I’m too sleepy tonight to come up with any clever chatter, but luckily I’ve been keeping a running list of free summer events. If you didn’t get enough with previews 1 & 2, here are some more free family friendly programs and events.
Did you know that you can take free tennis lessons in different parks throughout Albany, Schenectady, and Troy through the 15 Love organization? Just show up with your sneakers! Lessons for kids and adults. W and I have actually done this, and we had tons of fun. Take snacks or a picnic, and you can eat while your kids take their lesson, then they can eat while you’re taking yours.
William K. Sanford (Colonie) Library has a ton of events. Just click to see–preschool to tweens, with plenty of variety. I’ve been to a couple of these summer programs and I’ll warn you: they can get to be a bit of a mob scene. But it’s also quite close to The Crossings playground, so you can piggyback both activities for some Supreme Summer Fun. They’re also looking for older kids to volunteer in the atrium and for families to help maintain their letterboxes.
More free concerts!
- Freedom Park in Scotia has tons of concerts, many of them at 7 pm on Saturdays and Wednesdays, but other days as well. Theater, dance, and music ranging from orchestral to rock to bagpipes. This is a great destination, too, because it’s next to a good playground (Collins Park) and classic summer food at Jumpin’ Jacks. But yes: it will be crowded. I’d go with super early dinner and blanket/chair territory saving followed by a foray to the playground for the kids with the most patient adult(s) while whoever needs a break holds the turf while reading a magazine until showtime.
- Jazz on Jay is held from noon to 1:30 pm on Thursdays on Jay Street in Schenectady. It’s already started. I used to be a regular at this event, because it helped chew up the regular ol’ daytime back when M was a toddler. This is walking distance from the main branch of the Schenectady Library, and there’s also a small farmers’ market there on Thursdays, so it’s worth checking out. One thing to keep in mind is that it can get to be a bit of an oven on Jay Street smack in the middle of the day, so cooler/cloudier days are better when possible. These have already started for the season. I have to say that Jazz on Jay was one of the inspirations for this website–I remember one spring I was trying to find out if/when the concerts were going to start, and I couldn’t find anything via Google, and I even called the Schenectady Chamber of Commerce and they were like, “uhhhh. . . I dunno.” I finally found a flyer displayed at the now-defunct natural food store that used to be there, but I’m telling you, it was makin’ me crazy! Like, clearly people were going to the trouble to organize this thing–didn’t they want people to come? Yay to Proctors for putting it into their schedule. Those folks are clever. Remember how they made you feel like you were a loser if you were one of the few people in town who didn’t yet have tickets to see Wicked? I mean, how smart was that?
- There are Concerts at the gazebo in Niskayuna on some (though not all) Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm, starting with a Kids’ Concert on Tuesday, July 13th. We’re within biking distance of this, so it’s a nice outing for us–don’t know if I’d travel far for it.
Wow, I just realized that we’ve done every single one of these events. All, in my opinion, well worth the money. You know, if they actually cost any money.
