SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation presents “Saratoga Springs Train Stations: Architecture and Impact” with author Richard Chait, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25. The virtual program will take place on Zoom and Facebook for a suggested donation of $10 or more. 

“I am very pleased to be speaking about one of my favorite subjects, train stations, especially those in and around Saratoga Springs. Like their architecture, train stations have such an interesting and rich history,” Chait said, in a statement.

Through the years there have been many railroads that have served Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area. These have included the following lines: Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad; Thomas C. Durant’s Adirondack Company Railway; the Fitchburg Branch of the B&M Railroad; Saratoga, Mount McGregor and Lake George Railroad; Hudson Valley Railway Company; and the D&H Railway with its main line and Adirondack Branch. 

Throughout the 1800s and into the 1900s, Saratoga Springs was a premiere travel destination, and the D&H Railway Station would be a hub of activity welcoming tourists, business people, and college students. “Much of the train station architecture in Saratoga Springs has been lost over time so it is exciting to host this virtual program that not only highlights the buildings but also the long-term impact they have had on our community,” said Nicole Babie, Membership & Programs Director. 

One station that remains is located at 117 Grand Ave. It was originally the Adirondack Company Railway office and station and later became part of the D&H Railway’s Adirondack branch. The Foundation preserved the building and used it as its office for many years.

For additional information or to register for the virtual program, visit www.saratogapreservation.org or call 518-587-5030. Everyone who pre-registers for this program will be emailed a Zoom link in advance and will receive a link to the recording.

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

GLENS FALLS – The Park Theater has announced a variety of shows that will be staged throughout January at its venue in downtown Glens Falls, located at 14 Park St. 

Jan. 20: The Park Theater presents ‘Third Thursday Jazz’ with The Matt Niedbalski Trio featuring saxophonist, Adam Siegel. Tickets: $10. Showtime: 8:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: Hiroya Tsukamoto. The musician has been wowing audiences all over the world with his eclectic, immersive and mesmerizing performances.  Tickets: Early Bird – $15; Day Of Show – $20. Showtime: 8 p.m.

Jan. 26: The Park Theater hosts Rochmon Record Club. Hosted by Chuck Vosganian, this listening party will focus on Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle” (1976). Tickets: $12. Showtime: 7 p.m.

Jan. 27: ‘Live & Local’ featuring a special jazz concert with Laura Roth and Hui Cox. This event will salute the months of self-sacrificing efforts by the essential workers of the Glens Falls Hospital and will include drummer Mike Clark, and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet, along with special guest, Ray Agnew. Tickets: $20.  Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Proof of full vaccination required for performances, and the wearing of masks indoors when not eating or drinking is encouraged.

For the full performance listing or to purchase tickets, visit: www.parktheatergf.com, or phone the box office at 518-792-1150.

SCHENECTADY – Proctors Collaborative has entered a partnership with the American Red Cross for the upcoming show, Come From Away.

Come From Away is the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Performances are Tuesday, Jan. 25- Sunday, Jan. 30.

January is National Blood Donor month, and the American Red Cross will be on hand for various performances for ways to volunteer, donate to their organization or to give blood.

“Come From Away highlights the importance of community and the generosity of spirit. We are so grateful to the Proctors’ community for supporting the Red Cross mission and for their generosity. Their support helps ensure we can be there 24/7 for whatever may come. This community is our rock,” said Kevin Coffey, Regional Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross Eastern New York Region.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Recorded in the fall of 1971 and released the following year, “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” will be celebrated by Rochmon Record Club at Caffe Lena on Jan. 18. 

Bowie and his band The Spiders From Mars – which featured guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansey, first toured the U.S. in support of “Ziggy” in 1972, and in New York performing at Carnegie Hall, visiting with Andy Warhol at The Factory, meeting Lou Reed and Iggy Pop at Max’s Kansas City, and going to see the New York Dolls at Mercer Arts Center. A new post-60s scene, initiated, arguably, by Marc Bolan a short while earlier, was blossoming in major cities across the globe. 

“The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars,” which will be played and discussed in its entirety at Caffe Lena, includes the Bowie classics “Five Years,” “Moonage Daydream,” “Starman,” the title track, and “Suffragette City.”

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., the show begins at 7 with a live audio and video presentation by Chuck Vosganian aka “Rochmon” and his sidekick, Alyssa, aka “The Button Pusher!” 

Caffe Lena has returned to full capacity. In order to ensure everyone’s safety proof of vaccination for all attendees is required. The Rochmon Record Club will also be streamed live on Caffe’ Lena TV. Tickets and more information at: www.caffelena.org 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – On Jan. 22, Caffe Lena will host “Crossing the Water” a tribute concert celebrating the life and legacy of Bill Staines. The songwriter died in December after a battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to his website. He was 74. 

Staines had performed at Saratoga Springs coffeehouse Caffe Lena twice a year from 1968 to 2021. He enjoyed a decades-long music career that began during the folk revival movement of the 1960s. He was said to have driven more than 65,000 miles every year to perform at music festivals, churches, concert halls and even in private homes.

“For many years I have referred to him as an anchor to our heritage,” says Executive Director Sarah Craig, in a statement. “So much has changed over the years. But Bill has remained a constant.”

On January 22, Capital Region musicians will perform a tribute to Staines at the venue. It will be streamed live for those unable to attend in person.

“Crossing the Water: A Tribute to Bill Staines” will take place on the date that would have been Staines’ winter show for 2022. It will be emceed by Christopher Shaw and will feature Staines’ songs, passages from his autobiography, and video clips from his final concert at the venue on Sept. 17, 2021. Selections will be performed by Dan Berggren, Kate McDonnell, Vivian Nesbitt and John Dillon, Wanda Fischer, Kevin McKrell and Arlin Greene, Jonny and Annie Rosen, and John Kirk and Trish Miller.

In-person attendees must present proof of vaccination and masks are required. For those unable to attend in-person, a free live stream will be available on Caffe Lena’s YouTube channel. Tickets and streaming information is available at www.caffelena.org 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Mary Fahl first achieved fame as lead singer and co-founder of the mid-1990s NYC- based Folk-Chamber Pop group October Project, whose hallmark of sound depicted Fahl’s power vocals over gorgeous melodies. 

As a solo artist, the expressive, emotional singer/songwriter has written and recorded songs for movies (the theme for the Civil War epic “Gods and Generals,” among them), singing arias and medieval Spanish songs for Sony Classical or releasing a unique album-length take on Dark Side of the Moon. 

Fahl’s recent releases have garnered an Indie Acoustic Award for Best Live Album for “Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House” (filmed for PBS) and an Independent Music Award for her recent holiday album, “Winter Songs and Carols.”

Her latest release, a Blu-ray 5.1 surround DVD, “From the Dark Side of the Moon,” was mixed by the legendary Bob Clearmountain, and has been called “Immersive Album of the Year” by Life in Surround.

Showtime: 8 p.m. on Feb. 5 at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs. Tickets: $30-42. Call 518-583-0022 or go to: www.caffelena.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Celebrating his fifth decade of touring, Tom Rush will perform two shows at Caffe Lena on Feb. 6, when he will be joined on stage by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Nakoa. Shows are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $65 in person, $10 live stream, Go to: www.caffelena.org.

HUDSON FALLS – The Strand Theatre and Mark Abodeely Productions kick off The Guitar Master Series on Saturday, Jan. 15, with the legendary Albert Lee Band and opening act The Strand House Band at 7:30 p.m. 

For over 6 decades Albert Lee has played with the biggest names in music including Eric Clapton, The Everly Brothers, The Crickets and more. 

The Strand House Band will perform songs by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Eric Clapton and features Marc Clayton, Jonathan Newell, Alan Dunham, Ernie LaRouche and Michael Craner. 

Tickets are $35 and available by calling The Strand Theatre box office at 518-832-3484 or visiting www.mystrandtheatre.org.  Join us for Albert Lee’s Belated Birthday Party. 

The venue is located at 210 Main St. Hudson Falls. 

For more information, call 518-832-3484 or go to www.mystrandtheater.org . The Hudson River Music Hall, Productions, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents Radical Fiber: Threads Connecting Art and Science, a new exhibition featuring historical artifacts and contemporary art that demonstrate the ways in which fiber craft techniques and materials have influenced and impacted scientific fields like mathematics, digital technology, medicine, and more. The exhibition runs Jan. 29 through June 12. 

Visitors will encounter works that span centuries and are made by artists, scientists, and mathematicians alike. 

A 15th-century Incan khipu-the oldest work on view-presents a system of cords, knots, and dyes that recorded local and state administrative information and narratives. Mathematician Daina Taimina’s Hyperbolic sketch, 2006, offers a crocheted representation of the mathematical theory of hyperbolic space; she was the first to create a functional model of this theory after more than a century of claims that such a feat was impossible. 

Artist Dario Robleto’s The Creative Potential of Disease, 2004, presents a Civil War-era doll that was made by an amputated Union soldier as a self-portrait as part of his recovery

The exhibition also features the Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef, a collaborative artwork made up of hundreds of crocheted corals created in the last year by amateur crafters and professional artists from the Capital Region and beyond. The reef installation is one of nearly 50 such satellite reefs created around the world as part of the Crochet Coral Reef project by Christine and Margaret Wertheim and the Institute For Figuring. 

The public reception will take place 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29. Admission to the museum is free. All visitors are required to show proof of vaccination and to wear masks. For more information, call the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit tang.skidmore.edu. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Greenwich native and Skidmore College graduate Josh Chambers made a name for himself around Saratoga in the 1990s as both a musician, playwright and director. Chambers passed away Feb. 12, 2021 at the age of 45. 

Spa City born hometown rockers The Figgs will perform in a special tribute to the life and legacy of Josh Chambers, 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20. In-person tickets are $12.50-$25. Proof of vaccination is required for attendees.

For more information and a complete calendar of upcoming events at Caffe Lena, go to: caffelena.org.