SARATOGA SPRINGS — Chicago-based singer-songwriter Michael McDermott, fresh off the release of September’s release of two new albums, performs at Caffe Lena at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7. 

The two full albums, one acoustic and one electric, were released on the same day as companion pieces of work. The titles are: Lighthouse on the Shore, the acoustic opus, and East Jesus, the electric collection.

“I guess it’s always been a bit of a balancing act, my multiple personalities,” said McDermott, in a statement. “One of my personalities grew up listening to early Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, traditional Irish music, and Tom Waits. The other one was raised on The Stones, The Who, Van Morrison, and U2. My songwriting varies wildly, to sometimes great effect and other times a seemingly incoherent array of songs that never find homes on my albums. This time I thought I’d lean into both, make a quiet record and a loud one.”

For more information, go to: caffelena.org. 

TROY —   Thirty minutes from Broadway in Saratoga Springs, Broadway in Troy and surrounding blocks will celebrate Troy Glow 2024 with a dazzling 10-day, free, family-friendly festival that will light up downtown Troy, Nov.1 to Nov. 10.

On Friday, Nov. 1, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be an Opening Night Reception at The Tavern Bar, located at 217 Broadway. Free tours of Glow installations will be given every hour on the hour from 6 to 8 p.m. starting outside The Tavern.

On Sunday, Nov. 3, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. there will be a family-friendly Troy Glow Block Party and Parade in Franklin Alley, between River Street and Broadway. A variety of events are  scheduled throughout the 10-day festival.

Troy Glow is a project of the Arts Center of the Capital Region in partnership with the City of Troy and the Downtown Troy BID. The project is supported by a grant from Empire State Development, and I LOVE NY/NY State’s Division of Tourism, awarded through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

More information about events and a walking map can be found at www.TroyGlow.com.

ALBANY — Saratoga based dance instructor, Johnny Martinez, won the “Dancing with the Capital Region Stars” Oct. 18. 

The event took place at the Desmond Hotel and featured professional partner dance instructors from the area paired with local celebrities and competing against each other.  The evening attendance was 400 strong and included a wide range of dances such as: Swing, Waltz, Salsa and Cha Cha.

Maritinez, co-director of Tango Fusion Dance Studio in Saratoga, was partnered with former local TV sports anchor Liana Bonavitta. They performed their award winning ChaCha to the song “ Shut Up and Dance.” Their first-place routine included theater jazz, hip hop, lifts and ChaCha of course. 

For more information about Johnny Martinez, go to – http://www.tangofusiondance.com.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Step into the dark allure of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries at 7:30 pm on Friday, Nov. 1, at Bethesda Episcopal in Saratoga Springs, with Musicians of Ma’alwyck’s Mayhem & Madness: Musical Intrigue from the 18th Century.

From music of Leclair, the reigning French violinist of the 1700s, whose 1764 murder was never solved, to Gatayes, guitar teacher of the unfortunate Marat, found stabbed to death in his bathtub, to instrumental arrangements from the madcap opera Martha of Flotow, Musicians of Ma’alwyck celebrates the season with a fun, irreverent and intriguing program. 

Bethesda Episcopal Church is located at 26 Washington St, Saratoga Springs. Tickets $25 per person. Go to: https://musiciansofmaalwyck.org/. 

A second concert, “A Bach Multimedia Extravaganza,” will take place at Bethesda Episcopal on Monday, November 4 at 7 p.m., features Brian Hoffman, organist, and the 1967 Baroque-inspired Casavant Frères pipe organ at Bethesda Episcopal. Brian Hoffman presents the works of J.S. Bach. For more information on this event, go to: www.brianhoffmanorganist.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The first-ever International Spa Heritage Festival drew hundreds of people to Saratoga Spa State Park for a series of events that took place Oct. 8 – 10.  

Event host Saratoga Spa State Park welcomed a delegation from the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), which represents Europe’s historic spa towns. 

During the event, the EHTTA scientific committee announced its recognition of Saratoga Spa State Park and the City of Saratoga Springs as the most important historic spa town in North America. 

The EHTTA scientific committee includes expert architects and professors from across Europe, including its president, Mario Crecente, a professor of Heritage Tourism Management at the University of Coruna (Spain) and founder of Crecente Asociados, a company specializing in activating and creatively using heritage resources for tourism. 

Crecente, NYS Parks Commissioner Randy Simons, SPAC President Elizabeth Sobol, and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner were among the conference speakers, and City Mayor John Safford was ceremonially presented with a bathrobe by three European mayors representing spa towns in Croatia, Spain, and Italy. 

Additional events included a community festival organized by the Spa City Farmers Market featuring local goods, live music, exhibits from the Saratoga Public Library, and the National Bottle Museum, and the first-ever Bathrobe Addicts event in the U.S., where the 30-member European delegation donned bathrobes and waved their respective national flags as they paraded around the Roosevelt Campus. For more information, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/saratogaspa.