The 518 Weekender: Drink Schenectady, Dark Sky Week

April 09, 2026

In partnership with

Happy Thursday, folks! Today’s newsletter not only has The 518 Weekender, as always, but debuting this week is what we’re calling “Animal Stories”—featuring stories about pet heroes and animals in need of adoption.

🦫 Our newest event series, The 518 Dinner Club, is off to an amazing start. We’re so thrilled that so many of you will be joining us on April 22 for an evening of good food, great conversation, and real community.

🍏 If you can’t make this month’s dinner, come to our first-ever 518 Happy Hour next Wednesday at Nine Pin’s Tasting Room. Another way we’re building community IRL.

🍸️ Congrats to Gabriela Wemple, who won our ticket giveaway for Saturday’s Drink Schenectady at miSci! She works for New York State Parks and lives in the Helderberg neighborhood with her husband, dog, and an always rotating roster of foster dogs from Peppertree Rescue. Here’s what Gabriela had to say:

“I look forward to receiving The 518 in my inbox to get to know more about local groups and to see what's happening in the area to plan my week. For example, I learned about the Nine Pin Craft & Sip from the newsletter, and will be in attendance with a few friends to make our own leather earrings!”

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Capital District Dark Sky Week kicks off this Saturday!

⭐️ = Top 5 Staff Picks

⭐️ 🍸️ Drink Schenectady is your chance to sample some of the best craft brews and spirits that New York has to offer, while getting your hands on the cool science exhibits at miSci. Phat & Karley will be at this event, so say 👋 if you see us! Sat, 6-9p. GA tix are $42 and VIP tix (which includes a cheese pairing) are $59.

⭐️ 💀 The Twilight Market is returning to downtown Troy for its second annual Halfway to Halloween event, bringing together some of the Northeast’s best alternative creators. The market will feature a spooky, eclectic mix of taxidermy, dark art, oddities, antiques, macabre jewelry, witchcraft goods, gothic apparel, home decor, tarot readers, and more. Sat, 5-9p, free.

🔭 Capital District Dark Sky Week celebrates the night sky with star parties and talks on the importance of stopping the spread of light pollution. This event seems especially timely as Artemis II makes the first lunar mission in a half century. Starting Saturday, there will star parties at various locations around the Capital Region, including at Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, and Huyck Preserve. The Dudley Observatory’s Mindy Townsend (who was the guest speaker for our inaugural Curious Table dinner) will lead these events. April 11-19, various times, free.

⭐️ ♻️ Discover new ways to go green at the 2026 Saratoga Sustainability Fair on the Skidmore campus. All kinds of environmental and conservation groups, and other vendors will be represented at this event, including Wild Ones Capital Region, Luseedlus, Capital Region Clean Energy Hub, Pitney Meadow Community Farm, and more! Sat, 10a-2p, free.

⭐️ 🌺 Blooming the Imaginarium is an immersive, music-filled fundraiser at Lark Hall supporting the creation of a permanent interactive art installation in downtown Albany. We need a stronger arts scene in Albany, so we love this mission. Expect live music, dancing, interactive art experiences, and creative fun for the kids. Sun, 2-6p, $39.53 (kids 12 and under are free).

Honorable mentions:

🌶️ The 518 Romantasy Shop, billed as upstate New York’s first mobile romance bookstore, is determined to keep Upstate spicy! Join the ladies at their popup event at Anthropologie in Stuyvesant Plaza. Mae’kin’ Bakin’ by Shelley will be on hand with yummy pastries. Sun, 11a-2p, free.

⭐️ 🍷 Capital Wine Festival features unlimited wine and spirits samples from 40+ vendors across New York State, plus food, music, and shopping. There’s also a paint and sip event, live DJs and a free photo booth. Sat, 11a-9p. There are two sessions: Session 1 ($30), 1-4p; or Session 2 ($35), 6-9p. VIP tix are $40.

👀 Keep reading to see more notable events in “What’s Happening.” 👇️

🐕️ This sweet Birdie needs a new home!

We discovered Birdie’s story on Reddit just last week. Although she is a very sweet pup, Birdie has become increasingly nervous around her foster family’s 6-year-old daughter. They feel like the safest option for everyone would be for Birdie to find a forever home without young children.

Birdie loves to run around and play with other dogs. She would do well in a home with a fenced-in yard and active humans. Fully potty trained, she has done multiple rounds of puppy classes, and can be left alone at home (free range) without getting into mischief. Birdie is 1.5 years old and is an Australian Cattle Dog/Bluetick Coonhound mix.

Please contact Faith ([email protected]) for more information.

A word from our sponsor

Get growing with Good Friend

Good Friend Ecological Gardens is a place of connection and discovery in the heart of Niskayuna, NY. The gardens we create are what happens when environmental stewardship and responsible design reshape the relationships between people, place, and planet.

Bring the Gardens home though Good Friend's garden design service, our seasonal flowers, or plan a tour of the Good Friend Learning Garden to view nature up close.

THURSDAY

📚️ Hisham Matar, Libyan-American and British author, won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for his memoir, The Return. Catch Matar in conversation at the NYS Writers Institute at UAlbany.

🔉 Constellations explores open-form, structured improvisation, using both acoustic and electronic instruments, as well as generative algorithms to guide parts of the performance. At EMPAC.

👂️ The Craft & Sip: Leather Earring Workshop at Nine Pin features Laiken Mae Handmade, a local Troy jewelry studio known for stylish handmade earrings crafted from natural materials. If you go, remember to mention “The 518 Crew” to get 10% off all cider pours!

🎬️ Join indigenous filmmakers Katsitsionni Fox and Michelle Schenandoah for a workshop on Ethical Media from an Indigenous Perspective, at the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

FRIDAY

🎙️ The Albany Barn puts on a variety show called Medley as its major fundraiser this year.

🎤 Shamelessly belt out your favorite emo anthems at the Emo Prom Live Band Sing-a-Long at Albany’s Lost & Found.

🎭️ UAlbany Musical Theatre Association raises the curtain on its production of Urinetown!

🧑🏾‍🌾 Soul Fire Farm, an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm and training center, invites you to their Infrastructure Tour.

🪩 ABBA and Cher fans will be flocking to the Gimme Gimme Disco at Empire Underground.

SATURDAY

🏃‍♂️ Score a new PR at the 2026 Helderberg to Hudson Half Marathon, which features a point-to-point course on a very fast surface.

👕 Ever wanted to try your hand at screen printing? Join the casual beginner’s class at Circus in Albany to learn how!

🧝‍♂️ Upstate Card Con takes over Colonie Center Mall.

🎸 UNKEN BREW is a high-energy acoustic group that blends bluegrass, blues, and Americana. At Wolf Hollow Brewing Co.

🦋 The Moth at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is sadly SOLD OUT (but you can get on the waiting list).

💎 My precious! The Albany Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show is at the Polish Community Center this weekend.

🤣 We love this description for the Nick Offerman show at the Palace Theatre: Nick Offerman, even more hirsute than last time, is back to remind the fans of sawdust what a living, breathing mammal, unsullied by AI, looks like.

🐛 Nerdy by Nature in Troy invites you to this month’s gallery reception, “Just the Little Guy.”

SUNDAY

🕺 Local dance instructor Paul Rosenberg invites you to Albany Family Barn Dance, featuring circle dances, squares, line dances, and play-party singing games from around the world.

UPCOMING

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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