#ItsHereInRensselaer
by Vito Ciccarelli
It’s been quite the ride we’ve been on over the past 4 months. Now with things clearing up a little, it’s time to get a bit of normalcy back and enjoy our summer, and our lives again. For those of you itching to get out of the house, events are now happening throughout Rensselaer County for you to enjoy. And for those wondering, safety measures have been put into place with each event to ensure that you and your family feel secure in coming out. Here are the new rules to follow if you’re planning on attending.
• When walking through the event, mask must be worn, so please plan on bringing one. You will not be required to wear a mask when sitting at your seat, or in your standing place.
• Hand sanitizer will be made available, and we ask that it be used.
• Crowd size will be limited, so plan on getting there early.
• If you are coughing, have a temperature, or are not feeling well, please do not attend.
• No pets will be allowed.
Several weekly concerts have already begun, with a couple more slated to kick off in August. Here’s the schedule, of where you can go for live music this summer in Rensselaer County;
Schaghticoke
July 23: Whiskey Highway
July 30: Skeeter Creek
August 6: Dashboard Anthem
August 13: Back40 Band
August 20: Papa Squat
August 27: The Refrigerators, with special guest Moriah Formica
All shows, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Schaghticoke Town Hall
North Greenbush
July 19: Matt Mirabile Band
July 26: Broken Hearted (Tom Petty Tribute)
August 2: MP3
August 9: Scrapper Tuesday
August 16: River Junction.
All shows, 6 – 8 pm at North Greenbush Town Hall
Brunswick
July 21: Tichy Boys
July 28: Lustre Kings
August 4: Get Up Jack
August 11: Oldies Show
August 18: Broken Hearted
August 25: Legend
September 1: Whiskey Highway
All shows, 6:30 – 8 pm at the Brunswick Community Center. For those not feeling safe being in a crowd just yet, you can just park your car, and tune your radio to 89.9 FM to hear the concert.
East Greenbush
August 4: Dealt the Blues
August 11: Gone Gray
August 18: Roxy & the Road Kings
August 25: The Schmooze
All shows, 6 – 8 pm at Onderdonk Memorial Park
Powers Park
August 1: Johnny Rabb Big Band
August 8: Soul Serenade (Allman Brothers Tribute)
August 15: The Refrigerators
August 22: Mike & the Monsters
August 29: Beatin the Odds
August shows, 6 – 8:30 pm
September 5: Legend
September 12: Whiskey Highway
September shows, 5 – 7:30 pm
Rensselaer
July 21: Winchester & Young
July 28: Night Shift
August 4th: Donny Elvis (Show dedicated in memory of Wayne Simmons)
All shows, 6 – 8 pm at Rensselaer Riverfront Park.
Troy
July 22 through September 9. Summer Square is LIVE with music and arts entertainment throughout downtown Troy! Rockin’ on the River has transitioned into Rockin’ at Sage Park for a small scale concert series with local performers. With regulations on event size, attendance will be limited to 40 individuals with free tickets “sold” online. Physically distanced circles will be available in the grass for seating with your family unit. Bring your picnic blanket or lounge chair and order takeout from your favorite downtown restaurants to enjoy alongside live music each week.
July 31 through August 2. Troy River Fest is back this year with a three day long physically distanced ramble! Spread throughout downtown Troy you can shop, eat, drink, and explore downtown Troy with twilight shopping, a downtown-wide sidewalk sale and family friendly activities.
For those of you who have asked, the Schaghticoke Fair, like every other fair in New York State, will not be happening. To see this event, which had entertained generations of county residents, being canceled, is heartbreaking to say the least. Families count on, and look forward to these types of events. This is why the six communities within Rensselaer County who are providing weekly concerts, are stepping up to the plate to give you, the taxpayer, with something fun to do with your family this summer. Over the first few weeks of the currently running events, it’s been encouraging to see families coming out, complying with the new rules, and still having a great time. Together, we can do this safely, and still have a great time. Life has an expiration date on it folks, don’t let it pass you by.RE