 1975." 7:30 pm -- $50 and up

Friday: Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald
Classic rock singer/songwriters. 7 pm -- $25 and up

Friday: Wurliday at The Hollow
Soul/funk. With: The Rechorduroys, Olivia Quillio. 8 pm -- $10

Friday: The Lucky 5 at The Linda
Swing dance show. lesson at 7 pm, music at 8 pm -- $15

Saturday: Third Eye Blind
With: Silversun Pickups. 7 pm -- $20 and up

Saturday: John Mellencamp at Tanglewood
With: Emmylou Harris and Carlene Carter. 7 pm -- $35.50 and up

Saturday: Thou at Upstate Concert Hall
Metal. With: Cloud Rat, False, Moloch. $12 ahead / $15 day of

Saturday: Zigtebra at The Low Beat
Indie pop. With: Holey Hell, Druggy Flesh, Bare Mattress. 8 pm

Sunday: Natalie Merchant at Tanglewood
In the Koussevitzky Music Shed. 7 pm -- $27 and up

Sunday: Gillian Welch at The Egg
Americana. 7:30 pm -- $38.50

Sunday: Beauty and the Beast / Zemire et Azor at SPAC Spa Little Theater
An Opera Saratoga production. 7:30 pm -- $50 and up
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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Look for out "Stuff to do this weekend" list for the upcoming weekend on Friday.

Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

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