Posts from — June 2011

M’s theme for her birthday party was cupcakes. Each time she would explain this to someone, she’d declare “The theme of my party is. . . Cupcakes!” with high drama and a sort of jazz-hand flourish. She was inspired by the plates and napkins at Target right now, which made life easy. And last year we’d done “Water Fun,” which we figured we’d do again, at least a bit. The cupcake theme gave us another obvious activity: decorating their own cupcakes. Plus this meant that I didn’t have to bake an overachieving cake!

I impulse-bought this Betty Crocker 11-piece Decorating Kit at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and I was absolutely glad that I did. I already had a couple of frosting-bag style dispensers for decorating, and a cute pink plunger-style frosting dispenser, but these little bottles with red caps worked better than all of them. I’m sorry, but no matter how many times you tell a kid to squeeze from the top of one of those bags, frosting always ends up all over their hands. And the pink plunger thing kept coming apart. The Betty Crocker pieces stayed together, and 3 of the 4 dispensers had little accordion folds that made squeezing easy. They weren’t perfect–the kids had a tough time using the last bit of frosting–but they were excellent compared to the other pieces that we had. And they went in the dishwasher! Well worth the ten bucks, honestly.

I also found some McCormick Neon food coloring, which made purples, pinks, and turquoise a little easier. Usually I avoid food coloring, but I just had to embrace it for the day. The mini-marshmallows were popular, too.

Decorating Supplies

I thought that the girls would try to make lovely little roses and designs, but they seemed to go for quantity more than anything. I picked this example because it had fewer sprinkles than the others:

More, apparently, is more.

Each girl made two cupcakes, and we’ve still got cupcakes at our house. But it was so fun that I’m tempted to do it on a rainy day with just my kids. Maybe after the first couple of frosting mountains we’ll start getting artistic.

Okay! I got it. I was having trouble. In fact, it’s still not the prettiest weekly listings post ever, and the fonts may or may not be wacko. But I’m just giving up and sending it out there.

Perhaps you were wondering if I’d tell you more about M’s birthday party? Perhaps you thought that I would have some sort of touching tribute to fathers everywhere? Maybe you’re thinking that you’re going to have to withhold payment because the service I’ve been providing lately has been so colossally crappy?

Well, I’m sorry. It was just sort of an insane weekend, and then when my technical stuff wasn’t working, I had a mini-stress implosion. And now it”s been a bad morning. J was having another awful, grumpy morning, and M forgot her snack.  I looked at some family photos in which I fully expected to look cute, but the documentary evidence once again shows that I weigh more than I think I do. Why, right now, I have no idea where my car keys are. I know that I used them to drive home yesterday, so they must be around here somewhere, but one can only wander around the house searching before the hyperventilating begins.

So I took a break and found that my computer issues had miraculously resolved themselves. I’m hoping that this signals the beginning of a turn-around for the day. Anyone have additions for the week? Also, if you were meaning to email me about an upcoming event, please do so now because I’ll be doing the next few listings posts ahead of time. And anyone feel like writing a post? You can be anonymous if you want! Anyone? Anyone. . . ? Tuesday at noon is the deadline that I’d set.

All Week:

• The Tri-City Valleycats are playing each night at 7 pm from Thursday the 23^rd to Tuesday the 28^th.

Monday, June 20^th:

• The Colonie Town Band is playing at 7 pm at Colonie Library.

Tuesday, June 21^st:

• Bowtie Cinemas in Schenectady is showing MegaMind , for free today and tomorrow. Doors open at 9:30 am, movies are at 10 am.
• Go on a Scavenger Hunt at 10:30 am at Moreau Lake .
• At 11 am, preschoolers to 6-year-olds can enjoy Trail Tales at the New York State Museum.
• Kids ages 3 to 8 can Hop into Summer at 6:30 pm at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library.
• Skeeter Creek is playing at 6:30 pm at Cook Park.

Wednesday, June 22^nd:

• Mr. Beau the Clown is performing at 9 am at Duanesburg Elementary School in a Schenectady Library event that’s free, drop-in, and all-age appropriate.
• Bowtie Cinemas in Schenectady is showing MegaMind, for free today. Doors open at 9:30 am, movies are at 10 am.
• Just show up for a Garden Workshop at 10:30 am at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• Take a Moreau Bike Ride from 11 am to 12:30 pm.
• Kids ages 3 and up can get The Dirt on Dirt at the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology at 3:30 pm. Pre-registration is required, $2/non-member.
• At 3:30 pm it’s Cooking Around the World at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Pre-register; for ages 5 and up, and it’s $10/person.
• Rockin’ on the River kicks off in Troy with Aquanett playing 80s music from 5-8 pm.
• The Children’s Guide is holding a School’s Out Party tonight at 6 pm at Afrim’s in Latham. There will be a petting zoo, a giant Wii, and lots of food. $3/child.
• At 7 pm, it’s the first concert of the season at Freedom Park in Scotia–it’s “power pop.”

Thursday, June 23^rd:

• Go on a Potter Point Hike at 10 am at Moreau Lake.
• It’s free Jazz on Jay in Schenectady at noon.
• From 2-3:30 pm, it’s Silent Library for kids grades 6 and up at the Bethlehem Public Library.
• Barney’s performing live at the Palace Theatre in Albany at 3 & 6:30 pm.
• Martha Reeves and the Vandellas are playing Alive at 5 in Albany.
• Ballston’s Wiswall Park Concert series starts tonight at 6 pm with Ra Ra Riot and Sirsy.
• At 7 pm there’s a swing music concert at Freedom Park in Scotia.
• The Guilderland Town Band is performing a Young People’s Concert at 7:30 pm in Tawasentha Park.

Friday, June 24^th:

• Preschoolers can have Colorful Fun at 10:30 am at the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology. Pre-register; it’s $2/non-member.
• It’s Troy Night Out from 5-9 pm.
• From 5:30-6:30 pm, there’s a Children’s Yoga Class at Soluna Yoga in Niskayuna.
• Go on a Star Watch at Grafton Lakes State Park at 9 pm.
• The Old Songs Festival kicks off at the Altamont Fairground.

We’re gearing up for M’s birthday tomorrow. We used to always store wrapped presents on top of this huge cabinet that housed our tv, but since we upgraded the tv, the cabinet’s gone. Today I realized that I could store presents on top of our built-in china cabinet. I wrapped and piled them there, where they just barely fit. Cute W’s presents had to go someplace else, but it was okay that they were lower since I trust him not to peek into gift bags. I said this out loud, and M said, “What?!? You always put my presents up high because you don’t trust me?!? That’s very offensive.” She was so serious that I stopped to look at her, and she relented, “But also probably a good choice.” Indeed. Anyway, gifts are wrapped and cupcakes are baked. Now we’ve just got to hope that the weather’s decent tomorrow.

I already shared a bunch of free concerts, but I know that you need even more summer fun. When I was looking at last year’s posts about free and cheap stuff for the summer, I re-read what I called my parental advisory against trying on swimsuits with your children present. Pretty amusing if I do say so myself!

Here are some free and cheap summer programs for families:

• Bowtie Cinemas in Schenectady is once again doing free movies for kids. It’s on Tuesday and Wednesdays (same movie both days), starting June 21st with MegaMind, which is actually a pretty fun one. Doors open at 9:30 am, movies are at 10 am.
• Regal Cinemas in Crossgates is also doing movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (different movie each day) at 10 am starting on June 28th, but this year they’re doing it for $1/person. I thought that Clifton Park was Regal, too, but I couldn’t find information about it. . . are they renovating or something?
• They’re doing Kids Bowl Free again this summer at several area bowling alleys.5
• 15 Love is once again offering free tennis lessons for kids (ages 4 and up) and adults at a variety of area parks. They’ll even loan you a racket. We’ve taken lessons with 15 Love and had some serious fun.
• Colonie Library, near the Crossings Playground, always has a ridiculously huge number of summer programs.
• A concert series that I missed before is the Tuesday night series at Cook Park in Colonie.

Hey! Hope that you enjoyed this beautiful day. I didn’t. The girls arrived home from school snarling and unpleasant. Apparently there’d been an argument, but neither girl would divulge specifics beyond general commentary (ie., “I hate her”, “She’s a brat”).  So that was awesome.

Part of our problem is that J’s been waking up too early these days. She used to sleep in until 6:30 or 6:45 am, but this morning it was apparently (and I say apparently because I was still fast asleep) 5-something when she left her room. And then she fell apart before it was even time to leave for school.  She made it to school eventually, then imploded for her after school piano lesson, so I had to abort and bring her home for a nap instead.

But it’s not all J. We’re going through a bad phase, sibling-wise. I really need to re-implement our weekly one-on-one “date nights” where Cute W and I split up and take each girl out separately. When we first started, I’d take M out while J and Cute W did a Joyful Jumpers class.  It absolutely seems to help the overall harmony in our family, but unless it’s explicitly in our schedule, we grown-ups tend to forget about it and push it aside. Then a month will have passed and one of the girls will remind us in a sort of pathetic and wistful tone. So we’re going to have to put it on our schedule after Lake Placid. We could absolutely use a little more harmony around here.

There’s tons going on again this weekend. Here’s what I’ve found:

All Weekend:

• There are Tri-City Valleycats home games every night this weekend.  Tickets are $5-$10 and can be purchased online.
• It’s St. Anthony’s Festa in Schenectady, with Italian food, activities, and music.
• The Hamilton Hill Arts Center is celebrating Juneteenth, the end of slavery, with music, activities,  re-enactments and more, in Schenectady.

Evening of Friday, June 17th:

• It’s Art Night Schenectady from 5-9 pm.
• The Tri-City Valleycats have their season opener tonight at 7 pm. Tickets are $5-$10 and can be purchased online. There are games on Saturday and Sunday, too.
• Enjoy an Almost Summer Solstice Sunset Hike from 7:30-9 pm at the Albany Pine Bush. Pre-register; $3/person, $5/family.
• Take a Full Moon Hike at Moreau Lake from 7:30-9 pm.

Strawberry Festival is in Schenectady on Saturday, and picking's available in plenty of local spots.

Saturday, June 18th:

• Help the folks at Thacher do some Roadside Cleanup at 9 am. Then go check out their Native Plant Sale.
• From 10 am to noon, take a Fishing Trip on Moreau Lake.
• Five Rivers has a Firefly Watch Training at 10 am. Learn about fireflies and how to count them.
• My Place to Play in Schenectady is having a Dora & Diego Day from 10 am to noon.  Crafts, games, and snacks. $6.50 per child, kids under 1 free.
• It’s the annual Strawberry Festival from 10 am to 3 pm at Upper Union Street in Schenectady. Music, pony rides, and plenty of strawberries.
• From 10 am to 6 pm it’s the River Street Festival in Troy.
• There’s A Greener Day Celebration from 10 am to 6 pm at Corning Preserve along the Albany Riverfront.
  
• Schauber Stables is having a Pony Day from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm for kids ages 2 to 12. Sign up ahead of time. It’s $5 to ride, $1 to do a craft, and $2 to make a horse treat.
• At 11 am, preschoolers can learn about A Log’s Life as part of Little Wonders of Science at the Schenectady Museum. Pre-register; it’s free with admission.
• There are 11 am & 1 pm Planetarium Shows at the Henry Hudson Planetarium at the Albany Visitors Center.
• It’s the Tawasentha Mud Mania Fun Run from noon to 4 pm in Guilderland. Expect to get very, very dirty. Free, but they’ll be collecting for food pantries.
• It’s Family Fun Day and Creative Art Day at the New York State Museum starting at 1 pm.
• There’s a free Family Papermaking Activity from 1-3 pm at Chapman Historical Museum in Glens Falls. It’s free.
• Kids ages 7 and up can learn about Science 101: Kites at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology at 1 pm. $2/non-member.
• From 1-7 pm, Celebrate World Refugee Day with a picnic from 1-4 pm followed by a soccer tournament at Lincoln Park in Albany.

Father’s Day, Sunday, June 19th:

• Take a Geology Tour of Thacher at 10 am and learn what stories the rocks tell us.
• Go on a Beaver Adventure at Moreau Lake at 10:30 am. This family friendly activity will include a short hike and a video.
• It’s Sundae on the Farm from noon to 4 pm at Clear Echo Farm in Schuylerville. Ice cream sundaes and other food, farm tours, and games.
• From 1-5 pm, it’s the annual Father’s Day car show Cruisin’ on the Avenue in Scotia. Between the cars, Jumpin’ Jacks, and the playground, you’ve got yourself an afternoon.
• Albany’s holding a free Father’s Day Pops Concert from 7-9 pm at Albany Riverfront Park.

M went to her friend’s house after school today, so J invited a playmate so that she wouldn’t be lonesome. I went to school to walk J and her friend home, and we passed our neighbor’s house, where they had a fabulous lemonade stand set up.

The ridiculously cute accessories were part of a whole display of items sold separately at Target. Her son had coveted them since he’d seen them at a birthday party, but lucky for him, his birthday was only a bit later. His big brother is in J and her friend’s class, so both girls agreed that we’d have to get money and come back.

Of course, once we bought our lemonade, the girls had to linger and check out the trampoline and swing set, too. No wonder my girls are always taking a walk up the street. Our neighbors are on a good corner, and business was surprisingly brisk. Soon another of their friends from school was pulling over to say hi. They’d been on their way to the grocery store, but it was just too beautiful for that sort of mundane activity. Then, to the  thrill of J and all of her classmates, their actual teacher from school stopped by for lemonade, too. Now, that’s some serious excitement. The postal carrier, a guy on a motor cycle, and several middle-school students enjoyed the bargain prices (50 cents bought you a cup of lemonade and a wedge of watermelon), and it became an impromptu neighborhood party. Which was delightful, except that I thought that I might get something useful done this afternoon. And I don’t think that other mom ever made it to the grocery. That’s okay: priorities, right?

I’ve often suggested to the girls that they should try a lemonade stand, because we live on a busy street with a sidewalk. Thus far they’ve been indifferent. Apparently there’s not a great deal of entrepreneurial spirit at our house. But after this afternoon, maybe I can try again. Maybe they can do lemonade while I do a “suggested donation” margarita stand? Now that would be a party.

We are super-excited that we’ll be spending a week at a lake near Lake Placid again this summer. We’re leaving shortly after school ends for the girls, and this time my sister and her family are joining us. Hooray!

View from the dock

We’ll be getting away from it all. And when I say “all,” I mean, in part, the blog. We have no tv or internet on this vacation. Actually, I like it that way. Last year my friend and I were a bit concerned that our children would be difficult to entertain, but they switched right into vacation mode, playing games, mucking about in the shallow water, and reading books on the hammock. It was excellent for everyone.

I’ll try to do some auto-posting, but this is also an opportunity for you, gentle reader, to contribute. If you have a favorite Capital District destination, or just something fun to do, you can email me about submitting a special Guest Post. A couple of readers have been kind enough to do one in the past (thanks Carolyn and Amy), and I’d welcome contributions if you can get them to me by Tuesday, June 21st, at noon. Email me at capitaldistrictfun [at] yahoo [dot] com.

And in case you’re new to the blog and missed them, here, here, and here are some posts from last year’s trip to Lake Placid.

Yikes. Our afternoon of intense drama included two emotional meltdowns (1 per daughter), a frenzy of last-minute project-making, an urgent trip to run an errand in which I forgot to bring my wallet, rain on my clothesline, a chipmunk loose in the living room, a last art class, a missed last art class (due to last-minute project trauma), a piano recital, and late bedtimes all around!

Phew. M’s loved doing her Greek project. Wednesday there’s a special Europe fair where she’ll be handing out samples of pita, feta, hummus, and olives, and after she enjoyed the Greek fair so much, she’s got some music, too. But she’d thought that the project was due on Wednesday, not Tuesday, which led to some panicking this afternoon. Plus she had to work on the part that she’d been dreading, the map. Drawing a map is difficult when there are approximately 1400 islands and you demand artistic perfection.

Tracing at the window

J was similarly hard on herself for her piano recital. I swear, it seemed like every other kid got up from their pieces either indifferent or glowing with joy and relief. J’s face was a little I-can-do-better storm cloud.

We made magic cookie bars for the recital reception. While J was treating herself to more punch, the punchbowl-serving lady said, “You sounded wonderful! Do you practice a lot?” And J answered too truthfully, “Not really.” Some other kid with a full plate of cookies called her friend over, saying, “Come stand with me here. I have to stay away from my mom so she won’t see how much I took.”

It’s nice to have activities winding down, but there’s tons more to do, too. M’s birthday party is on Saturday. The following Saturday we’re heading to Lake Placid for a week. I am slightly ready for Saturday’s party, and not even remotely ready for vacation. But I’ll think about that tomorrow. Or maybe Wednesday.

Okay, I’m watching the Tony awards and I just love Neil Patrick Harris. Also that Nikki James–I do so appreciate it when winners are unbelievably surprised and grateful. I got weepy just sitting here typing because she was so excited. Does anyone else cry like crazy now that they’re older? I swear, when Cute W and I got together, I became ridiculous. TV commercials made me sob with joy. Not even really good tv commercials. I recovered a little bit over the years, except for the occasional work-induced, unbelievably annoying angry-girl-tears. Then the girls were born, and once again I became a ridiculous weeper–sad stuff, happy stuff, stuff-that-I-don’t-care-about-personally-but-that-someone-else-cares-about-and-I-am-brimming-with-empathy. It’s pathetic. Oh my gosh, as if to hex me as I type, now there’s the It Gets Better commercial and I’m falling apart again. Holy crap, I’m a freakin’ marshmallow.

Also, I would very much like to see The Book of Mormon, and I started to chuckle at the giant horse puppet until Cute W told me there’s a Ted Talk about it, which means that if/when I get around to watching it, I’ll no doubt be filled with awe and respect. Also, I would like the swishy shorts that the Anything Goes chorus girls wear. But not exactly those. Like them, except cuter. Never mind. I just need to stop liveblogging the Tony awards.

Anyway, here’s the week. Looking ahead, Five Rivers has two programs on Saturday that you’re supposed to register for by Wednesday in order to attend. There”s Firefly Watch Training at 10 am and  Hiking Safety at 1 pm.

Monday, June 13th:

• Take a 9 am Mud Pond Hike at Lake Moreau.
• There’s a Flag Day Parade stepping off at 6 pm from Mohonasen High School in Rotterdam–there’s not a good link for this one, but it was in the Daily Gazette.
• The Colonie Town Band is performing at 7 pm in Latham.

Tuesday, June 14th:

• At Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, there’s Music and Movement. It’s for kids 2-3 at 9:15 am or for kids 4-5 at 10:30 am.
• It’s Pajamarama at 6:30 pm at Bethlehem Public Library.

Wednesday, June 15th:

• At 10 am it’s Cooks and Books for kids 2-5 at Bethlehem Public Library. They’ll read about Clifford and make dog biscuits. Sign up is required.
• It’s a Planting Day in the garden at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga from 10:30-11:30 am.
• From 3:30-4:30 pm, kids 5 and up can do Eric Carle Animal Collages at Albany Art Room. Pre-register, it’s $8.
• There’s a program for kids ages 3-8 and their families called Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library.
• At 7 pm, they’re playing Bluegrass at Mabee Farm in Schenectady as part of their “Howlin’ at the Moon” concert series. $2 donation per person requested.
• The Town of Niskayuna has a free concert at the gazebo  at 7 pm.
• Learn about Insects at Night at Thacher Nature Center with help from the New York State Museum.

Thursday, June 16th:

• Hike at 9:45 am at Christman Sanctuary in Duanesburg.
• My Place to Play in Schenectady is having a Dora & Diego Day from 10 am to noon.  Crafts, games, and snacks. $6.50 per child, kids under 1 free.  This is happening on Saturday, too.
• At 11 am, preschoolers can learn about A Log’s Life as part of Little Wonders of Science at the Schenectady Museum. Pre-register; it’s free with admission.
• It’s Jazz on Jay in Schenectady from noon to 1:30 pm.
• It’s Alive at Five at 5 pm at Albany Riverfront Park.

Friday, June 17th:

• Take a Moreau Lake Kayak Trip from 1-3 pm. A limited number of kayaks are available for rent for $15.
• It’s Art Night Schenectady from 5-9 pm.
• The Tri-City Valleycats have their season opener tonight at 7 pm. Tickets are $5-$10 and can be purchased online. There are games on Saturday and Sunday, too.
• Enjoy an Almost Summer Solstice Sunset Hike from 7:30-9 pm at the Albany Pine Bush. Pre-register; $3/person, $5/family.
• Take a Full Moon Hike at Moreau Lake from 7:30-9 pm.

My last post was before M’s big singing performance, and it went very well, thank you. Her singing was lovely and she was happy with it. It appears that this evil bug has passed by the adults of our household.

Meanwhile, I dropped some balls in the course of nursing sick children and fretting about performances. I completely blew off my first CSA pick up on Wednesday. I’d been so looking forward to it, and then M was so miserable that I forgot entirely until Friday morning, when I bolted out of bed and realized that I’d missed it. Boy, was I mad! And then I didn’t even say anything, because my first CSA experience was with a rather authoritarian farm where it was drilled into us that if we missed the pick up, that was it. We just have to mourn the loss (that CSA was nobody local–it was when we were in Brooklyn). But the Lansings were they were kind enough to contact me and let me pick up my share today. I also had a big bunch of rhubarb that Mary had given me earlier in the week. So today there was a bit of a kitchen frenzy as I washed piles of greens (including my favorite, arugula! yum-yum-yum!), brewed up some lemon balm tea (which I thought was fine, but M loved, so at least we’ll have something to do with the rest of the bunch), and brewed some rhubarb iced tea (we all thought that it was pretty boring).

The favorite for Cute W, J, and me was Rhubarb-Oatmeal Bars. These were very tasty, although I have to admit that now I’m suffering from a sugar rush. I altered the recipe a little bit. I did one cup of sugar (half a cup less) for the filling and it was still really sweet. For the crumbly part, I used 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread instead of 1 cup of shortening. I’ll probably cut the sugar even more, and maybe replace more flour with oatmeal, the next time, because these bars were almost too sweet. In fact, they were too sweet for M. Who told me so. Repeatedly. I had to remind her again that after giving her preliminary assessment of a new recipe, I only want to hear more if the reviews are complimentary.

Beyond that, it was a lazy day for us today. Good because we needed to recover. But I’m sorry for all the folks who had planned things for outside-what misery, right? Kind of makes me want to brew more tea. . . .

Phew! M took a sudden turn for the perky somewhere between dinner and bedtime last night. She woke up feeling fabulous, so thanks for all the healthy karma!

Plenty of places have opened their strawberry fields for picking. Here’s my post on Berry Picking from last year if you’re interested. And here’s what else is going on this weekend:

All Weekend:

• On both Saturday & Sunday from 1-3 pm, there’s a workshop on Art in 3-D at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. It’s free with admission or for folks participating in Saratoga Arts Fest.
• Saratoga Children’s Theatre is presenting Guys and Dolls Jr. as part of Saratoga Arts Fest.
• On Friday and Saturday it’s Polish Fest in Latham. Polka, activities, food.

Friday, June 10th:

• At 4:30 pm, there’s a Tale of Peter Rabbit Puppet Show at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. It’s free with admission or for folks participating in Saratoga Arts Fest.
• There’s a free Yoga for Kids class in Central Park next to the Rose Garden from 5:30-6:30 pm. Best for kids ages 5-10.

Saturday, June 11th:

• Rhythm on the Ridge kicks off at 10 am and continues all day at Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam. There’s even camping available and a pancake breakfast on Sunday. It’s $15/adult, kids 12 and under free, and bring along donations for the regional food bank.
• From 10 am to 4 pm there’s a Sheep and Wool Gathering at Thacher Park.
• There’s Art on Lark from 10 am to 5 pm.
• There’s a free Family Health Fair from 10 am to 4 pm in Schenectady.
• Take a Kayak Trip at Moreau Lake from 10 am to 1 pm. Call to pre-register, and there are a limited number of kayaks to rent.
• Go on a Whimsical Wildflower Walk at the Albany Pine Bush from 10:30 am to noon. Pre-register; it’s $3/person, $5/family.
• At 11 am, the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is hosting a Circus Arts Performance and Workshop and a Create Your Own Pizza event as part of Saratoga Arts Fest.
• At 12:30 pm, the Saratoga City Ballet is presenting Little Red Riding Hood at Skidmore as part of Saratoga Arts Fest.
• From 1-3 pm, it’s Trash to Treasure at the New York State Museum.
• The Albany All Stars have a roller derby bout at 7 pm.

Sunday, June 12th:

• Indian Ladder Farms is having a Local Food Festival from 10 am to 4 pm.
• Learn to Cast from 11 am to noon at Moreau Lake.
• At noon, it’s the Capital Pride Parade followed by family-friendly activities in Washington Park.
• Kids 5 and up can make small hot air balloons as part of Up in the Air at 1 pm at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology. Pre-register; it’s $2/non-member.
• Discover the Albany Pine Bush at 1 pm. Pre-register; it’s $3/person, $5/family.
• At 2 pm, Breathing Room in Delmar is hosting a Family Kirtan Concert of music and meditation. Suggested donation $15/adult, $7.50/child, 3 and under free.