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📣 Capital Region writers share juicy summer camp stories

📣 Capital Region writers share juicy summer camp stories

Plus, Top 5 Weekend Picks, best deals & discounts, music listings

Phat Chiem
June 26, 2024

In partnership with

Happy Wednesday, Capital District! Today, we’re doing an arts & letters edition, leading with a profile of Writers Read’s first-ever show in Albany. Plus, check out our Top 5 Weekend Picks and News of the Weird!

We also want to send a huge shoutout to Brock R. of Troy for referring subscribers to The 518 🥳 Be like Brock and help us grow our audience. Scroll down to get your personal referral link to share & win cool prizes!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Today in The 518

16 Capital Region writers share juicy summer camp stories
Who came out on top in Tuesday’s primaries? 🇺🇲
Restaurant and concert roundups for the region
Top 5 Weekend Picks, plus best deals & discounts

📣 TALK OF THE TOWN

Editor’s Note: You asked, we delivered. As requested, The 518 is adding more coverage of arts & culture around the Capital Region. Today’s newsletter focuses on two excellent events happening this week: Writers Read and Judith Braun’s I’M BAD at Kiddie Pool.

Writers Read is all about good storytelling—told live.

Writers Read invites 16 Capital Region writers to share their most personal summer camp stories

The personal essay enjoys a rich history in the annals of literary expression, going back hundreds of years.

But something happens when you put constraints on this classic genre—limiting each essay to 650 words and having the writer read the finished piece in front of a live audience.

That’s the premise behind Writers Read, which curates and produces live events centered on authors delivering personal stories on stage. For the first time, the Hudson Valley nonprofit is putting together a show in Albany and has invited Capital Region writers to read their stories at The Linda this Sunday. There will be a cocktail hour after the show where audience members can meet and mingle with the writers. Get tickets here.

For Writers Read founder Edward McCann, the focus is always on good storytelling and the craft of writing. But a big part of the magic is seeing the writer take something that exists only on the page and bring it to life in front of a raptured audience.

“When writers take their essay to the stage, they put themselves into it,” McCann said in an interview with The 518. “You hear things that you didn't see on the page.”

Since it’s June, the afternoon’s theme will focus on summer camp—a classic wellspring for transformative, coming-of-age stories.

“This is our first geographically targeted submission call,” McCann said. “We sought out writers from Camp Chingachgook south to Coxsackie, and east of Amsterdam to Hoosick Falls.”

In all, there will be 16 writers from 11 Capital Region counties. Many will not be professional writers—just someone with a good, honest story that needed to be told.

Read the rest of our profile on Writers Read here.

☀️ WEATHER WATCH

“Again and again, the cicada’s untiring cry pierced the sultry summer air like a needle at work on thick cotton cloth.”—Yukio Mishima

Expect lots of sunshine for the rest of the week with thunderstorms threatening the weekend—boo 🙁

🌤️ Wednesday 91°/64° 💧 25%

🌤️ Thursday 81°/55° 💧 25%

☀️ Friday 78°/61° 💧 0%

🌦️ Saturday 76°/61° 💧 91%

🌧️ Sunday 86°/60° 💧 85%

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🗞️ CAPITAL DISTRICT DIGEST

The primary results are in 🇺🇲

Lee Kindlon easily defeated Albany County District Attorney David Soares in yesterday’s Democratic primary. Meanwhile, Albany Common Council member Gabriella Romero came out on top in the highly competitive (and costly) race to succeed Assemblywoman Pat Fahy.

HVCC prez is out of a job 🤦‍♂️

Roger Ramsammy has been fired as president of Troy's Hudson Valley Community College after a sexual harassment investigation. The Board of Trustees voted to terminate his contract Tuesday night.

Capital Region restaurant roundup 🍽️

After 20 years in business, Pizza Buono in Niskayuna is closing because the owners want to retire. You can own the beloved pizzeria for a cool $225K. Retirement is also leading to the closure of G’s Famous Lemon Cookies in Amsterdam this weekend. The Times Union reviews the new dinner concept at Cafe Madison in Albany. And these are the best Capital Region restaurants for wine lovers.

Save the date for these major music stars 🎸

There’s some big-time talent coming to the Capital District. SPAC heats up with Post Malone, John Legend, Dave Matthews Band, Sammy Hagar, and more. The Palace Theater also has a great summer lineup with Nas, Peter Frampton, Theo Von and Alice Cooper. And you metalheads won’t want to miss Gwar at Empire Live. Also, Tanglewood in Lenox, MA, calls in the luminaries with its Popular Artist Series with Jason Mraz, James Taylor, The Pretenders, Beck with the Boston Pops, and others. The Times Union has a full look-ahead calendar.

Detail of Judith Braun’s FEVER (carbon toner portrait on Tyvek)

🎟️ TOP 5: WEEKEND PICKS

⭐️ I’M BAD art opening at Kiddie Pool

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—alongside works from her formidable archives. Emily Nola, the co-director of Troy’s CollarWorks, has a full writeup of the show for The 518.

Kiddie Pool is a residential project space in downtown Albany for art and literature, founded by Karley Sullivan. It’s a speakeasy space so you must RSVP to discover the secret location 🤫 Phat and Karley, publishers of this very newsletter, will be hosting—come say hello! Friday, 6-9p, free.

⭐️ Center Square Stoop Stroll

Albany’s charming Center Square is the star of this weekend’s event with upwards of 60 homes showcasing their decorated stoops, as well as walking tours of the Gilded Age mansions seen in the hit HBO TV show. 11a-4p, Sat. Tickets: $15 for walking tours and $10 donation for stoop stroll. Details here.

⭐️ Summer Camp with Writers Read

Writers Read invites 16 writers from across the Capital Region to share their very personal stories of summer camp, in its first-ever Albany show. Mingle with the writers at the wine-and-cheese hour following the reading. 2-5p, Sunday, $30. More details and get tix here.

⭐️ Old Songs Festival: Music with Roots

Come out for a family-friendly festival of folk, traditional, Celtic and world music and dance. Featuring over 100 workshops and performances during the day, and concerts at night. Plus, a fun children’s activity area. Friday to Sunday at the Altamont Fairgrounds. Details and tix here.

⭐️ Goat Yoga at June Farms 🐐🧘‍♂️

Yoga with goats?? We wouldn’t kid you. In partnership with the Hot Yoga Spot, Goat Yoga is back at June Farms this season with two class offerings each week. 4-5p, Friday, $10. Details and tix here. Also, grab your yoga mat and join a free, all-levels class every Saturday at 10 am on the SUNY Plaza lawn in Albany.

🍷 MORE NOTABLE EVENTS

The Adirondack Food & Wine Fest is one of the biggest events in Lake George all year.

Free admission to Malta Drive-In Theater in Saratoga

Everyone gets in free for Customer Appreciation Night this Thursday! If you’ve never watched movies under the stars at the Malta Drive-In Theatre, you’re in for a treat—even better when it’s free. Attendees can see “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” on Screen 1, or “Wonka” on Screen 2, with showtime at 8:55 pm. Details here.

Vanessa Carlton at Albany’s Alive at Five

After last week’s rained out show, Vanessa Carlton will surely be a crowd-pleaser as she headlines Albany’s summer concert series. 4:30-8p, Thursday, free. Jennings Landing, Albany. Details here.

Adirondack Wine and Food Festival in Lake George

Bring your appetite and well-trained taste buds for this epicurean dream as 120 of New York's best wineries, craft beverage makers, artisan food producers, and food trucks convene for one of the biggest food festivals all year. 11a-6p, Sat; 11a-5p, Sun. Tickets start at $50 (just $20 for designated drivers). Details here.

47th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival

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. Sat-Sun. Details and tix here.

🪲 WEIRD NEWS WEDNESDAY

Purple pitcher plants in New York State

The creepiest carnivorous plants in NYS

Did you know that New York State boasts several carnivorous plants? These include pitcher plants, Sundew plants, the Horned Bladderwort, and the fast-disappearing Butterwort plant. All are found in marshy wetland areas. NOTE: It’s illegal to remove these plants from their habitats. As yo mama used to say: Look but don’t touch!

Pitcher plants use an intoxicating nectar to lure insects into their pitcher-shaped flower. The Sundew plant also uses secretions to capture their prey. After luring insects into its “Little Shop of Horrors,” the mouth slowly closes while the hapless victim is stuck in its sticky substance. Get the full story on these plant predators.

💰 CAPITAL DISTRICT DEALS & DISCOUNTS

Regal Cinemas is offering tickets on family-friendly movies for just $1 all summer. The catch? The shows are only Tuesdays and Wednesdays, at 11 am. Regal also offers Early Bird tickets before noon on Saturdays and Sundays for just $5 and $8.

Huck Finn’s is offering 3 free rides if you go to a Scene One movie theater in Schenectady, Wilton and Albany from July 4 to 14. Details here.

Samurai Japanese Restaurant (hibachi & sushi) is offering a free cocktail and a half-priced dinner for guests celebrating their birthday. You must dine on your actual birthday. Details here.

Apex Entertainment at Crossgates Mall is offering $1 burgers and $1 beers every Wednesday. Details here.

The PF Chang’s at Colonie Center is offering a free order of lettuce wraps with a purchase of any entree. Dine-in only. Details here.

Get 50% off at Nocturnal Cookies (5 Clinton Square, Albany). Details here.

See our full list of discounts here!