All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

It's still summer. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

The weekend is filled with festivals, tugboats, food, wine, and warm weather. And if you're so hungry for autumn that you sneak in a cider donut somewhere in there, we won't judge you.

Here's our list of stuff we thought might interest you this weekend. Doing something you don't see here? Share it with us in the comments. And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend.

1st Friday
Friday: It's 1st Friday in Albany, with shops and galleries open late with art, music and performances.
+ Ten Broeck Mansion hosts a talk about 18th century food. "Sara Evenson will share the smells and tastes of the period during an interactive lecture ... Attendees will learn how food arrived in the Albany area, what flavor profiles were common, how foods were prepared, and will have the chance to sample a variety of items while exploring the material culture of food in ACHA's latest exhibit." (AOA talked with Evenson about this topic a few years ago.) 6 pm
+The Albany Barn hosts Summer in the City, a youth talent exhibition
+ Reggie's Red Hot Feet Warmers headline the 1st Friday Swing Dance at 25 South Allen.

Waterford Tugboat Roundup
Friday-Sunday: The Waterford Tugboat Roundup is back with a tugboat parade, tug tours, a market, kids activities, music, and fireworks. The tugs will make their way past Albany to Waterford on Friday afternoon, so keep your eyes open for them. Friday-Sunday various times -- free admission

Saratoga Wine & Food Festival
Friday-Sunday: The Saratoga Performing Arts Center hosts the annual Saratoga Wine and Food Festival with food and wine tastings, vendors, classic cars, and a brunch with Colin Cowie and celebrity chef Todd English. Also: One of the featured celebrities this year is baseball great David Ortiz. Friday-Sunday various times and prices

Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival
Saturday: The Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival returns to Jennings Landing. This year's headliner is Maurice "Mobetta" Brown. The lineup also includes Mike Stern, The Brighton Beat, Jeff "Siege" Siegel Sextet, and the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra. Saturday 1-9 pm -- free admission

The Washington County Cheese Tour
Saturday-Sunday: The annual Washington County Cheese Tour returns this weekend. It's a self-guided sampling tour of five farms plus a brewery and vineyard. Meet the farmers, cheesemakers, goats and cows, and sample cheeses and other dairy products, beer, and wine. Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm -- free admission

Schenectady Little Italy StreetFest
Saturday: The annual Little Italy StreetFest returns to Jay Street in Schenectady. Italian food, desserts, music, and culture. Saturday noon-9 pm -- free admission

St. George Greek Festival
Friday-Sunday: The annual St. George Greek Festival returns to Schenectady this weekend. Three days of Greek music, food, culture, arts, and crafts. Friday and Saturday 11 am-11 pm, Sunday noon-5 pm -- free admission

Armenian Festival
Saturday-Sunday: The Armenian Festival is at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church of Troy (255 Spring Ave). "There will be delicious Armenian food and pastries, Games for the kids, Armenian music, and live performance by our local Armenian Dance Group." Saturday noon-8 pm and Sunday noon-4 pm -- free admission

Stockade Villagers' Outdoor Art Show
Saturday: The annual outdoor art show returns to the Schenectady Stockade neighborhood. Saturday (rain date, Sunday) 10 am-4 pm

Labor Day Parade
Friday: The Albany Labor Parade starts near Academy Park (across city hall), followed by a festival with music, food, games and fireworks at Corning Riverfront Park. Friday 6-9 pm

Grand Carnival
Saturday: Pioneer Bank hosts a carnival at its headquarters on Albany Shaker Road (near Wolf) to raise funds for its foundation to support non-profits. Saturday 11 am-4 pm -- $5 per person / $20 per family

Paws on the Patio
Thursday: Participating Schenectady restaurants are opening their patios up to dogs and their owners for Paws on the Patio Thursday, 4pm - 8 pm

Rugby
Saturday: The Albany Knickerbockers have a match at Dick Green Field on Frisbie Ave in Albany (next to the Plumeri Sports Complex on McCarty Ave). Saturday 2 pm -- free

Music

Thursday: Paa Kow at The Linda
"[B]oldly explores the music of the African Diaspora by fusing Ghanaian highlife with elements of jazz, funk, and African pop to create his unique Afro-Fusion sound ..." 8 pm -- $15

Thursday: Les Poules à Colin at Caffe Lena
"An indie roots band that channels the old medieval ballads and sugarshack dance tunes of Québec, this band of young Francophone musicians was raised on folk music." 7 pm -- $18

Thursday: The Light Switches + Boat Dares + Lame Dude at Pauly's
Dream pop + accordion and drum + punky rock and roll. 8:30 pm -- $7

Friday: Exit Dome 11: Sean Rowe and Super 400
WEXT has a benefit anniversary show at its studios in North Greenbush headlined by Sean Rowe and Super 400, with Darling Valley, Sorrow Estate, and Motorbike. 7 pm -- $20

Friday-Saturday: Eastbound Throwdown in Salem
The Eastbound Throwdown music fest returns to Irwin Farm in Salem with Eastbound Jesus, The Mallet Brothers, Girl Blue, and bunch of additional acts. $60 ahead / $70 at the event

Friday: 888 at The Hollow CANCELED
Electro pop. 9 pm -- $12

Friday-Saturday: The Gibson Brothers at Caffe Lena
Bluegrass stars. Friday 8 pm -- $35 | Saturday 3 pm -- $35

Saturday: Obituary at Upstate Concert Hall
Death metal. With: Emortus. 8 pm -- $20 ahead / $25 day of

Saturday: Nanda Lala: An Indian Dance and Music Spectacular at The Egg
"Nanda Lala is set to four styles of Indian music, six forms of Indian Classical dance, including Bharatanatyam, Kathak and folk; and songs in seven languages." 5 pm -- donation requested

Sunday: David Byrne at The Palace
The one and only. With: Tune-Yards. 7:30 pm -- $49.50 and up

Sunday: Duke Robillard Band at Caffe Lena
Blues/swing. 7 pm -- $30

Stage

The Gingerbread Lady
Friday-Sunday: Albany Civic Theater opens a production of Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady. Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm, Sunday 3 pm -- $18 / students $10

Comedy

Chris Rich
Friday: Comedian Chris Rich headlines at The Comedy Works in Saratoga. Friday 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm -- various prices

Kevin Farley
Saturday: Kevin Farley headlines at Cohoes Music Hall. Saturday 8pm -- $25 advance / $30 at door

Film

We the Animals
Saturday: Youth FX hosts a screening of We The Animals at the Spectrum followed by a Q&A with stars Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian, and Josiah Gabriel, along with Youth FX teaching artist and Albany High School dramatic arts teacher, Noelle Gentile, and Youth FX director Bhawin Suchak. Saturday 7:15 pm -- $10.50

Movies Under The Stars: Wonder Woman
Friday: The Movies Under the Stars series screens Wonder Woman in Albany's Washington Park (on the parade grounds). Bring a blanket or lawn chair. Snacks, drinks and games at 7:30 pm, film at 8:30 pm -- free

Milk
Friday: The NYS Writers Institute film series returns with a screening of Milk -- the story of Harvey Milk, starring Sean Penn -- in Page Hall on the UAlbany Downtown Campus. Friday 7:30 pm -- free

Drive-ins
Here's what's playing at the drive-ins:
+ Malta: Screen 1: Crazy Rich Asians, Peppermint / Screen 2: The Nun, Slenderman
+ Hollywood: The Nun, Slenderman
+ Jericho Drive-in: The Nun, Mile 22

Corn maze
Thursday-Sunday: Fort Ticonderoga has opened its corn maze for the season. The maze is two miles of winding trails of corn stalks. Thursday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm (last entry at 4:30 pm) -- various prices

Museums/galleries/talks/walks

Elizabeth Acevedo
Thursday: The NYS Writers Institute starts off its fall visiting writers series with Elizabeth Acevedo. "The daughter of Dominican immigrants, [Acevado] a National Poetry Slam Champion (2014) and author of the New York Times bestselling young adult novel, The Poet X (2018), the story of an Afro-Latina teenager growing up in New York City. She confronts prejudice and sexual harassment while discovering her voice and her literary ambitions." Thursday 7:30 pm, Performing Arts Center uptown campus -- free

Opalka Gallery
Friday: The Opalka Gallery on the Sage Albany campus has the opening reception for Sharon Bates: Exhibit B. Friday 6-8 pm

New York State Education Building Tour
Saturday: Take a free tour of the NYS Education building. Saturday 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm (reservation required)

"Influence of the Dutch on the American Kitchen" at Ten Broeck Mansion and Crailo
Sunday: Culinary historian Peter G. Rose will be at the Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany to talk about the influence of the Dutch on American cooking. The event will then head over to the Crailo State Historic Site in Rensselaer for a live historic cooking demonstrations. Sunday 1:30 pm -- $20

Albany Institute
The Albany Institute of History & Art opened three new exhibitions this summer: Thomas Cole's Paper Trail, Birds & Beasts: The Scary, Magical, and Adorable Animals of the Albany Institute, and A Menagerie of Whimsey: The Art of William B. Schade.

UAlbany Art Museum
The UAlbany Art Museum continues Younger Than Today: Photographs of Children (and sometimes their mothers)by Andy Warhol. It's part of a series of five Andy Warhol exhibitions being presented at five Hudson Valley College Museums this year. (On display through September 15.)

Also on display:
+ Mickey Mouse has grown up a Cow: Videos by Kalup Linzy, Yoshie Sakai, Frances Stark, and Abbey Williams
+ Triple: Alex Bradley Cohen, Louis Fratino, and Tschabalala Self.

The Fields Sculpture Park
The Art Omi Fields Sculpture Garden has its summer exhibition on display. It's free and open to the public.

Saratoga Auto Museum
The Saratoga Auto Museum in Spa State Park has a cars of the 1950s exhibit.

USS Slater
The USS Slater is open for the season.

State Museum
The State Museum has a few new exhibits: "A small fort, which our people call Fort Orange" and Art of the Erie Canal.

Free fitness in the Park
Sunday: Free exercise classes in Troy's Riverfront Park. Sunday 9-10 am -- free admission

Markets

County Folk Art Craft Show
Friday-Sunday: HVCC hosts the Country Folk Art Craft Show at the McDonough Sports Complex. Friday-Sunday various times -- $7

Landis Fall Plant Sale
Saturday-Sunday: The Landis Arboretum holds its annual fall plant sale with shrubs and other perennials that are best planted in the fall. Saturday and Sunday 10 am-4 pm

Farmers markets
+ The Troy Waterfront Farmers Market is outdoors on River Street. Saturday 9 am-2 pm
+ The Delmar Farmers Market is outside at Bethlehem Central Middle School. Saturday 9 am-1 pm
+ The Saratoga Farmers' Market is outside at High Rock Park. Saturday 9 am-1 pm
+The Colonie Farmers' Market is at The Crossings. Saturday 9 am-1 pm
+ The South End Healthy Market opens its season at the Capital South Campus Center. Saturday 10 am-3 pm
+ The Schenectady Greenmarket is outdoors around City Hall. Sunday 10 am-2 pm
+ The Spa City Farmers' Market is outside at the Lincoln Baths. Sunday 10 am-2 pm.

Troy Makers Market
Saturday: Local craft vendors will display and sell wares at the Troy Makers Market in conjunction with the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market. Saturday 9 am to noon

Troy Flea Market
Sunday: Troy Flea will be back in Riverfront Park, featuring a rotating lineup of more than two dozen vendors. Sunday 10 am-3 pm

The Albany Institute of History and Art advertises on AOA.