📣 Pro soccer stadium coming to Albany?

Happy Friday, Capital District! We’ve made it to the weekend, and what a glorious one it’s gonna be with the Albany Tulip Festival 🌷🙌 Plus, it’s Mother’s Day 🌸 Remember to call your mama, or take her out to brunch and let her have all the 🧇 🥞 🥂 she wants.

OK, mama’s boy (or girl), let’s dive in.

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

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Today in The 518

• $300 million pro soccer complex planned for downtown Albany

• The Albany Tulip Fest is the best thing you’ll do all weekend

• Construction begins on new pool at historic Lincoln Park bathhouse

📣 TALK OF THE TOWN

Group seeks to build $300M soccer complex in Albany

First they brought Hattie’s to Albany’s South End. Now they might bring a whole a** soccer stadium and MLS Next Pro expansion team to the downtown area.

Business for Good founders Ed and Lisa Mitzen, plus a group of investors, are looking to build a $300 million sports and entertainment complex in the area between Hudson Avenue and Liberty Street best known for the Greyhound bus station. In other words, it’s a wasteland.

In a tweet, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan called this a “once-in-a-generation, transformational opportunity” to bring “world-class athletes, housing, jobs, entertainment, and economic activity to New York’s Capital City.”

The stadium could open as soon as 2026, coinciding with the World Cup’s arrival in the U.S. That seems ambitious, but we are thrilled to see this kind of attention for the South End and downtown. We’re getting our ⚽⚽ ready. LFG!

More details at the Times Union.

Albany Tulip Fest brings out bulbs-loving hordes

Tens of thousands of people from all over the Capital Region and beyond will descend on Washington Park this weekend for what is arguably Albany’s biggest event of the year—the Tulip Festival! Don’t miss the outdoor screening of Barbie in the park tonight. See the full schedule of events.

The good news is that it looks like the rain 🌧️ gods just might offer us a reprieve from the dampness. There’s a 15% chance of rain on Saturday, and a 53% chance of morning showers and cooler temperatures on Sunday. Either way, it’s good for the 250K tulips 🌷 on display 🤯 Keep in mind the street closures, parking rules and shuttle buses running all weekend.

Construction begins on Albany’s Lincoln Park Pool

Did you know that the historic Lincoln Park Pool 🏊 (built in 1931) has leaked since the day it was built? Up to half a million gallons a day 😲

Albany’s South End neighborhood is eager to take a dip in the new pool. Actually there are three pools planned: a 10,000-square foot walk-in pool, a 10-lane lap pool, and a half-sized Olympic lap pool. The historic 1930s-era bathhouse is also getting a much-needed makeover. The goal is to open in time for the Fourth of July next year. Get your floaties 🐬 ready kids.

More details at WAMC.

☔ WEATHER WATCH

It’s May showers and May flowers this weekend for the Tulip Festival. Keep your ☂️ handy just in case.

A Message from Our Partner

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🗞️ CAPITAL DISTRICT DIGEST

Be sure to check out our Top 5 Weekend Picks 🎟️ (out every Wednesday)!

Cuckoo’s Nest in Albany closing after May 19

You only have days left to patronize The Cuckoo’s Nest on Western Avenue in Albany. Its final service will be Sunday, May 19. Owners Kaytrin Ziemann and her husband are closing the popular spot to focus on their Schenectady restaurants: The Nest and the forthcoming Mila Restaurant & Bar, a Mediterranean-inspired eatery.

Step inside Saratoga’s historic mansions on Broadway

This Mother's Day weekend, Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is hosting its biggest fundraiser of the year with its Historic Home Tour. This year's event features the historic mansions of North Broadway, including the Brackett Mansion, home of the late Senator Edgar Brackett. Get your tix here. 10a-3p, Saturday only, $50 for non-members.

Crackdown on illegal motorbikes continues

The Albany County Sheriff’s Office has seized at least 25 illegal, uninsured, and unregistered dirt bikes since UAlbany freshman Alexa Kropf was critically injured in a hit-and-run in late April. Anyone with information on illegal dirt bikes and ATVs can call the Sheriff's Office at (518) 462-1818. Btw, Alexa is doing better. She’s out of a medically induced coma, breathing on her own, and in stable condition. A GoFundMe for Alexa has reached $100K ❤️‍🩹

🍦 FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

This is sure to inspire one hot (er, cold) debate. Cheapism has named Kurver Kreme one of the 40 best soft serve stands in the whole of the United States. That’s quite an honor for the local institution at 1349 Central Avenue in Albany. Some soft-serve lovers may quibble with this award, like the folks at Stella’s Creamery in Schenectady. Check out this video story of Stella’s on Around Albany.

🎸 MUSIC ROUNDUP

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