The Office of General Services (OGS) announced today that maintenance on the crane serving the Capitol roof repair project will begin February 21. The work is expected to take 10 – 12 days, weather permitting, and will necessitate adjustments to traffic patterns on Washington Avenue near the Capitol. The cost of the maintenance will be borne by the contractor and will not add additional costs to the project.

The contract for the project requires annual crane inspections, and the general contractor, Consigli Construction Company, has elected to conduct more frequent inspections. While conducting a routine inspection last week, the tower crane engineers employed a magnetic flux test and discovered suspected imperfections on some of the welds on the crane’s eight foot turntable.

As a precautionary measure, a replacement turntable will be installed. In its present state, the 274-foot-high crane is safe and poses no [...]

Albany, N.Y. – MIRK is back! The Albany band returns for a one-night-only show until after their 2nd album is released early May. The band’s last 2 shows were for huge crowds – Fall Fest with Third Eye Blind at the SEFCU Arena and with Badfish at Northern Lights.

The upcoming show is on Friday, February 25th 2011 at The Upper Room Lounge (above the Pearl Street Pub) – Doors open at 9pm, show starts at 10pm with special guests The City Never Sleeps. It’s the opening night of Avid Entertainment’s Friday Night Live, with tickets fairly priced at $10 in advance available at the Pearl Street Pub or by calling (518) 209-1537.

MIRK’s live show is actually a music video shoot. The filming will be used as [...]

TROY, NY- The Tri-City ValleyCats, along with title sponsors Friendly’s, Price Chopper, CDTA and The Brickman Group, have announced that Westland Hills Little League in Albany, Ballston Spa Jr. Baseball League in Ballston Spa, Northside Little League in Schenectady and Scotia-Glenville Little League in Scotia are the four fields that will be renovated during a twenty four hour time period in April. The ValleyCats received almost forty applications from leagues around the Capital Region.

The renovations will take place beginning the morning of Friday, April 15th and will be completed by Saturday morning April 16th. To begin the process, the ValleyCats will separate their crew into two groups. One will begin in Ballston Spa and one will begin at Westland Hills in Albany. After those fields are completed, all will diverge upon Schenectady and begin work at the Northside and Scotia-Glenville Little [...]

Queensbury, NY – Father, Gary Higley and son, Andrew of The Sports Page Ski Shop flew back from Denver, Colorado two weeks ago with big, heartfelt smiles as they brought home the award for Best Backshop Ski Tuning in the nation to their family, staff, and customers. The inaugural Skiing Business awards were presented in conjunction with the Snowsports Industries America trade show in Denver, Colorado as a way to recognize those who make the ski industry progress. The Sports Page Ski Shop was nominated by ski industry manufacturers and reps for the award.

“We are truly honored to bring home this award to share with our family, staff, and all of our wonderful customers,” says Gary Higley, Owner. “For years, our team has strived to outperform the ski manufacturers’ ability to provide a great skiing experience [...]

TROY, NY– After receiving over two dozen applications, the Tri-City ValleyCats will announce at a formal press conference which four local youth baseball fields have been chosen to be renovated as part of their ‘4 in 24’ Extreme Field Renovation project.

The press conference will be attended by members of the ValleyCats front office, representatives from each chosen league and a representative from each of the four major sponsors, Friendly’s, Price Chopper, CDTA and the Brickman Group. New York State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco is also scheduled to be in attendance.

Following the announcement, refreshments will be provided and the ValleyCats 2010 championship trophy will be on display.

WHO: ValleyCats Front Office
Reps from Friendly’s, Price Chopper, CDTA and The Brickman Group
Members of the chosen youth leagues
New York State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco

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For Immediate Release
February 15, 2011
Schenectady Museum Contact: Chris Hunter
518.382.7890 x241

National Grid Contact: Patrick Stella
518.433.3838

Schenectady, N.Y. — National Grid has awarded an $8,000 grant to the Schenectady Museum to design and install an update to the existing Fueling the Future exhibit. The updated exhibit will focus on fuel cell technology and is targeted for completion in April 2011.
The centerpiece of the new 50-square-foot permanent updated exhibit will be a GenSys Fuel Cell, with the external cover removed so visitors can view the interior, as well as schematic drawings and an interactive element illustrating how the fuel cell operates.

“The Schenectady Museum is excited about the National Grid grant to update our Fueling the Future exhibit,” Schenectady Museum Executive Director Kerry Orlyk said. “This grant will allow us to explain fuel cell technology [...]

Albany, NY – The Albany Tulip Festival Committee is seeking crafters for the Craft Show at the 63rd Annual Albany Tulip Festival on May 7 & 8, 2011, outdoors in Washington Park, Albany, New York. Annual attendance for the weekend event is approximately 80,000.

Application deadline for craft vendors has been extended to Friday, February 18, 2011.

Standards: Work must be original, handcrafted, expertly executed and completely finished. Unacceptable work includes: ceramics from commercial molds, cut bottles and kits. No representatives or stores representing artists or craftspeople may apply. No manufactured products or art and craft supplies may be displayed or sold at this show.

About Photos: Each applicant must submit 4 digital photos on CD. All images should be a minimum of 300 dpi, and sent as a .jpg file. Three photos must be representative of your work and one photo must represent your booth. [...]

Albany, NY – The 2011 Albany Tulip Festival Committee is seeking visual artists for a juried exhibition at the 63rd Annual Tulip Festival on May 7 & 8, outdoors in Washington Park, Albany, New York. Annual attendance for the weekend event is approximately 80,000.
Eligibility: Painting (watercolor, acrylic, pastel, oil, etc.) sculpture, prints, photography, etching, collage and mixed media. No craft, commercial or retail vendors.

All exhibitors must be 18 years or older.

Cost: $70 for 2 days + $10 jury fee

Deadline for submission: Extended to February 18, 2011.

Request an application:

Via email: phanr@ci.albany.ny.us
Via mail: City of Albany – Special Events
Visual Arts Exhibition
City Hall – Room 402
Albany, NY 12207
Via fax or phone: Fax: (518) 426-0759; phone: (518) 434-5416.

For additional information on the 63rd Annual Albany Tulip Festival, call (518) 434-2032 or [...]

Albany, NY –

Do you know any extraordinary young women with these qualifications?
• Ages 18-23
• Goal Oriented
• Community Outreach Experience
• Albany County Resident
• Leadership Skills

The Albany Tulip Queen & Court develop and implement an educational program each year for the Mayor Jerry Jennings Literacy Campaign. The Queen & Court spend their year of reign promoting the campaign by visiting local schools, youth organizations & community functions.

At the end of their reign, the Tulip Queen is awarded a $5000 scholarship and each Court member receives a $1500 scholarship.

Schenectady, NY, – Best Cleaners is teaming up with The Food Pantries to help out those in need. Starting Monday, February 14th, we will be promoting ‘Share the Love’, a campaign to help the hungry. Come into one of our Best Cleaners locations with 3 non-perishable food items and get $3 off your dry cleaning bill!

The Food Pantries is a coalition of food pantries working together to feed the hungry throughout the year. They have been successfully providing groceries, and basic every day items to anyone that is in need, and would like to continue this success, but need your help. As of right now the member food pantries are located in churches and community centers throughout Albany, Rensselaer, and Southern Saratoga Counties. The individuals that come to them for their services are usually provided with enough [...]