Grab a paddle and make some friends at All+ Table Tennis

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Happy Thursday, Capital Region! Today, we’re introducing you to the only dedicated table tennis club around these parts. Grab a paddle and make some friends! Plus, we’ve got a super packed weekend of outdoor festivals, from Sing in the Streets to Troy River Fest. Let’s hope the rain gods cooperate! 🙏 

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

All+ Table Tennis puts a new spin on building community 🏓 

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America, with demand outpacing available courts. The same can’t be said for table tennis (or ping pong as most folks call it), despite being an Olympic sport with 300 million players worldwide.

Mike Krajeski is trying to change that—at least in the Capital Region. In 2022, he launched All+ Table Tennis with $15,000 in personal savings. That was enough to buy 12 regulation-size tables and secure a sublease at the Elks Lodge in Albany, where players get together on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-10 pm.

“There was just nowhere to play regularly,” Mike tells us. “So we built the space we needed.” 

With a background in digital media and a day job shooting weddings and commercials, Mike is trying to turn this passion project into a real business. All+ is the only dedicated table tennis facility in the Capital Region, offering open play, coaching, leagues, and tournaments.

Walk-ins are highly encouraged; you don’t even need a partner. The club draws everyone from 8-year-olds to 87-year-olds.

“It’s not just about ping pong,” says Mike, a graduate of Hudson Valley Community College. “It’s a way to meet people, set personal goals, and find community.”

With 100+ players cycling through each week, All+ is growing—but Mike has bigger plans. He’s eyeing a sleek 8,000-square-foot space in Menands, aiming for a model like NYC’s PingPod, where you can scan in and play 24/7. He’s also looking to partner with schools and colleges.

“We want to create a pipeline—from kids to college to adulthood. Wherever you’re at in life, we want you playing.”

Mike wants to break the stereotype of table tennis as a nerdy activity. “This isn’t your basement setup—it’s lively, social, and seriously fun,” he says.

To really establish itself, All+ will need to attract the most serious competitors in the area, says Mike Xu, a regular and occasional coach at All+.

“A good club needs a few high-level players,” he says. “Once you get them, the rest follows. If we get more young players, that’s the future.”

The deets: All+ Table Tennis, 25 S. Allen St., Albany (inside the Elks Lodge). Open 5-10p, Mon, Tues & Thurs. $10 for open play ($5 for new players). Membership packages: $55 monthly or $80 for 12 visits. Exclusively for our subscribers: First-timers can play for free! Just mention The 518 when you visit.

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⛪️ Trinity United Methodist Church on Lark Street, the last remaining Methodist Episcopal church in Albany, is closing after nearly 200 years. Founded in 1835, the local landmark has suffered from low attendance (just 20-30 folks regularly attend Sunday service) and a lack of financial support. Neighbors expressed sadness and worries over another vacant building sitting on Lark Street. [Times Union]

💰️ Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget includes some welcome “inflation busters,” including refund checks of up to $400 per couple, free school meals, free community college for adult learners, and a larger child tax credit. Check here to see how much of an inflation refund you’ll be qualified to get. [WAMC]

🤖 RPI is getting a cool $10 million to support early-stage tech startups and entrepreneurs. Ajit Prabhu, an RPI alum and CEO of Quest Global, is ponying up the cash to create the fund, which aims to “inspire students to tackle the toughest engineering problems and deliver unparalleled value to humanity.” [Albany Business Review]

🚧 Beware of road restrictions in Albany today for the CDPHP Workforce Challenge, the Capital Region’s largest running event.

⭐️ Sing in the Streets celebrates 65 years of Caffè Lena with 15 acts across 7 stages in downtown Saratoga. Catch a wide variety of live music, including folk, jazz, blues, and kids' music, while strolling around one of the hottest restaurant rows in the Capital Region. Sun, 12–4p, free.

⭐️ The Waterford Canal Festival marks the start of the NYS canal season with live music, food, boat rides, tours, and more family-friendly activities. It should be a lovely day to stroll along the scenic waterfront, but maybe bring an umbrella. And there will be tugboats! Fri–Sun, free.

⭐️ Niska-Day in Schenectady gets going with a parade at 10a and kid-friendly festivities throughout the day. Come for the family fun and say for the fireworks at 9:15p. Sat, free.

⭐️ Troy River Fest is a celebration of art, music, food, and handmade crafts, featuring over 100 vendors along historic River Street in downtown Troy. Expect thousands of folks to gather for one of the city’s biggest street parties. Sun, 11a–5p, free.

⭐️ Indulge in all things Greek at St. Sophia’s Greek Festival, featuring traditional music and dancing, authentic homemade Greek foods and pastries, and church tours. Fri–Sun, $5, free for kids under 12.

🎟️ MORE NOTABLE EVENTS

🎨 Sunday is your last chance to see work from Albany’s freshest art talents at UAlbany Art Museum’s 2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition.

🥫Through Monday at Crossgates Mall, check out CANstruction, an annual competition to create colossal structures using canned food items.

🌷Loved the tulips at the Albany Tulip Festival? Get them for your garden at the annual Tulip Dig & Sale this weekend.

TONIGHT

🧹Join Collar City Clean-up on State and River in Troy to help crush the Capital District’s litter problem (it’ll take more than a day, of course, but every bit helps!)

🏡 Catch Landscape Theory with Paul Steinkamp (landscape architect & owner of Helderledge Farm) at the Voorheesville Public Library.

🇺🇲 Get to the VBC Jamboree for an evening packed with fun, food, music, and a chance to make a difference for veterans! Did we mention there's a cornhole competition?

FRIDAY

🍻 Druther’s 10th Anniversary celebrates the brewery’s first decade with an epic block party. Expect good beer, good food & good vibes!

🎃 Double M invites you to their 2nd annual Halfway to Halloween party with a scary movie and two haunted houses.

🎬️ Last week’s screening of “Wicked” got rained out. This week, the weather forecast looks better—although there’s still a 50% chance of rain 😬 Love Albany’s Movies Under the Stars hopes to show “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” at the Clinton Market Collective. Oh, and there’s a Bill Murray look-alike contest too!

🏀 Cheer on the Albany Patroons on Friday and Sunday night.

🎮️ The Arkell Museum and Canajoharie Library invites kids and teens to a Mario Kart Competition.

SATURDAY

🌱🐦‍⬛ This year, the Thacher Native Plant Sale focuses on native plants that support the life cycle of birds. See a list of available plants here.

🏳️‍🌈 A Big Gay Market is back at Quackenbush Square!

🛼 Get rowdy at the All-Star Roller Derby at Albany’s Washington Armory.

🎛️ Fras Fest is genre-defying music festival showcasing musicians, bands, DJs, and technical artists, set at the stunning The Ruins at Sassafras Museum.

🖼️ Join Albany Barn for their inaugural House of Joy Project. Take a stroll through downtown Albany and discover 5 little landmarks, aka HOUSES OF JOY.

🤾 Get the kids off their screens and moving their bodies at Healthy Kids Day at the Saratoga Regional YMCA. Free!

💃 Hilltown Commons presents Adult Prom Night. It’s prom like you remember—only with worse knees and better wine! Featuring live music by 30 Rack. Stay the night on the beautiful Hilltown grounds with sweeping views of the Catskills for just $20 extra!

SUNDAY

😎 The Sanctuary for Independent Media invites you for a day of Community Care Workshops in Troy. Includes plant swap, justice practice and a cybersecurity workshop!

🎪 Union College invites the public to its free Community Carnival. Bring the kids!

👨‍🎨 The Albany Institute of History & Art screens the documentary, “Richard Callner: An Art Career in Four Acts,” followed by a post-program reception.

🦎 The Capital District Reptile Expo slithers into the Albany Capital Center on Sunday. Meet local breeders and learn from zoologists.

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