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⚽ Best weekend picks + Albany's stadium project moving ahead

⚽ Best weekend picks + Albany's stadium project moving ahead

Plus, music listings for the entire Capital Region & Feel Good Friday

Phat Chiem
June 28, 2024

Happy Friday, Capital District! Today, we’re taking a look at the latest on the $300M soccer stadium project proposed for downtown Albany. Plus, see your best weekend events—including a chance to meet us, your 518 publishers 🤝

Let’s 🛼 !

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Today in The 518

World-class firm selected for Albany’s soccer stadium project
220-pound monster fish caught on the Hudson River
Your very best events this weekend, Feel Good Friday & music listings!

📣 TALK OF THE TOWN

Populous designed the GEODIS MLS stadium in Nashville 📷️ Populous

World-class firm chosen for Albany’s $300M soccer stadium project

The firm that designed the Las Vegas Sphere and the forthcoming Buffalo Bills Stadium has been selected to lead the planning and design for the proposed $300 million mixed-used development project in downtown Albany. It will be anchored by a $75 million, state-of-the-art soccer stadium.

Global architectural firm Populous has designed some of the most well-known stadiums in the world, including the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.

"They really understood what we're trying to do, which was build a new neighborhood on a vacant lot that happens to have a soccer stadium," real estate developer Jeff Buell told the Albany Business Review.

Buell is one of the partners in the venture, which also includes Ed and Lisa Mitzen, founders of Business for Good; Chris Spraragen of Schenectady Hardware and Electric; and Steve Freeman, a professional soccer coach.

The group is working on an ambitious timeline: They would like to see the stadium built and ready for spectators by June 2026.

First, there are some thorny issues to settle, including how to incorporate the city's oldest building, the Van Ostrande-Radliff House at 48 Hudson Avenue.

One of the biggest questions is just how much the stadium will actually improve Albany’s economy. One leading sports economist has already expressed doubts that the project will create net new jobs. The history of mega stadium projects has been a very mixed bag, indeed.

Take our poll 👇️ and we’ll share the results next week!

Do you support the proposed soccer stadium project for Albany?

☔️ WEATHER WATCH

“I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days.” — Henry David Thoreau

Enjoy the warm weekend, but keep your 🌂 handy.

☀️ Friday 78°/62° 💧 0%

🌦️ Saturday 76°/71° 💧 88%

🌧️ Sunday 86°/62° 💧 84%

Calling all you parents 👶🏽 🍼

	Sponsored The Starglow Parenting WeeklyFrom the #1 Kids & Family podcast network comes The Starglow Parenting Weekly, a TLDR on all things purposeful parenting, lessening screentime, and helping you find that balance we're all seeking.

🗞️ CAPITAL DISTRICT DIGEST

Not the Hudson River Monster but still pretty darn monstrous 📷️ NYS DEC

UAlbany freshman in hit-and-run heading home

According to the GoFundMe for Alexa Kropf, the 18-year-old hit by an illegally driven dirt bike, is out of the hospital. “It feels like bringing home a newborn baby—new worries, new concerns, uncertainty about the future,” wrote Christine Loper, who organized the fundraiser (which exceeded its $105K goal). Alexa has one last brain surgery set for July.

Schenectady Central Park pool may be too popular

The city’s new $10 million pool facility is attracting crowds exceeding its 400-person capacity, leading to wait times. City officials are even considering charging a fee for non-residents. Take the plunge 🏊️ before you need to pay!

6-foot, 220-pound fish caught in the Hudson River

It’s the catch of the decade. A ginormous Atlantic sturgeon weighing 220 pounds was caught under an endangered species research permit. Luckily, it wasn’t the Hudson River Monster known as Kipsy. This monster of a fish was tagged and released back into the water.

Fish for free throughout NYS this weekend

Speaking of fishing, New York State is holding a free fishing day on Saturday and Sunday. That means you can fish anywhere without a license (normally $25 a year). Here are some good spots to drop your bait around the Capital Region. Btw, if you don’t have fishing gear, check with your local library. Some of them will loan out fishing poles and tackle!

Center Square Stoop Stroll on Saturday 📷️ Center Square Association

🎟️ WEEKEND EVENTS ROUNDUP

⭐️ = The 518 Staff Picks

FRIDAY

NYC Comedy Invades Albany | 8p show, doors open 7p, Fri. Back by popular demand, this show features touring pros from HBO, Comedy Central and SiriusXM. Get 2-for-1 tix for $15.18.

⭐️ Old Songs Festival: Music with Roots | A family-friendly festival of folk, traditional, Celtic and world music and dance. Plus, a fun children’s activity area. Fri-Sun at the Altamont Fairgrounds. Tickets start at $30; children 12 and under are free.

⭐️ Goat Yoga at June Farms | 4-5p, Friday, $10. Downward dog with real goats on the beautiful grounds at June Farms. Other fun activities included as well.

Movies Under the Stars: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | Preshow at 7:30p, movie at 8:30p, Fri, free. Lincoln Park, 228 Eagle St, Albany. Bring a lawn chair!

⭐️ I’M BAD Art Opening | 6-9p, Fri. Artist Judith Braun is BAD and she’s taking us along for the ride. This pop-up exhibition features her newest works—large-scale portraits created from carbon toner photocopies.

Kiddie Pool is a residential project space in downtown Albany for art and literature. It’s a speakeasy so you must RSVP to discover the secret location 🤫 Btw, Phat and Karley, publishers of this very newsletter, will be hosting—come say hello!

⭐️ The Marvelous Wonderettes | 7:30p weekly through July 14. This charming show brings you the heavenly harmonies and fabulous fashions of the 1950s and 60s. Lawn seating is free and first-come, first-served! Reserved seating starts at $25.

⭐️ Freedom Park Summer Concert Series | 7p, Fri, free. Soul Provider headlines tonight’s show in Scotia. Water ski show at 7, concert at 8, fireworks at dusk. Freedom Park, 5 Schonowee Ave, Scotia.

SATURDAY

⭐️ Center Square Stoop Stroll | 11a-4p, Sat. See 60 homes showcasing their decorated stoops, as well as walking tours of the Gilded Age mansions seen in the hit HBO show. 11a-4p, Sat. Tickets: $15 for walking tours and $10 donation for stoop stroll.

Adirondack Food and Wine Festival | Sat-Sun. Dig in as 120 of New York's best wineries, craft beverage makers, artisan food producers, and food trucks convene for one of the biggest food & wine fests all year. Tickets start at $50 (just $20 for designated drivers).

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival | Sat-Sun. The world’s top jazz talent converge at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center this weekend: 2 days, 2 stages and 22 electrifying artists from jazz to funk, blues, indie and pop.

Saratoga Summer Daiquiri Fest | 2-8p, Sat. Part bar hop, part delicious summer cocktail celebration! Featuring 8 bars & restaurants, giveaways, and live music. Tix start at $31.63.

State Street Yoga | 10a, Sat, free. SUNY Plaza, Albany. Join an all-levels yoga class on the beautiful lawn at SUNY Plaza, led by instructors from Hot Yoga Spot. Every Saturday morning in June and July.

Guided Wild Edible & Medicinal Fungi Foraging Experience | 11a-1p, Sat, $28.52. Mettacahonts Creek in Accord. Nourish the body and mind with mindful reflection in the forest while foraging for nature's mysterious and magical mushrooms 🍄

SUNDAY

Cohoes Library Summer Reading Kickoff Party | 1-3p, Sun, free. Bring the kiddies to see a hot air balloon you can walk inside, plus a bounce castle, face painting, free ice cream and story time, of course!

⭐️ Summer Camp with Writers Read | 2-5p, Sunday, $30. The Linda. 16 writers from across the Capital Region share their very personal stories of summer camp. Mingle with the writers at the wine-and-cheese hour after the reading. 2-5p, Sunday, $30. More details and get tix here.

Battle of the BBQs | 4p, Sun, $30. The Shalom Food Pantry hosts a kosher barbecue grill-off at the Albany Jewish Community Center, 340 Whitehall Rd. Proceeds support the food pantry.

🫶 FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

Clara Phillips gets some good news after getting carjacked. 📷️ NewsChannel 13

Carjacking victim shocked to get $10,000 check

Clara Phillips, affectionately known as Miss Clara, has done nothing but good for her community. For almost a decade, she has worked at the South End Children’s Cafe, which serves low-income families who struggle with food insecurity. There’s even an award named in her honor: the Clara Phillips Generosity Award.

Last month, two men confronted her as she started up her car in Albany, and took off with it. This week, an anonymous couple who saw her story gave her a check for $10,000. “That’s what you call a blessing from God,” Clara said.

📷️ YOUR BEST SHOT

"Don’t forget: Beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies." –Paul Coelho

Redditor DatAperture, a photographer in the Capital Region, took this stunning shot from the road behind the Holiday Inn Express on Route 4. Be sure to follow on IG!