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Welcome to The 518!

We started this newsletter because we wanted a better way to connect with our friends and neighbors, to find out what’s happening around town: cool events, the best new place for brunch on lazy Sunday mornings, where to take the kids when it’s brass monkeys outside, what to do this weekend, and important stuff like where and when Hootie & the Blowfish is playing. Just kidding. We already know—June 15th at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Oh, Collective Soul will be there too. Cue the Gen X vibes.

The word ‘community’ is completely overused, but that’s what we’re trying do here. Create community. Community means more engagement, more pride, more connection, more fun, more of everything that we want to get out of this place we call home.

We hope you’ll be a big part of this community. Read The 518. Share it. Send us news, tips and gossip. What’s the talk of the town? It’s really your local newsletter. We just get to be in the privileged position of publishing it.

Now, on to the good stuff…

Goood morning, Capital District! It’s Monday, May 6th. We’ve made it past the cruelest month, now we get to reap the rewards: May flowers, t-shirt weather, and farmer’s markets bursting with spring’s freshest fare. Of course, May in Albany can mean only one thing—Tulip Mania! 🌷🌷🌷

Today in The 518

• A sneak peek at this year’s Albany Tulip Festival

• $90K raised for UAlbany freshman put in coma

• Farmer’s markets spring open their gates

Let’s dive in, shall we?

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

TALK OF THE TOWN

76th Annual Tulip Festival ‘Right on Schedule’

Albany’s signature spring event is about to pop off.

Jena DiTonno, the City Gardener for Albany, says the quarter of a million bulbs 🤯 planted each year for the Albany Tulip Festival should bloom right on time. She should know—she’s been working on the gardens for 16 years. Will every single bulb bloom at exactly the same time. Of course not! “That’s just the nature of the flowers,” she says.

Come out to see nature’s glory for yourself at Washington Park this weekend (11 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday). See the full schedule of events.

GoFundMe for UAlbany Student in Hit & Run Raises $90K

Alexa Kropf, the 18-year-old freshman at University of Albany who was struck by a dirt bike, remains in a medically induced coma. The good news: Her condition is stable. That’s according to updates given by friends and family on a GoFundMe set up for Alexa. $90,000 has been raised so far. 🙏

Meanwhile, video has surfaced of bikes in the area where the the alleged hit-and-run took place, and police have seized at least 10 illegal dirt bikes.

Spring Has Sprung at CapDi’s Farmer’s Markets

Besides an insane number of tulips in Albany, there’s no surer sign of spring than the farmer’s markets opening up all over the Capital District (which we’ve taken to calling CapDi—is that a thing??).

Here’s a great roundup of farmer’s markets. It’s missing one of our faves though—the waterfront farmer’s market in downtown Troy.

THE WEATHER VANE

Apparently you can’t have May flowers without May showers. Get ready for a mostly wet week ahead.

A Message from Our Partner

Local businesses need marketing like a garden needs bees—without it, there’s no buzz and no growth! Just planting your business in the community soil isn't enough. You’ve got to attract customers, and that's where local marketing comes in.

Don’t know where to start? For a limited time, we are offering free 30-min coaching calls for small & medium businesses in the Capital District. Chat with us about optimizing your website, reviews, Google listings, social media, Shopify stores, and more! Sign up here (limited availability).

CAPITAL DISTRICT DIGEST

Reimagining the I-787. Yes, Really.

How would you feel if everyone hated you and wanted you to change? That’s probably how poor Interstate 787 feels. The NY Department of Transportation has unveiled ideas for improving the controversial highway, including making it a boulevard instead of a highway. People have opinions. But one option is to simply do nothing. Noooooo 🤦

$25 Concert Tickets Go on Sale

LiveNation’s Concert Week is returning May 8-14, giving fans a chance to grab tickets to some 5,000 shows around the country for just $25 all in (that’s right, fees included). That’s less than two beers at… a LiveNation show. Venues include the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where—you guessed it—Hootie & the Blowfish performs on June 15. Btw, they’ve been playing since 1986. Like, wha???

Huck Finn’s Playland Back for 72nd Year

Albany’s storied tot-size amusement park just opened for the season. Its iconic carousel has been refurbished with new paint and spiffed up horses 🐎. Expect new food items and new distractions for adults. More details here.

Home of the Week 🏠🗝️

This Gothic Revival beauty has it all: Albany heritage, exquisite woodwork, soaring ceilings, tons of natural light, and views galore. Built in 1848 for Albany native Theodore Van Heusen, the home is situated in the Mansion District—a hidden gem of Albany real estate. 5 beds, 4 bath, 6776 sq ft. Asking: $799,000. Days on the market: 33. See the full listing.

Btw, this isn’t a sponsored post. We just love beautiful homes and wanna show you some of the most interesting properties for sale 🏠 🤌 around the Capital District.

MUSIC ROUNDUP 🎸

PARTING SHOT

📍 Lincoln Park, Albany. “You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Got a great shot? 📷 Send it to us! phat@

SHARING IS CARING

If you made it this far, we love you! And if you love what you read, can you please, please share it with just one other person? Even your ex 🙃

Get in touch with us anytime at [email protected]!