Stuff Going on This Weekend BESIDES My Kid’s Birthday

Hooray!  The sun’s finally coming out!  Good thing, because we’ve got a lot of outdoorsville happening at our house, and I was really beginning to freak out about it.

I am actively working on a restaurant post, so if you have suggestions for good places to take the whole family, I’d love to hear them.

Okay, I missed that tomorrow is Irish Day at the National Museum of Dance from 1-3:30 pm.

All Weekend:

• It’s a bit of a drive, but there’s a Firefighter’s Convention that will include parades on Friday night and Saturday afternoon in Lake George.  If you have a kid who’s a firefighting fanatic, it might be worth the trip.
• It’s Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery, in Schenectady.  Most of the activities take place in Central Park.

Evening of Friday, June 18th:

• It’s Art Night Schenectady from 5-9 pm.
• Staging Youths’ Future presents Seussical the Musical as dinner theater.  At 6 pm there’s spaghetti dinner, and the show is at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $15 for dinner and the show.  This is for 6/17 & 6/18.
• There’s a Drop-in Chess Club at the  Guilderland Public Library at 6:30 pm.
• At 6:30 pm, the Saratoga Barnes & Noble will have their American Girl Book Club.
• The Altamont Free Library will have Chicken Barbecue followed by Contra Dancing led by Paul Rosenberg and friends from 6:45-7:45 pm at the Gazebo in Orsini Park.  If you plan to go, you should pre-order dinner to ensure it’s not sold out.
• They’re showing Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the  Guilderland Public Library at 7 pm.  Oh yes, there will be popcorn.
• Brookside Museum is having an outdoor Benefit Concert featuring Gravity at 7 pm.  $15/grown up, kids free, burgers and dogs will be available for purchase.
• Take a Nightwalk at Five Rivers and look for some birds.  It’s at 7 pm.
• Take an Almost Summer Solstice Sunset Hike from 7:30-9 pm at the Albany Pine Bush.  $2/person, $5/family.
• It’s Star Watch time at 9 pm at Grafton Lakes State Park.

Saturday, June 19th:

• It’s the Scottish Festival at Fort Ticonderoga all day.
• At 10 am, learn about Wildflower Identification at Five Rivers.
• From 10 am to 3 pm, it’s the Upper Union Street (Schenectady) Strawberry Festival.  Kids’ stuff includes pony rides and a petting zoo.
• From 10 am to 6 pm, it’s Troy’s River Street Festival.
• From 10-11:30 am, learn about Edible and Practical Uses of Plants at Wilton Wildlife Preserve.  It’s free and designed for all ages, but you need to pre-register.
• It’s Planting Day at 10:30 am at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• At 10:30 am it’s Little Wonders of Science:  Fancy Nancy Sees Stars at the Schenectady Museum.
• From 11 am to 12:30 pm, take a hike and learn about restoration at the Albany Pine Bush.  $2/person, $5/family, and pre-registration is required.
• At 11 am & 1 pm there are Planetarium Shows at the Henry Hudson Planetarium in Albany.
• From 11 am to 3 pm, there’s a World Refugee Day Picnic at Albany’s Washington Park.
• There’s a Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds.  Doors open at 11 am, and there’s a Demolition Derby in the evening.  $10/adult, $5/ kids 7 and up, kids 6 and under free.
• It’s Family Fun Weekend–Saturday only–from 1-4 pm at the New York State Museum.  The theme is Birds and Butterflies.
• At 1 pm learn about Slipperies & Slimies at the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology in Troy.  Ages 4 +, pre-registration is required, and it’s $2/non-member.
• From 1-3 pm, you can play Outdoor Games at the Chapman Historical Museum.  It’s $3/child and reservations are required.
• At 2 pm, Rose Kent will be signing her book Rocky Road at the Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza, and they’ll have ice cream tastings, too.
• At 2 pm, go on a Salamander Search at Thacher Park.  It’s best for older kids–8 and up–and they ask you to call to register.
• At 2 pm, you can learn A Dozen Ways to Make Fire Without Matches at Grafton Lakes State Park.  Again, not the best toddler activity.
• At 2 pm, learn about The Green World with hands-on activities at Five Rivers.
• Take a Twilight Kayak from 7-9 pm at Moreau Lake State Park.  A limited number of kayaks are available for rent.

Sunday, June 20th:

• I am doing the 5k at the Crossings.  It will be my first-ever 5k, and I am a bit nervous.  When I first started out running a couple of months ago I was feeling pretty cocky, but my progress has absolutely slowed down.  At this point, 5k is  about as far as I am able to go, period, and the last time I took a serious run I hurt myself a teensy bit.  So send happy-healthy running karma my way, please.
• Eagle Mills Cider Mill & Family Fun Park in Broadalbin opens for the season with a Father’s Day breakfast.  I’d never heard of this place until I saw the notice about yummy pancakes. . . . Anyone been here?  Worth it?
• Get The Dirt on Dirt at the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology in Troy.  Ages 3+, pre-register, $2/non-member.  Admission is free for dads and grandpas all day at the museum.
• From noon to 4 pm, it’s Sundae on the Farm at Arnoldhaven Farm in West Charlton.  For more information, check out the TU’s Parenting Blog.
• Take a Father-Daughter Hike from 1-2 pm at the Albany Pine Bush.