LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Arts Project’s annual three-day jazz festival will take place at Shepard Park Sept. 17-19.   The organization’s previous Executive Director John Strong (1984–2020), and Paul Pines, Jazz Weekend Artistic Director (1983–2018), first planned the inaugural Lake George Jazz Weekend over 35 years ago. 

For more information on this year’s slate of artists and stage times, go to: www.lakegeorgearts.org/lake-george-jazz-weekend. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS— Join the Saratoga Springs History Museum Thursday, September 9, at 7 p.m. in the Canfield Casino in Congress Park for a lecture titled The Gangsters of Saratoga as part of the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust Program Series.   Retired Chief of Police Greg Veitch will tell some of the most fascinating stories of Saratoga’s nefarious past from his two books, All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them and A Gangster’s Paradise.  From murder and bootlegging to gambling and fixed horse races, these stories are sure to entertain anyone interested in the notorious side of the history of the Spa City.

This event is free and open to the public.  For more information visit www.saratogahistory.org.

MALTA — The Saratoga County Agricultural Promotion Committee presents Ag Drive-In Movie Night hosted at the Malta Drive-In. 

On Sunday Sept. 12,  the public is invited to enjoy one of two movies – “Charlotte’s Web” for families, and the documentary “Farmland” for the more mature crowd. 

Gates open at 6 p.m. and the films will be shown simultaneously at approximately 7:20 p.m. 

Entrance to the drive-in is $15 per carload and can be purchased in advance by calling 518-885-8995 or at the venue on the day of the event. All proceeds will go to the Agricultural Promotion Committee Scholarship Fund. 

For tickets, call the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County at 518-885-8995 or email Nicolina Foti for more information nvf5@cornell.edu.

ALBANY — Capital Repertory Theatre held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 24 to celebrate the grand opening of their new theatre at 251 North Pearl St.  The event featured a performance by Ethel Waters. 

Celebrating its 40th year overall, theREP, a professional resident theatre, announced its purchase of a former commercial bakery in 2017 and its intention to relocate from a formerly rented facility at 111 N. Pearl St. A $14 million renovation project followed. 

The project included a 309-seat MainStage, a 70-seat black box theatre, an open lobby with concessions, and expanded support space including dressing rooms, prop and costume shops, administrative offices and a VIP lounge.   

 “Our new building is the culmination of many years of hard work and determination to create a new home for our productions and educational programs, Chair of the theREP board Chair Harold Iselin said of the ribbon cutting. “Our diverse programming will enliven downtown Albany and benefit the Capital Region as a whole.” 

For information about future shows, go to: www.capitalrep.org. 

BOLTON LANDING — In the spirit of Beethoven’s profound love of nature, The Sembrich is presenting an elegant lakeside gala at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. 

Attendees will enjoy a lovely al fresco lakeside soirée in true Viennese style, while supporting future performance and educational programming at The Sembrich. 

The evening will feature a performance of Beethoven’s delightful outdoor opus, Serenade in D major, Op. 25 for flute, violin and viola presented by a trio of musicians from the Lake George Music Festival. Chamber music will be played throughout the evening, including works by Mozart, Michael Haydn, Max Reger, and Henri Marteau. The evening also includes champagne, wines, hors d’oeuvres and sweets at private tables, and a Vienna Vineyard wine pull.

Featured musicians are Violinist Barbora Kolarova, Violist Yumi Oshima, and Flutist Michael Avitabile.

Tickets for the Beethoven Gala are $150 and can be purchased online at www.TheSembrich.org/tickets or by calling 518-644-2431. This event will take place outdoors under The Sembrich’s performance tent. 

The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. For more information, visit www.TheSembrich.org or email: Office@TheSembrich.org. 

QUEENSBURY — The Adirondack Balloon Festival will return in September for its 48th year, with a brand-new format, expanding to include a new event at East Field in Glens Falls, multiple launch sites throughout Warren and Washington counties, a drive-through moonglow, and more.

“This will not be the same-old, same-old Adirondack Balloon Festival you know from years past,” says Mark Donahue, President of the organization’s Board of Directors, in a statement. “Due to COVID, we had to totally reinvent the festival this year. We are excited to bring back the joy and wonder of the mass ascensions, while keeping safe and still having fun.”

The 48th annual Adirondack Balloon Festival takes place Thursday to Sunday, Sept. 23 to 26, in multiple locations. The event is 100% free for the community. Festival Merchandise, one of the event’s biggest fundraisers, will be for sale at select events, with a smaller selection than in previous years. 

Thursday evening, September 23: Downtown Glens Falls block party with live music, candlestick balloon torch firings, sidewalk sales, and more.

Friday evening, September 24: Inflation of more than 50 balloons in five different communities, including Glens Falls, Queensbury, South Glens Falls, Hudson Falls and one more to be finalized. The Balloon Festival comes to you! This is safer because the crowds will be spread out.

Saturday morning, September 25 : Mass ascension at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury, New York, of 50 balloons including special shapes. (Note, pre-COVID launches were 100 balloons.) The balloons will be roped off, spread out along both runways, and you can drive right in, saving spectators the long walks of previous years. This year, the Balloon Festival cannot allow vendors, children’s activities, or the Open Door breakfast. Pilots can’t take paid passengers this year.

Saturday evening, September 25: There will be two moonglows. At the airport, you can attend a drive-through moonglow to observe 40 tethered balloons on display, lit up from within. There will also be a brand-new event at East Field with a live band, 8-10 balloons, and possibly a fireworks display! The details of the band and fireworks are still in the works.

Sunday, September 26: Mass ascension at the airport of 50 balloons including special shapes, with the same setup as Saturday.

The Adirondack Balloon Festival’s launches are subject to weather conditions. The balloons cannot fly for safety reasons if it is too windy or if there is inclement weather. For more information, visit www.adirondackballoonfest.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Arts will bring back Art in the Park on Sept. 25. The event will take place in Congress Park. 

Volunteers are needed to help facilitate the fun, art-filled event, and organizers say many positions and timeslots are available, to fit any schedule. Reach out to Katharine Hayes (khayes@saratoga-arts.org) for more details and to sign up. 

On Sept. 2, Saratoga Arts will host in-person grant information sessions at 320 Broadway. Schedule: 3 p.m. – Arts Education. 4 p.m. – Community Arts. 

5 p.m. – Individual Artists. 

For more information, go to www.Saratoga-arts.org. 

ALBANY — For the sixth year, the performing arts centers at The Egg and the University at Albany will present Dance in Albany, a joint dance series featuring nine performances for the 2021-22 season.  The lineup mixes several companies from the 2019-20 season who were postponed by the pandemic as well as many others new to the series schedule. 

Six of the performances will take place at The Egg at the Empire State Plaza with the remaining three at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown University at Albany campus. The series features styles that range from flamenco to hip-hop to Indian dance along with plenty of modern and ballet with more than half of the performances featuring live music. Many on the schedule are companies who are commemorating or have just recently celebrated major anniversaries.

Dance enthusiasts have the opportunity to purchase a package with a ticket to each performance for $130, a savings of over 40% off the individual prices.  Subscriptions that include six and four performances are also available at a savings of 25% and 10%, respectively. Subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased through The Egg Box Office in person at the Empire State Plaza location, by telephone at 518-473-1845 or online at www.theegg.org. 

Details of the performances are as follows: Flamenco Vivo at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center – Oct 2, $10-$20; Rennie Harris Puremovement at The Egg- Oct.22, $28; Pilobolus at The Egg – Nov. 12, $36; David Dorfman Dance at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center – Jan. 28, 2022, $10-$20; New York Theatre Ballet with Bridgman | Packer Dance at The Egg – Feb. 25, $25; Mark Morris Dance Group at The Egg – March 11, $36; Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Let the Crows Come at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center – March 27, $10-$20; Garth Fagan Dance at The Egg – April 22, $28; Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company at The Egg – May 14, $25.

LAKE GEORGE — The Adirondack Independent Music Festival returning for its 6th year from Friday, Sept.  3 thru Sunday, Sept. 5. The festival was off year off due to the pandemic

This year’s event will feature headliners moe., who will perform 2 sets each night on Saturday and Sunday, and Twiddle (2 sets on Friday), as well as a special tribute to Prince and David Bowie featuring members of Pink Talking Fish, Snarky Puppy, Kung Fu and more.  Also performing this year will be Roots of Creation, Kung Fu, Lucid, Bella’s Bartok, Eggy, Neighbor, Dogs in a Pile, Annie in the Water, Baked Shrimp and Hartley’s Encore.

The festival takes places at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George. 

In addition to the music, the festival will feature a variety of food and craft vendors, as well as a great view of the Lake George fireworks on Saturday evening.

Music at the festival commons is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Friday and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and will go until 11 p.m. each night. All ages are welcome to attend and children 12 and under are free.

General Admission weekend and single day festival tickets are on sale at www.adkmusicfest.com.  There is also a special VIP option available, which includes admission to all three days of the festival, a meal each night, free snacks, half-priced adult beverages, $2 water/soft drinks, a private viewing area (with private bar) and access to private bathrooms.  Gates at the Festival Commons will open at 1 p.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 

For tickets and more information, visit the festival website at www.adkmusicfest.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Several years in the making about decades gone by in Saratoga, longtime Saratoga Springs bartender, artist and cartoonist Hud Armstrong has published a new book featuring hundreds of his cartoons that appeared from 1991 to 2006 in Poor Richard’s Journal.

Hud’s cartoons compilation follows Booker D. and the N.G.s (New Guys) as they navigate life in a rapidly changing upstate New York town known for its “health, history and horses.” Many of the characters are based on friends and coworkers he has known for decades, and offer their observations on everything from current events to sports, upstate weather, Saratoga’s rich history and its love-hate relationship with the crowds who flock here every racing season.

The book, “Booker D. and the N.G.s: A Chronicle of Saratoga,” was published by Northshire Bookstore’s Shire Press. Copies of the book are on sale at Northshire’s store at 424 Broadway or can be ordered via the store’s website: www.northshire.com/book/9781605715728