All Over Albany

Photos from AOA8

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate AOA's 8th birthday last week at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. It was great to see so many people again, and to meet others for the first time.

There are a ton of photos from the party after the jump.

And thank you to everyone who helped make the party fun:
+ The Tech Valley Center of Gravity volunteers
+ The Tech Valley Game Space crew
+ Daydream.io
+ Ric Orlando and the team at New World Catering
+ Chatham Brewing
+ DJ Trumastr
+ And Duncan Crary, Anasha Cummings, Jason Lebrecht, Rhonda Rosenhect, Tom Tongue, Bridget McGivern, and Bob Bownes

(there's more)

AOA birthday drawing: Brown's, The Hill at Muza, Twenty-Two 2nd Street Wine Co., Weird Beard, EMPAC

Drawing's closed!

It's AOA's birthday week. And you could get the presents! To celebrate eight years of AOA, we've pulled together a whole bunch of great Capital Region stuff and we're holding a different drawing every day this week.

The final AOA drawing of AOA's 8th birthday week is Troy themed.

One winner will get:

+ A $50 gift basket from Brown's Brewing Co. with a gift certificate, glasses, bottle opener, and coasters
+ Six drink tickets for The Hill at Muza European Beer Garden, valid for any of their beer or wines, and a Żywiec glass
+ $50 gift card from Weird Beard Candle Company in Troy
+ $15 gift card for Twenty-Two 2nd Street Wine Co.
+ Two pairs of tickets to the EMPAC show(s) of your choice

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What's your favorite thing about Troy?

We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the whole basket of prizes.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 1 pm on Monday, April 11, 2016 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by midnight on Tuesday and must respond by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 12.

Weird Beard photo via Weird Beard Candle Company | Twenty-Two 2nd Street Wine Co via its Instagram | The Hill at Muza photo courtesy of The Hill at Muza

AOA birthday drawing: Something Rotten, The Producers, The Trip to Bountiful, Tala

Drawing's closed!

It's AOA's birthday week. And you could get the presents! To celebrate eight years of AOA, we've pulled together a whole bunch of great Capital Region stuff and we're holding a different drawing every day this week.

Today's drawing has a dash of drama. One winner will get:
+ A $50 gift certificate to Tala Bistro
+ A pair of tickets to the Broadway touring production of Something Rotten at Proctors next January.
+ A pair of tickets to The Producers at Schenectady Light Opera Company this May.
+ Four tickets to Capital Rep's upcoming production of The Trip To Bountiful this April.

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What is something dramatic in the Capital Region?

Maybe it's a view. Maybe it's an issue. Maybe it's a change. If you think it's got drama -- we want to hear about it. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.)

We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the whole basket of prizes.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 1 pm on Friday, April 8, 2016 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by midnight on Friday and must respond by 5 pm on Monday, April 9.

Something Rotten photo: Joan Marcus | Tala photo via its FB page

AOA birthday drawing: 677 Prime, Adirondack Food & Wine Fest via the Giddy Up, Bilinski's, Tierra/Madison Theater

Drawing's closed!

It's AOA's birthday week. And you could get the presents! To celebrate eight years of AOA, we've pulled together a whole bunch of great Capital Region stuff and we're holding a different drawing every day this week.

Today's drawing -- a package of things that are best shared: Dinner, movies, snacks, a food and wine festival. One winner will get:

+ A $50 gift card for 677 Prime
+ A pair of tickets to the Adirondack Food and Wine Festival with transportation on The Giddy Up bus
+ Eight packages of assorted Bilinski's sausages
+ A pair of $25 Tierra gift cards (usable at the Tierra Farm Store, Madison Theater, and Tierra Coffee Roasters)
+ A pair of tickets to this weekend's Collette Michaan Quartet jazz concert at The Madison Theater ($20 each

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What's your favorite Capital Region thing to share?

Maybe it's a dessert, maybe it's a view, maybe it's an experience, maybe it's a little known fact. Just something about this area that is fun to share with others.

We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the whole basket of prizes.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 1 pm on Thursday, April 7, 2016 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by midnight on Thursday and must respond by 10 pm on Friday, April 8.

AOA birthday drawing: A Taste of Albany, Lark + Lily, Capital Wine

Drawing's closed!

It's AOA's birthday week. And you could get the presents! To celebrate eight years of AOA, we've pulled together a whole bunch of great Capital Region stuff and we're holding a different drawing every day this week.

Today's drawing includes a bunch of food-related prizes:

+ A pair of tickets to A Taste of Albany at the State Museum April 21. The Capital Region culinary showcase includes wine, food, and entertainment. Proceeds from A Taste of Albany benefit Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH). Tickets are $75.

+ From Lark & Lily on Lark Street in Albany: a bottle of Charles & Charles Rose and a cheese plate

+ Two $25 gift certificates from Capital Wine in Albany.

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What is the tastiest thing in the Capital Region?

Maybe it's your favorite cocktail or dish at a local establishment. Maybe it's something someone cooks at home. Maybe it's something produced by a local farm.

We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the basket of prizes.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 1 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by midnight on Wednesday and must respond by 10 pm Thursday, April 7.

Taste of Albany photo: Bennett Campbell

AOA birthday drawing: New World, Spectrum, Nine Pin, Albany Distilling, Crisan, Albany Institute

Drawing's closed!

It's AOA's birthday week. And you could get the presents! To celebrate eight years of AOA, we've pulled together a whole bunch of great Capital Region stuff and we're holding a different drawing every day this week.

Today's drawing includes a bunch prizes from places in the city of Albany:

+ A $25 gift card to New World Bistro Bar
+ A pair of passes to The Spectrum
+ A Cider tasting for two at Nine Pin Cider Works.
+ From Albany Distilling: A tour for two, a sweatshirt, and a 5-pound bag of Death Wish coffee
+ A $25 gift card to Cafe Crisan at theAlbany Institute of History and Art
+ A one-year family membership to the Albany Institute of History and Art. Good for two adults and two kids 18 and under. An $85 value

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What is your favorite thing about the city of Albany?

Maybe it's a place. Maybe it's a food. Maybe it's a person, or people. If it's in Albany and it appeals to you, tell us about it.

We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the basket of prizes.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 1 pm on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by midnight on Tuesday and must respond by 10 pm Wednesday, April 6.

AOA Birthday Party 8

The word is out: This year's AOA Birthday Party -- #8 (!) -- is in April. And you're invited. Because, obviously.

AOA8 will be at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity in downtown Troy on Wednesday, April 6 from 5:30-8:30 pm. There will be a bunch of free snacks from New World Catering, the traditional AOA birthday cupcakes, a cash bar, music from DJ Trumastr, fun projects, and tours of the COG. Also: a lot of interesting people (because you'll be there).

As in past years, space is limited so we're asking people to RSVP -- here's how. It takes 30 seconds and we appreciate you doing so.

If the spaces on the list fill up (they usually do), a wait list will activate. In past years many of the people who sign up for the wait list do end up getting a spot. Update: The wait list has been activated. We'll do our best to find spots for people on it.

We're looking forward to seeing you again, or meeting you for the first time!