SARATOGA SPRINGS — For two weekends, starting on Friday, June 9, Home Made Theater will present the classic musical, The Sound of Music, music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. 

The beloved musical tells the uplifting story of Maria, a young postulant who brings joy and music into the lives of the von Trapp family as their governess. Set against the backdrop of World War II, The Sound of Music is a tale of resilience, courage, and love that has captured the hearts of audiences for generations.

The Director of The Sound of Music is Dawn Oesch, who has previously directed the Home Made Theater productions of Mamma Mia!, Young Frankenstein, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, just to name a few. 

On Saturday, June 10 at 2 p.m. Sam von Trapp, the grandson of Georg and Maria von Trapp, will be in attendance and will speak about his family history after the performance. He grew up on the grounds of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. Along with his father, Johannes, von Trapp oversees brewery operations at von Trapp Brewing, and assists with guest relations, public relations, and marketing for all areas of the Trapp Family Lodge. Mr. von Trapp will attend the performance with his wife and two sons.  

The performance at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 17. will be a special “sensory friendly” performance. This performance will be designed to make theater accessible to patrons who may be prone to sensory overstimulation, including those on the autism spectrum.

Performances the first weekend are Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 10 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.  and Sunday, June 11 at 2 p.m. 

The second weekend will begin with a performance on Thursday, June 15 at 7 p.m. The rest of the weekend will include performances on Friday, June 16 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 17 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m. 

All performances are at the Pitney Meadows Community Farm at 223 West Ave. in Saratoga Springs. Tickets are $20 and are available on Home Made Theater’s website, www.homemadetheater.org, or by calling 518-587-4427 during regular business hours.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo will return to Saratoga Springs for a special event celebrating the release of his new novel Somebody’s Fool, the third and final novel in his beloved North Bath Trilogy. 

The event will take place 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 3 at the Spa Little Theater, and is presented in partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s Literary Arts@SPAC initiative and WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. 

Russo will be interviewed on stage by Joe Donahue of WAMC, and recorded for subsequent broadcast on Donahue’s The Book Show. The conversation will be followed by a question-and-answer session, and a book signing.

In Somebody’s Fool, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls returns to upstate New York, and to the characters that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of readers in his beloved best sellers Nobody’s Fool and Everybody’s Fool. Infused with all the wry humor and shrewd observations that Russo is known for, Somebody’s Fool is another classic from a modern master.

Russo is the author of nine novels, most recently Chances Are…, Everybody’s Fool and That Old Cape Magic; two collections of stories; and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which, like Nobody’s Fool, won multiple awards for its screen adaptation, and in 2023 his novel Straight Man was adapted into the television series Lucky Hank. In 2017, he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. Originally from Gloversville, NY, he now lives in Portland, ME.

Tickets are required for this event and space is limited. Tickets, and can be purchased at northshire.com/upcoming-events. For more information on this or other Northshire events, call 518-682-4200 or visit northshire.com.

ROCK CITY FALLS — The Mansion of Saratoga kicks off its 801 Concert Series this summer with a tribute to Joan Rivers on what would be the caustic comic’s 90th birthday.

On Thursday, June 8 at 8 p.m., award winning actor and celebrity impersonator Joe Posa will perform as Rivers in a 90-minute comedy concert tribute.

“Joe was Joan’s favorite impersonator. It’s not just the clothes, the voice and the rapid fire jokes—all of which he gets perfect,” Jeff Wodicka, managing partner of The Mansion of Saratoga, said in a statement. “He truly inhabits Joan’s very-naughty-but-so-much-fun persona. This show is not for the politically correct, the weak-kneed or children.”

Posa began performing as Rivers in 2004 and first met her in 2006 while he was impersonating her at a corporate event in Houston, Texas. In a planned schtick, Posa first took the stage to do his act when suddenly the real Joan Rivers, who was hired to be the evening’s main performer, appeared to chase him off. After that show the two stayed in touch over the next decade, last meeting in July 2014, two months before she died at age 81.

For more information on the dinner and show concert series, which features multiple artists through August, go to: www.themansionsaratoga.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Billed as a neo-traditionalist western swing trio, the Quebe Sisters – siblings Grace, Sophia, and Hulda – will perform 7 p.m. June 22 at Caffe Lena. 

The sisters have released four studio albums – 2003’s Texas Fiddlers, 2007’s Timeless, 2014’s Every Which-A-Way, and 2019’s The Quebe Sisters – and put a youthful, jubilant spin on Bob Wills’ classic genre. 

The Quebe Sisters have toured across North America, Europe, and Russia. 

Tickets are on sale at: caffelena.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Louis Valenti will stage a book signing featuring his new book “Saratoga Naturally’ from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 6 at Jacob & Anthony’s American Grille, 38 High Rock Ave.

Valenti’s nature photography book “Saratoga Naturally: Photographic Images Of Saratoga’s Most Beautiful Parks & Preserves,” features photographic images of five of Saratoga’s most beautiful parks and preserves including Saratoga Spa State Park; Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery; Geyser Creek Trail; Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail; and the Saratoga National Historical Park and Battlefield. 

The photographs include breathtaking landscapes, trails, wildflowers, trees, rare plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects including many of its most popular inhabitants such as the Barred Owl, Red Fox, Monarch Butterfly, Gray Tree Frog, Red-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Deer, and Painted Turtle, accompanied by poems from famous writers such as Robert Frost, Emily Bronte, William Shakespeare, Anne Frank, and many others. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Opera Saratoga has announced its 2023 Summer Festival Lineup, to be staged in Saratoga Springs from June 30 to July 9.

The lineup includes multiple performances of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “The Selfish Giant,” and  “Don Pasquale.”

For specific performance dates and tickets, go online to operasaratoga.org.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Spa Fine Art this week announced the launch of the 2023 Travers poster by Greg Montgomery, “Glory Road.” The poster is available at Sopa Fine Art, located at 376 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. 

“One of the most distinctive aspects of the historic Saratoga Race Course is its marvelous trees,” said Montgomery, in a statement. “Everywhere you look, beautiful trees shade the barns, the paddock and picnic areas. During the hot summer days of the meet the trees are a godsend for horses and race fans alike.”

This year’s poster leads to “Glory Road,” the tree-lined path that the horses take from the stables to the paddock – the perfect place to get up close to the magnificent thoroughbreds walking slowly through the dappled sunlight. 

Montgomery’s series of posters for the Travers Stakes race in Saratoga Springs is the longest running series by a single artist for a single event in racing history. This year’s poster – the 37th in the long-running series – is dedicated to Montgomery’s muse, partner and wife, Paula Rosenberg, who passed away in the fall of 2022, the artist said.  

BALLSTON SPA — Free movies in Wiswall Park are back for the 16th summer, presented by the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association, as part of its monthly First Friday activities. 

The series begins on June 2 (rain date June 3) with “Strange World.” “Minions: Rise of Gru” will be shown on July 7 (rain date July 8), and “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” on Aug. 4 (rain date Aug. 5).  All films are family friendly.

The movies are projected onto the wall of the adjacent Front Street Deli building on Front Street in the village and begin at approximately dusk (8:30-8:45 p.m.). All screenings are free. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. Movie snacks will be available, courtesy of Starpoint Church.

Before the movies, families are encouraged to stroll to downtown shops, restaurants, museums participating in First Friday events, as well as enjoy kid-friendly activities in the park. 

The Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association, established in 1983, is a non-profit organization committed to making the Village of Ballston Spa a great place to live, work and visit. To learn more, visit at www.ballston.org.